Live Review: Video: The Black Lips 'Raw Meat'

Is that Telly (Leo Fitzpatrick, the teenage star of Harmony Korine's 1995 dark, low budget indie-flick Kids) in the opening scene of the new video for 'Raw Meat' from The Black Lips? After a quick look on IMDB we discovered it's the very same actor expressing feelings of racial oppression at the hands of the band members, all playing NYPD officers. The clip sees them rolling around in a squad car as hopeless 1970's cops - the whole thing is very reminiscent of the TV series Reno 911 .

You can really appreciate what super-producer Mark Ronson has brought to the table on this track, its the same clean/crisp pop sensibility he's applied to his own singles 'Bang Bang Bang', 'Somebody To Love Me' and 'Record Collection'. Everything in the mix just seems to sparkle in a way only he is capable of - to achieve this sound with a club tune is one thing but working it on a punk band is totally another.

It's reported that Ronson nearly died in preparation for the recording this track. The Atlanta group sat down with him for a meal of raw liver sushi in order to get everyone '...in the mood' prior to the first session - the result was not pleasant. Shortly after the feast he became gravely ill and had to be hospitalised.

“I thought maybe I was hungover or something. Then I started shivering uncontrollably. The next thing, the band are putting all these blankets over me. I wake up an hour later, just moaning and groaning. One of them touched my skin and they were like, ‘listen dude, we’ve got to get you to a hospital’. When I was there I was diagnosed with something with a lot of syllables in it – endohinitis, or something like that. I almost died. But I don’t think it was intentional on their part.”

Anyway whatever you think of the The Black Lips, there's no doubt that Leo Fitzpatrick plays a great junkie.

The guys will be coming out for a 7 date Australian tour in 2012 - more info HERE.