Revered songwriter Lloyd Cole has shared the video for his song ‘The Idiot’.
A wonderful voice within British music, Lloyd Cole’s catalogue is replete with gems. 2023’s ‘On Pain’ caused a commotion – see what we did there? – with its enriching arrangements, and his ever-lucid lyrical pen.
An artist whose inter-textual reference points create a cornucopia of pop culture touchstones, album cut ‘The Idiot’ was inspired by Bowie, Iggy, and those endless nights in Berlin.
A period that inspired some of both artist’s best work – we’re looking at you, here ‘Low’ and ‘Lust For Life’ – it of course provided the setting for Iggy’s solo masterpiece ‘The Idiot’. And hence, the title of Lloyd Cole’s song.
A beautiful tale of personal (re)discovery in the fabled German city, he sings:
We’ll move to Berlin
Stop being drug addicts
We’ll cycle and swim
Stop being drug addicts
We’ll enter society
You’ll take the serious guise
I’ll be the idiot
The video for ‘The Idiot’ is a touching vision of love and friendship, shot not in Berlin but in Toronto’s legendary Horseshoe Bar. Film maker Doug Arrowsmith from Feltfilm returns – a regular Lloyd Cole collaborator – and the shoot stars dancers Kaelin Isserlin (as ‘David’) and Ryan Kostyniuk (as ‘Jim’).
Bonus points for noticing the David Bowie and Iggy Pop stage moves, choreographed by dance artist Nyda Kwasowsky from the National Ballet School of Canada.
Airing first through Clash, you can check it out below.
Catch Lloyd Cole on tour in the UK this October, including three nights at Union Chapel in London (October 19th – 21st). Joining Lloyd on stage will be Blair Cowan and Neil Clark as well as
Glaswegian-Icelandic (incredible heritage – Clash) drummer Signy Jakobsdottir.
Photo Credit: Mark Dellas
