Gary Clark Jr. constructs a trippy path to peace in his vivid, partly animated Got to Get Up video.
The singer-guitarist uses several cultural icons including Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Marley, John Lennon, James Brown, Bruce Lee and Nelson Mandela as signposts of positivity to combat various forms of evil, like Nazism and the KKK. The musician himself pops up throughout, slinging his guitar along a colorful route via trains, submarines and spaceships.
In a statement, Manu Viqueira, who co-directed the clip with Laprisamata, describes the visual as a journey throughout history in which the powerful energy of Got To Get Up makes people come together to fight with pride against different forms of oppression.
Got to Get Up appears on Clark Jr.s February-issued third LP, This Land. The songwriter who recently joined Tom Morello for his solo track Cant Stop the Bleeding will continue to promote the album on tour throughout the summer and fall, including a North American leg that launches in early August at Lollapalooza.