POPSCREEN: Gnarls Barkley

The video for Gnarls Barkley’s

single “Run,” from their sophomore

album “The Odd Couple,” comes

with a seizure warning and might

best be described as a crazy kaleidoscope

of dancing black people and

stripes. Lots of zigzagging, pulsing,

racing, colliding stripes.

The video’s premise is based

around a recreation of “Soul Train”

(it’s a little like OutKast’s video for

“Hey Ya”). “Run” features some pretty

normal and—dare I say it—wholesome

dancing and singing in its first

half, complete with colorful 80s attire.

If you’re prone to siezures, though,

you shouldn’t be lulled into a false

sense of security. As soon as you see

the rapper’s eyes go all spiral-like and

the dancers’ colorful clothes turn to

black and white (which is a very cool

effect, if you don’t value your eyesight)

get the hell away from that screen.

For once, the duo that makes

up Gnarls Barkley—Danger Mouse

(Brian Burton) and Cee-Lo Green

(Thomas Callaway)—appear in the

video in person, and not as ink blots

(“Crazy”) or as fleas perving on a leggy

housewife (“Gone Daddy Gone”).

Justin Timberlake shows up as well.

“Run” flaunts a retro theme that

other bands might handle in tacky

or outdated ways. It comes complete

with primitive star wipes and considerably

good ideas for the upcoming

80s and 90s house dances, and then

outdoes itself with the special seizure

effects. The only problem is that the

effects come too late to save the first

half of the video, which drags on

slightly longer than necessary.

Ultimately, the FX may be worth

the retina pain. Although it seems

random at first, the psychedelic backdrop

moves in time and in sync with

the artists, scrambles your mind if

you watch it in conjunction with the

choreography, and will leave no doubt

in your spasmodic brain that Gnarls

Barkley knows visual effects.

—Jenny J. Lee