Michal Menert bares his soul in "Your Ghost" video, a tribute to his father
Published: April 1, 2014
By: Jacki (Moon) Horne @jacki_moonn
Michal Menert’s latest masterpiece is the gut-wrenching, soul-baring video for “Your Ghost.” The space jazz producer teamed up with Daniel Goldhaber and Drew Levin to craft a video that artistically depicts the struggle to fill the void that’s left when a loved one passes. The song and its video are dedicated to the memory of Michal’s father, Tad Menert, who passed away in 2010, shortly before the release of his Pretty Lights Music debut, Dreaming of a Bigger Life.
“I wanted to showcase the vulnerability of grief, the self destruction and the distraction that you feel from it,” Michal Menert told The Untz. “I think that much of the scene I'm in becomes a quest for making yourself look legitimate, professional, and superhuman; I wanted to show my weakness and my personality, as well as my connection to the music. I wanted people to see that it's what's keeping me alive, while showing my sincerity and substance rather than just keeping people dancing and distracted.”
While the track flawlessly evokes the emotions that occur long after loss on its own, the video truly captures the essence of grief, as the black and white scenes follow Menert from a car crash, to booze-soaked parties, to a cemetery and everywhere in between. The video climaxes with a goosebump-raising note: a hitchhiking Menert is picked up by the spirit of his father, who is actually played by Michal’s uncle Tom. The closing scene of the video is the most powerful, ending with Michal embracing his weeping mother.
Michal told us that the car accident featured in the video was actually a triple rollover the video production crew experienced en route to a cabin his family built together.
“We [the video production team] pushed ourselves to the limit. After the last 3 days of shooting nonstop on top of doing shows, we had all sacrificed a piece of ourselves and the team involved was a godsend for believing in this song and video to the point of putting their well-being at stake,” Michal explained.
“Your Ghost” is the only video from Michal Menert’s vinyl EP Elements, slated for an April 12th release on Super Best Records, but Menert told The Untz he is working on a video for a track off his Space Jazz full length for Pretty Lights Music with the same director and team.
“Please, if you love someone, let them know, and don't promise them forever,” Michal reminded us. “Promise them that you'll be the best that you can be in that moment, because forever can keep you from right now.”
Michal Menert’s latest masterpiece is the gut-wrenching, soul-baring video for “Your Ghost.” The space jazz producer teamed up with Daniel Goldhaber and Drew Levin to craft a video that artistically depicts the struggle to fill the void that’s left when a loved one passes. The song and its video are dedicated to the memory of Michal’s father, Tad Menert, who passed away in 2010, shortly before the release of his Pretty Lights Music debut, Dreaming of a Bigger Life.
“I wanted to showcase the vulnerability of grief, the self destruction and the distraction that you feel from it,” Michal Menert told The Untz. “I think that much of the scene I'm in becomes a quest for making yourself look legitimate, professional, and superhuman; I wanted to show my weakness and my personality, as well as my connection to the music. I wanted people to see that it's what's keeping me alive, while showing my sincerity and substance rather than just keeping people dancing and distracted.”While the track flawlessly evokes the emotions that occur long after loss on its own, the video truly captures the essence of grief, as the black and white scenes follow Menert from a car crash, to booze-soaked parties, to a cemetery and everywhere in between. The video climaxes with a goosebump-raising note: a hitchhiking Menert is picked up by the spirit of his father, who is actually played by Michal’s uncle Tom. The closing scene of the video is the most powerful, ending with Michal embracing his weeping mother.
Michal told us that the car accident featured in the video was actually a triple rollover the video production crew experienced en route to a cabin his family built together.
“We [the video production team] pushed ourselves to the limit. After the last 3 days of shooting nonstop on top of doing shows, we had all sacrificed a piece of ourselves and the team involved was a godsend for believing in this song and video to the point of putting their well-being at stake,” Michal explained.
“Your Ghost” is the only video from Michal Menert’s vinyl EP Elements, slated for an April 12th release on Super Best Records, but Menert told The Untz he is working on a video for a track off his Space Jazz full length for Pretty Lights Music with the same director and team.
“Please, if you love someone, let them know, and don't promise them forever,” Michal reminded us. “Promise them that you'll be the best that you can be in that moment, because forever can keep you from right now.”
