June 1, 2017.

I’m sure the last thing Dave Grohl wants is to keep having things he creates being compared to Nirvana (specifically Smells Like Teen Spirit). But that’s exactly what I’m going to do. Today the Foo Fighters released a new music video for their song titled, ‘Run’. The song itself is phenomenal and a testament to why some people refer to Dave Grohl as the last great rock star. However, I want to focus a bit more on the music video itself.

Even on the first watch through, I quickly found myself comparing the new Foo Fighters music video to Nirvana’s iconic Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Both videos are of the same basic concept. A mundane musical event, designed by an authority to pacify the masses, gets out of hand. In 1991 we see a baby faced Dave Grohl drumming for Nirvana during a high school prep rally gone wrong (or right depending on your viewpoint). That unmistakable chorus kicks in and the students start to rebel. By the end of the music video the school is in a state of beautiful teenage angst fueled chaos.

Here in 2017 we see the flip side of that same coin. Teenage angst that has evolved into old man angst. Under the watchful eye of the nursing home staff we see an old and frail version of the Foo Fighters standing before their geriatric peers. History repeats itself but this time it’s a powerful verse that kicks in and unleashes the chaos.

Although connected through an underlying message of old fashioned angst, ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ and ‘Run’ have their differences. Not surprisingly, ‘Run’ operated on a much larger budget than that of ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. This gives the video beautifully framed footage of stunning quality. But the major difference for me is the way they perfectly dressed the raw old man angst in such a way that didn’t take itself too seriously. The humor in this video is a homerun. From old lady tits, old man vape rips, and a hilariously out of place dance routine… We can see that while the energy and passion are still there; age helps us smile at the absurdity of life.

Overall this video is fantastic. Props to the Foo Fighters on a great song and props to director…. who I just looked up and found out was Dave Grohl himself. The man is my hero. Enjoy the video!