SNL‘s James Austin Johnson shifts from impressionist to identity thief in Hamilton Leithauser’s new music video.
The just-released clip for Leithauser’s “What Do I Think?” finds the singer-songwriter being pursued by a man singing his lyrics back to him, ultimately leading to his kidnapping. After the kidnappers dress Johnson in Leithauser’s wardrobe, the Saturday Night Live star takes to the stage at New York’s Cafe Carlyle, performing as Leithauser.
Leithauser is seven years into a residency at Cafe Carlyle. The musician, who also fronts The Walkmen, put out his fifth solo record, This Side of the Island, in March, an album that had been eight years in the making.
Johnson isn’t the only Saturday Night Live staffer involved in the production. The video is directed by SNL film unit director Tim Wilkime, whose pretapes this season have included The Sound (ft. Tate McRae), Skydiving, and An Act Of Kindness. (Wilkime’s credits also include The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Late Late Show with James Corden.)
Wilkime offered a behind-the-scenes peek at the video on Instagram, revealing that Johnson “learned the song hours before playing it live in front of an audience.” Wilkime added that the video “was a down and dirty no permits, no permission film school style shoot.”
Johnson has channeled musicians before in his work, from videos like “VÄÄMM” and his Genius series, to a live park performance as Bob Dylan.
The music video for “What Do I Think?” can be viewed at the top of this post.
