Synopsis
In a neon-drenched alien landscape, a group of peaceful apes spends its time grooming and socializing until a nervous, sharply dressed visitor arrives with a briefcase full of guns. The animals quickly embrace the weapons, transforming their idyllic community into a frenzy of violence. As fear, greed, and suspicion spread, the apes turn on one another and eventually their supposed benefactor. The video ends as a savage political fable about power, militarization, and the destructive influence of outside forces.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was released on October 26, 2012, as a promotional clip for "The Diplomat," from Pig Destroyer's album *Book Burner*.
- Its central visual idea draws strongly on the opening sequence of Stanley Kubrick's *2001: A Space Odyssey*, replacing the film's discovery of a mysterious object with the arrival of a briefcase filled with firearms.
- Contemporary coverage described the clip as a political satire, focusing on how quickly the apes abandon their peaceful society after being introduced to weapons.
- The production combines live-action performers, ape characters, vivid color effects, and deliberately exaggerated gore. The result has an intentionally artificial, comic-book quality despite the brutality.
- The video's cast includes Ian Mackay as the Diplomat, with Daxton Edwards and Deangelo Harding playing the ape characters Talonius Monkey and DD Ape.
- "The Diplomat" was later featured in the season-three finale of the television comedy *Workaholics*, giving the extreme-grindcore track exposure beyond the metal scene.