Synopsis
A hyperactive collage of Dan Deacon performing live is cut together with crude, surreal imagery and frantic visual effects. The video repeatedly throws the viewer into a chaotic world of flashing colors, distorted figures, devil horns, American flags and other deliberately ridiculous images. Deacon's animated stage presence remains the visual anchor, while the editing mirrors the track's relentless electronic pulse. Rather than following a conventional narrative, the clip functions as a compressed snapshot of the ecstatic, disorienting energy associated with Deacon's early Baltimore performances.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video served as an early promotional clip for Deacon's breakthrough album, "Spiderman of the Rings," and was reported as a new video in May 2007.
- Much of the footage draws on Deacon's notoriously intense live shows, where audience participation, physical movement and sensory overload were central parts of the experience.
- The deliberately rough visual style matches the homemade, outsider-art character of Deacon's early work instead of presenting him through a polished pop-video format.
- Contemporary coverage specifically warned viewers who were prone to epileptic seizures because of the clip's rapid flashes and aggressive editing.
- The video helped give "The Crystal Cat" an identity beyond its status as an electronic single. The song later appeared at No. 84 on Rolling Stone's list of the best songs of 2007.
- Deacon developed the song during his communal Baltimore warehouse years. He recalled making an early draft in his room, testing it at the Talking Head and revising it several times before the 2006 recording used for the 2007 release.
- The song's official single release also included "Totally Boner Eat Shit." The digital release listed "The Crystal Cat" at 3:53.