Synopsis

A dog-headed man named Charles wanders through Manhattan on crutches, carrying a boombox that blasts "Da Funk" at full volume. Recently arrived in New York, he is mocked by children, brushed off by strangers, and scolded by a bookseller. A chance meeting with Beatrice, an old acquaintance, appears to offer companionship, but Charles' broken radio prevents him from boarding the bus with her. The deadpan encounters turn an ordinary city walk into an awkward, quietly melancholy urban short film.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Manhattan and was given the alternate title "Big City Nights," taken from the paperback Charles buys during the story.

• Tony Maxwell, a member of the band that dog., plays Charles. He had already worked with Spike Jonze as a dancer in Weezer's "Buddy Holly" video.

• The track is treated as sound coming from Charles' boombox rather than as a conventional soundtrack. Its volume and equalization shift with the action, helping the video feel like a short film with music occurring inside its world.

• Catherine Kellner plays Beatrice, the woman Charles recognizes from childhood. The nearly successful reunion gives the clip its emotional turn without resolving Charles' isolation.

• Thomas Bangalter later said that the video was not intended to have a specific story or meaning, despite the many interpretations built around Charles' alienation and failed attempts to connect with people.

• Charles reappears in the video for "Fresh," released in 2000. That clip places the character in a brighter setting and functions as an unofficially happier counterpart to "Da Funk."

• The video was included on Daft Punk's 2000 collection *D.A.F.T.: A Story About Dogs, Androids, Firemen and Tomatoes*, which also featured commentary and a behind-the-scenes segment about the dog head.