Synopsis

Alice in Chains perform "Down in a Hole" amid the stark, sun-bleached surroundings of Johannesburg, California. Shot in grainy black and white, the video moves between intimate performance footage, handheld Super 8-style images, and glimpses of the band wandering through a rundown desert settlement. Local residents, weathered buildings, empty roads, and Mike Inez's dog Chuck give the clip an unpolished, documentary-like atmosphere. The isolation of the setting mirrors the song's themes of emotional confinement, regret, and a relationship strained by the band's lifestyle.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in Johannesburg, California, on August 9, 1993, reportedly in a single day.

• Much of the footage was shot inside a trailer belonging to a local man known by the nickname "Cowboy Frank Without A Horse."

• The band helped shape the video's loose, homespun style by shooting portions of it with small handheld and Super 8 cameras.

• Mike Inez appears in the video even though the original studio recording was made with Mike Starr. Inez had joined Alice in Chains earlier in 1993.

• Inez's dog Chuck appears in the video. The clip was dedicated to Chuck, who died shortly after filming.

• Jerry Cantrell wrote the song about his long-term relationship with Courtney Clarke and later described "Down in a Hole" as one of his personal top three Alice in Chains songs.

• Cantrell has also identified the video as one of the band's favorite videos to make.

• Released in 1993, the clip became one of five videos supporting the album "Dirt" and was later included on "Music Bank: The Videos."