Synopsis

MxPx turn the song's boast into a comic role reversal. At a diner, bespectacled drummer Yuri Ruley unexpectedly draws the attention of several girls, while the more conventionally punk-looking Mike Herrera and Tom Wisniewski sit unnoticed. The band performs amid the action as the joke builds around appearances, attitude, and romantic luck. Rather than presenting MxPx as polished rock stars, the video leans into goofy deadpan humor and makes the least obvious member the evening's genuine "chick magnet."

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in September 1996 and made its MTV 120 Minutes debut on March 9, 1997.

• The video is commonly listed as a 1997 release, although the song itself appeared on MxPx's 1996 album Life in General.

• Yuri Ruley's nerdy diner character is the visual punchline: the band member who looks least like a stereotypical punk frontman is the one who attracts the girls.

• Mike Herrera and Tom Wisniewski are deliberately used as a contrast to Ruley. Their tattoos, piercings, and tougher styling do not help them at the diner.

• The clip received MTV exposure and helped turn "Chick Magnet" into a national breakthrough for MxPx. Contemporary coverage described the song as a hit and noted that the video was quickly accepted by MTV viewers.

• "Chick Magnet" was issued as a promotional video through A&M Records, reflecting the label's growing interest in the band after the song's success.

• The song was recorded in July 1996 at West Beach Studios in Hollywood and mixed at A&M Studios.

• An alternate version of the song later appeared on the 1998 rarities collection Let It Happen. That version opens with a sound clip from the film Mallrats.