Synopsis

MxPx turns "Doing Time" into a burst of youthful punk energy. The video centers on the band performing the song with a fast, direct visual style that matches its short running time and restless momentum. Beneath the upbeat attack, the song looks back on school, awkward social experiences, rebellion, and growing up, comparing those years to serving a sentence. The mood ultimately shifts from frustration to release, emphasizing the freedom that comes from surviving adolescence and choosing your own direction.

Factoids & Trivia

• "Doing Time" appears on MxPx's 1996 album *Life in General*, where it lasts only about one and a half minutes.

• The video was filmed in September 1996 and released in 1997, placing it among the early visual documents from the band's breakthrough period.

• Mike Herrera later explained that the song uses prison language as a metaphor for growing up, going to school, navigating social life, and eventually becoming free to decide what to do next.

• The track was circulated widely through punk-oriented home-video compilations. It appeared on Tooth & Nail Video Compilation Vol. 4 in 1998 and was later included on several compilation releases, helping preserve the clip beyond its original music-video run.

• The song's unusually brief length reinforces the video's no-frills approach: it delivers its central idea quickly, much like a compact punk anthem rather than a conventional narrative single.