Synopsis
The Smashing Pumpkins perform "Rhinoceros" in a deliberately subdued, dreamlike setting. The band appears in stark, color-saturated rooms, often looking detached or bored as they play, while outdoor footage and live-performance images interrupt the studio scenes. The video's loose, collage-like structure matches the song's slow psychedelic drift rather than presenting a conventional narrative. Its grainy early-1990s visual style gives the clip an intimate, homemade quality that suits the band's pre-breakthrough era.
Factoids & Trivia
- The video was filmed in London in September 1991, shortly after the release of the band's debut album, "Gish."
- It was one of the Smashing Pumpkins' earliest music videos and belongs to the band's formative Caroline/Virgin-era visual work.
- Several different kinds of footage are combined: staged performances on a soundstage, outdoor material, and concert footage.
- D'arcy Wretzky appears playing with a white ping-pong ball that seems to float. The effect was created by filming the movement in slow motion and reversing the footage.
- Two versions of the video exist. The alternate early version follows a woman walking through a town and includes live footage. It was reportedly thought lost for years before being found during archival work in early 2009.
- The video was included in the band's "Greatest Hits Video Collection (1991-2000)," where Billy Corgan provides commentary about its different versions.
- The official video was later remastered in HD and uploaded to the band's official YouTube channel.