Mike D’s ‘Secrets Pts. 1 and 2’ Video Flips a Concert on Its Head

Mike D flips the idea of a music video on its head in the clip for “Secrets Pts. I & II,” songs off his debut album, Thank You — literally. Every time it seems like the video will show standard concert footage shot at Mike D 5D’s recent gig at New York’s Knockdown Center, the camera either slips into portrait mode or does a 180 to show everyone on the ceiling, as you listen to Mike D sing, “I got secrets” over throbbing, echoey synths and drums.

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Filmmaker Ari Marcopoulos, the Dutch photographer who shot several iconic shots of the Beastie Boys between 1991 and 1996 and the trio’s “Something’s Got to Give” video, directed the clip. “[Ari] stuck on his pass, hung out and seemed to be filming,” Mike D wrote in a Substack post. “I didn’t really notice except at one point I looked over my shoulder and saw him on the back of the stage video camera in hand. That was a funny [sight]. True to his form and committed to his discipline, he started sending me a couple of edits of stuff he shot. We went back and forth just a little bit and here you go.”

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the former Beastie Boy discussed how he had to take things slowly when it came to recording his first solo album, his first work since the death of his former bandmate, Adam Yauch. “At first, I was like, ‘Everything has to be new and different,'” he said. “Once we got into making it, I could relax into, ‘There’s certain things that are inescapably me and that’s all right.’ Ultimately, I had to think about, ‘What am I saying?’ That came down to me having to be more of a leader. That was a new thing for me.”