One of our favorites, the under-appreciated American singer-songwriter-humorist, Chuck Prophet, recently released a new video for The Right Hand and the Left Hand off of his great heart-in-San-Francisco album, Temple Beautiful (you can get a better feel for for Temple Beautiful’s songs and a live performance of The Right Hand and the Left Hand HERE).

While Prophet wrote the song with the infamous, underworldly Mitchell Brothers of San Francisco, but given the sound setting we can’t help but think of some of the tragic musical-sibling break-ups: Beach Boys, Ray and Dave Davies, Liam and Noel Gallagher (OK, so that latter one’s not so tragic), you pick ’em).  The video adds a nice off-kilter touch to the lyrics.

Prophet has this to say about the song and video on his website:

“At one point I’d envisioned a kind of “buddy movie” for this song, ya know? Like Turner & Hooch or Tango & Cash or Thelma & Louise? What the hell happened, you ask? Well, Albert Birney, the director, took it places. Much weirder places.

I wrote this Mitchell Brothers inspired song with my friend Kurt. We figured if Cain and Abel had gone into the strip club business it would have been these two. It’s about them but it’s also a song about brothers (I think). What do I know, I have three sisters. [psychoanalyst/editor in my head: that might go a ways towards explaining why you think you’re so great].

These guys are the mother’s milk of San Francisco mythology – porn kings, free speech advocates, long-game hustlers. . . born troublemakers born into troubled times. I’ve never been in their club myself (as far as I know – how could I be certain?), but it’s legendary. I know this much: it’s an institution. A Mecca of sleaze. An unregistered National Historic Landmark in the guidebooks of the profound, perverse, profane, divine, confused, and insanely lucrative. A physical embodiment of all of San Francisco under one roof!

So yeah; Albert Birney made the video and it’s epic. It’s already been compared to “The English Patient” (if you cut out the gratuitous romance and panoramic sand dune shots). Two brothers, once close, simply fall out. Murder, drugs, mayhem, a stack of rare vinyl and the dusty glitter and neon glow of the after-hours afterlife. All acted out by two hands. Albert’s own grandfather’s hand even makes an appearance. Pretty cool. Somebody give those hands an Oscar!

Go easy babies,

-CP”

Prophet is currently on tour in Europe with his band The Mission Express, but will be making his way back across America starting this Friday.  Check out the dates HERE.  He’s phenomenal live and not to be missed.