Watch Liz Phair’s Revamped ‘Stratford on Guy’ Video
Liz Phair shared a remastered version of her Exile in Guyville song, “Stratford on Guy,” as well as an earlier incarnation of that track (titled “Bomb”). Both will appear on the upcoming 25th anniversary edition of Exile in Guyville, out May 4th via Matador.
Phair offered both the remastered audio of “Stratford on Guy” alongside a revamped version of the music video, which she directed. The clip features aerial footage of Los Angeles shot from a private plane, and Phair recalled how she convinced Atlantic Records executive Danny Goldberg to front the money for the flight.
“He asked, ‘What do you need?’ I said, ‘A private plane to fly over downtown L.A. and get footage at night.’ I wanted to shoot the electric veins of the city. He just said, ‘Done!’ It was one of those real rock star moments.”
However, Phair noted that the shoot itself proved surprisingly difficult: “We were executing these tight turns above the skyscrapers and the G-force was incredible. You could feel your internal organs dragging to the other side of your body cavity. Michael [the cameraman] was using this really heavy camera and Jim, my husband, had to hold onto him as we shot. The lens of the camera was pressing down against the window pane and I remember Michael nervously joking – and not really in jest – that the glass beneath him better hold.”
“Bomb” stands in sharp sonic contrast “Stratford on Guy.” Though the lyrics remain mostly the same, the track is remarkably spare, featuring Phair’s lone guitar and her looped and layered vocals.
“Bomb” originally appeared on a cassette, Sooty, which Phair released under the name Girly-Sound. The 25th anniversary edition of Exile in Guyville will include restored versions of Sooty and the two other Girly-Sound tapes, Yo Yo Buddy Yup Yup Word to Ya Mutha and Girls! Girls! Girls!. The box set will also boast a book containing essays, interviews and previously unpublished photos and artwork.