The Strokes - Hard To Explain

What this video is

Released in 2002 as part of the promotional cycle for The Strokes' landmark debut Is This It (2001), 'Hard to Explain' arrived at the apex of the post-punk revival, a moment when the New York music press and UK tastemakers were proclaiming a return to raw, guitar-driven rock. The video's found-footage, collage aesthetic — mixing 1980s TV and film clips with live performance — self-consciously positions The Strokes…

Why it matters

A foundational artifact of the garage rock revival, 'Hard to Explain' and its video helped define the lo-fi, archival visual language that became synonymous with the early-2000s indie rock aesthetic. The collage video form, helmed by Roman Coppola, deployed experimental montage techniques…

The director

Roman François Coppola (born April 22, 1965, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is an American filmmaker and music video director, son of Francis Ford Coppola. Founder of The Directors Bureau production company. Known for directing all four music videos for The…