Beck - Cellphone's Dead

What this video is

Released in October 2006 as the lead single from Beck's album The Information — a record produced by Nigel Godrich and notable for its DIY sticker-customizable packaging — 'Cellphone's Dead' arrived at a pivotal cultural moment: one year before the first iPhone, as mobile technology and digital connectivity were becoming central anxieties in popular discourse. The Gondry-directed video amplifies the song's themes…

Why it matters

Represents the convergence of experimental hip-hop, indietronica, and art-rock that defined mid-2000s Beck. The video extends a lineage of Gondry's concept-driven surrealist music videos and stands as a key artifact of the post-MTV, pre-YouTube auteur video tradition. The Metropolis reference…

The director

French filmmaker and producer born 1963 in Versailles. Began directing music videos for his own band Oui Oui before Björk commissioned him for 'Human Behaviour' (1993). Earned Grammy nominations for 'Human Behaviour' and 'Bachelorette.' Won the Academy Award…