Fatboy Slim - Rockafeller Skank (Spike Jonze Audition)

What this video is

Created in 1998 during the height of UK big beat's mainstream crossover, this audition demo sits at the intersection of DIY video culture and auteur music video filmmaking. Spike Jonze, then one of the most in-demand directors in the music video world, produced it not as a professional commission but as a fan gesture — a spontaneous, personal artifact that accidentally became historically significant. It documents…

Why it matters

A rare surviving artifact of the music video development process — an unsolicited director's demo that bypassed the industry commissioning pipeline entirely. Its existence documents how late-90s big beat culture intersected with auteur cinema, and how informal creative exchange between directors…

The director

Born Adam Spiegel on October 22, 1969. American filmmaker, actor, and photographer who began his career photographing BMX and skateboarding subcultures. Rose to prominence directing music videos for Beastie Boys ('Sabotage', 1994), Weezer, R.E.M., Daft Punk,…