Incubus - Megalomaniac

What this video is

Released December 2003 at the height of public debate over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, 'Megalomaniac' arrived as alternative rock's most cinematically ambitious entry into overt political protest. The video's imagery — drawing on 20th-century totalitarian iconography alongside oil-industry symbolism — situated Incubus within a lineage of rock-as-political-speech that stretched from punk through the anti-Gulf War…

Why it matters

A landmark of early-2000s political rock video production, 'Megalomaniac' represents the apex of the post-nu-metal alternative rock video as a platform for sociopolitical critique. Its combination of Sigismondi's hyper-surreal visual language with Incubus's melodic hard rock sound bridged the gap…

The director

Italian-Canadian director and photographer (born 1965, Pescara, Italy; raised Hamilton, Ontario). Studied at Ontario College of Art (graduated 1987). Began as fashion photographer before transitioning to music video direction via Revolver Film Co. Renowned…