Eric Matthews - Fanfare

What this video is

Released in October 1995 on Sub Pop Records — a label synonymous with grunge — 'Fanfare' was a deliberate aesthetic counterpoint: ornate, trumpet-led orchestral pop from a neatly dressed young composer. The video, shot in the Mojave Desert with a Sub Pop-funded budget, amplified this contrast by casting Matthews as a theatrical, quasi-regal figure in an arid wasteland, projecting grandiosity against desolation. The…

Why it matters

A landmark single in the mid-90s chamber-pop and orchestral indie movement, 'Fanfare' is widely cited as 'the Penny Lane of the 90s' by Matthews' own label site. It demonstrated that Sub Pop's commercial infrastructure could support baroque, arrangement-driven pop alongside its grunge catalog, and…

The director

Tryan George is a Canadian film and commercial director active from the early 1990s onward. He directed over 50 music videos and received multiple best video and best director nominations. His IMDB-credited works include The Tea Party: Babylon (1997), The…