John Vanderslice- Exodus Damage - John Vanderslice- Exodus Damage

What this video is

Released in August 2005 on Barsuk Records, Exodus Damage is the third track on John Vanderslice's fifth album Pixel Revolt — described by critics as his most politically outspoken work. The song and video engage directly with the post-9/11 American crisis of identity among right-wing militia movements, depicting a follower's spiritual collapse as the towers fall. Vanderslice, who operates the all-analog Tiny…

Why it matters

Exodus Damage represents a high-water mark for politically engaged indie rock music video production in the mid-2000s. Shot on film with a documentary-realist approach at a time when digital video was rapidly displacing celluloid, it aligns with Vanderslice's broader analog philosophy. Its…

The director

Brent Chesanek is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker who studied cinema, English, and broadcast journalism at the University of Florida. His feature debut City World (2012) premiered internationally in competition at CPH:DOX. His films have screened at FIDMarseille,…