Sublime - Badfish

What this video is

Badfish was filmed in July 1995 as Sublime attempted to pivot their MTV strategy away from the divisive Date Rape single. The video was submitted to MTV, who rejected it, and radio stations similarly declined to air the song — a rejection that proved tragically ironic after Bradley Nowell died of a heroin overdose in May 1996 and the song became a cornerstone of the band's posthumous legacy. The Santa Catalina…

Why it matters

Badfish is a defining artifact of third-wave ska and Southern California reggae-punk, blending reggae rhythmic structures in A mixolydian mode with surf-punk visual iconography. Its music video encapsulates the low-budget, location-driven aesthetic of the pre-major-label underground, predating the…

The director

Ian Fletcher is a music video director active in the early-to-mid 1990s. His confirmed directorial credits include Anthrax: Belly of the Beast (1991), The Rembrandts: Just the Way It Is, Baby (1991), Mr. Big: Green Tinted Sixties Mind (1991), Manhole: Kiss…