Amy dishes on recording The Valentines’ first video, “Drivin Around,” in Detroit with Director Brittin Richter.

I met Brittin Richter on the set of esQuire’s video for his single ‘Enjoy Yourself.’ I’ve been a big fan and friend of esQuire for years. I love his style and songs. He’s truly unique and very talented. I gave Brittin the three songs we’d recorded so far, and he had a vision for ‘Drivin’ Around’. Brittin’s idea for the story of the video was that Leann, Joe and Jackson pick me up as a hitchhiker and we become a band. He had the whole thing mapped out and made a huge story board of it. I was impressed!

The car in the video is named The White Whale and was courtesy of Dave Krieger. The car is the true star of the video. You can’t take your eyes off the thing. Driving in it was divine. Anyone in that car looks fabulous, no exceptions! Initially, we shot in Hamtramck, MI at Brittin and Nikki, his girlfriends’, loft. The first shot of me busking is in the alley behind it. My view was of the parking lot and the sawed off parking meters across the street. Tommy, the camera man, was set up in a wheel chair in front of me, he rolled in and out in the chair with the camera to get the shots.

It was hot. I was in full sun with extra lights and reflectors on me, which made it even hotter. We would break between takes and my super amazing friend and stylist Yvonne Spampinato would pop over with an umbrella and water and we’d hang out in the shade a bit. Yvonne styled a photo shoot for my previous group the Gore Gore Girls. She is a master at costuming. Me, not so much! I’m a jeans and boots girl. Yvonne was the stylist for this video and she did an amazing job. She custom-made a pouf-y black and gold shrug ala David Bowie for me. You can see it in the night- shoot part with the cars. I still wear it, it’s pretty insane. Marcie Bolen, local rocker and cosmetologist, did our hair and was in the shoot. We met at the Gold Dollar when she was playing guitar in the Von Bondies. Marcie is an original! Her style is so sharp and artistic. I think she is her own canvas. She crafted our hair for the video. Yes, craft, you heard me! She does hair like a sculptor or a painter. She created my hairstyle for Gorevette, the group I played in with Nikki Corvette. The hair-style named the Glam Hawk, to be specific. Some of that look went into Leann’s coiffure, the now infamous Shark Hawk. Leslie Paterra did our make up for the shoot, she is a magician. I absolutely love working with her, she knows her craft! There’s an art to all of it, and these three girls are the best. Also all are hilarious; we couldn’t stop laughing the whole shoot.

The cop part was supposed to be played by esQuire, but he was in Alabama vacationing. Brittin found two girls to play lady cops instead. They’re brilliant! I don’t know if in real life two lady cops will kick you out of an alley for singing and playing guitar, but in my world it was just about right.

-AG