Corey Feldman Invokes ‘The Goonies’ & Michael Jackson in Fred Durst-Directed ‘The Joke’ Video
“His version surprised me and delivers the laughs,” the actor-singer tells Billboard of the Limp Bizkit frontman’s work on the visual.
It’s a circus out there! Corey Feldman has dropped a colorful ’80s inspired music video for his latest single, “The Joke,” and Billboard is premiering the visual directed by Limp Bizkit’s Fred Durst.
“‘The Joke’ is more than just a song — it’s a statement. For years, I’ve faced criticism from those who want to undermine my dedication to music. This single is my way of reclaiming the narrative and showing that my commitment to my art is unshakeable,” Feldman tells Billboard. “Fred and I have a long history of working together. We originally recorded ‘Seamless’ as a feature in 2016 on my Angelic 2 The Core album, which will be re-released digitally on July 4th weekend. We co-wrote and co-produced that song, but working with Fred Durst as a director on the music video has been an incredible experience. He had a clear concept in mind and I relinquished the creative to him, and although it wasn’t how I saw it, his version surprised me and delivers the laughs. I can’t wait for my fans to see the energy and vision we’ve brought to life”
The video kicks off with actor-singer on stage bouncing around to circus music, his dancers and band behind him, everyone dressed in the decade’s brightest duds. The tune then takes a creepy turn as Feldman laughs like a maniac before the band — complete with headbands and hair inspired by the likes of Robert Smith and Alice Cooper — begins to jam.
The video slows down during the bridge, when The Lost Boys actor rips open his multicolored tracksuit’s jacket to reveal the Goonies T-shirt underneath, paying homage to the 1985 Steven Spielberg-directed classic in which he starred as he sings, “Maybe there are times, I second guess myself/ The pain outweighs the wealth?/ Maybe it is time, to crawl back in my shell, contemplate farewell?/ Well …”
A familiar “hee hee!” is heard as the former child star covers his eyes, then re-emerges dressed as his late friend Michael Jackson. “Let’s give ’em hell!” Feldman sings as he busts out some moves by the King of Pop.
The Limp Bizkit frontman makes a cameo at the end, clapping as the video ends and Feldman — still dressed as Jackson — joins him on the set. “Fantastic!” the rocker praises, but the actor has a few concerns about the video they just filmed.
“Listen, I love that you’re directing this. I think it’s gonna be amazing; everything looks great,” Feldman starts before gesturing to his sequined Michael Jackson outfit. “I really don’t know about this whole thing, though.”
The rocker assuages his fears by saying, “Brother, look at me. It’s not going in the video.” Guess “The Joke” is on Feldman!
Ahead of the video’s premiere on Billboard.com, the singer-actor performed the song on the Howie Mandel Does Stuff podcast and talked to the host about his music and influences. “I grew up studying from Michael. I learned from Michael,” he shared. “So a lot of the stuff I design musically … has gotta have that same kind of drive, it’s gotta have that thing that makes me dance, that makes me want to move so that it comes alive when I perform it.”
Watch the music video for “The Joke” above, and check out Corey Feldman when he joins Limp Bizkit on the Loserville tour, which kicks off July 16 in Somerset, Wis.
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