MADRID — Much like the song itself, the video for the Kings of Leon's "Radioactive" was a down-home affair, filled with dusty roads, sunny fields, fishing holes and a whole lot of smiling children. It was, to say the least, a very un-KOL kind of thing.
So when it came time to settle on a treatment for their next single, "Pyro," the Kings decided to take things in a far different direction. In fact — much like the song itself (and the album, for that matter) — the "Pyro" clip is shaping up to be a smoldering, nocturnal thing, filled with tension and heartbreak and even some violence. And, in keeping with grand KOL tradition, it's more than likely going to be in a familiar setting.
"I think it's going to be set at a bar," Kings bassist Jared Followill told at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards. "And it's not going to show us very much, and it's got actors in it. ... It's like a super slo-mo video with a fight scene in it."
"It's very cinematic," guitarist Matthew Followill added. "It's supposed to be beautiful."
And, also, apparently very hairy. Or so says frontman Caleb Followill, who said he was growing his beard out specifically for the "Pyro" video.
"I'm growing a beard for [the] music video we're about to shoot," he said, running his fingers through his ever-expanding facial fuzz. "I want to get some camera time."
We're pretty sure he's gonna get some regardless. And while the "Pyro" clip probably isn't going to have much of anything in common with "Radioactive," there was one character they were thinking of bringing back: the top-hatted magician, who inexplicably appears midway through the "Radioactive" video. Seems that even the KOL guys were rather mystified by his abilities, even if they couldn't explain how he ended up in the video.
"I think that guy just sort of showed up on set," Caleb laughed. "He was great, though. At one point, he had a hat, and he was like 'What would you like to have a drink of right now?' And I was like, 'Tequila.' And he pulled out a miniature bottle of Patrón, which is what I drink. Only it had, like, this much left in the bottle, which meant he was probably drinking it in-between takes."
An edited, performance-heavy version of the 2010 EMA show will be broadcast Friday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.