They Might Be Giants - Bastard Wants to Hit Me

An animated music video by LAIKA/house for the They Might Be Giants. The video was nomiated for an Annecy Award and for an Annie. Director: Aaron Sorenson. Art Director: Courtney Booker

[@femoman]

I look at this animation and all I can think of is Ed Edd n Eddy. The wacky animation, the wiggly outlines, it totally looks like a slightly more refined version of Ed Edd n Eddy's art style!

[@timmyadams234]

holy shit i thought i was the only one! :O

[@adamelakkad9638]

Michael Welsh I think so too!

[@Civilian08]

The guy putting a bag over his head and punching out the eyes has the same energy as Ed ripping his monobrow apart in the episode where he's in a bad mood.

[@Polygonetwo]

I've never noticed until now, but you can hear when the guy jumps on the chain link fence and when the sewer lid opens and closese, as well as other various background noises of the animation. The attention to detail is amazing.

[@gsboss]

is it just me or does this band get better every time you listen to them? i first heard them and thought they werent that good but then i kept listening for the hell of it and i began to like it

[@wubbiq]

What it is, is that the smaller guy got an organ transplant from the bigger one. Smalls doesn't recognize Bigs and starts to run away. When they get to the fence, Bigs realizes that Smalls simply doesn't remember. At 1:07 you can see him say "it's me! Look" or something along those lines. He shows him the scar, but Smalls is just too paranoid and runs without thinking. Bigs gets pissed at that point and actually want to hurt him 'cause he's mentally hurt. Deep and amazing message.

[@NormDeMoss]

This is some of the deadest necroposting I've ever done, but your interpretation is SO good. "You don't want to acknowledge I literally gave up my flesh and blood to save you, and you're acting like I'm scary now that I'm no longer 'useful' to you" is exactly the mood - our friend with the scar is overjoyed to just share a moment with sweatervest, but gets treated like a monster. Hell, I'd be fighting mad too.

[@oysterlad]

I'll back up your necroposting because OP's interpretation is absolutely spot on. Alternatively, my first impressions were that Tall guy did some prison time with a guy who looked just like Shorty, was super cool with having a laugh about the chow line brawl they had until Shorty started acting like he was too good to talk to an old con. Of course, Talls just had the wrong guy so it's all just one big misunderstanding

[@doncomedia7927]

Poor crazy bastard his just wanted to be friendly

[@benjamindimitriastudillone4643]

Im sad for him

[@Spartanoffaith]

Its his brother. That was a conjoined twin scar.

[@DavidSchneiderPlus]

I believe this is all about the advantages to having a remote door unlock fob.

[@ZyxthePest]

And then, out of nowhere... SAX SOLO

[@WanderOverYonderFan16]

The fact that the music video was made by the same guys who made Coraline makes this song 10 times better than it already is.

[@DostoyevskyTolstoy]

LAIKA

[@phailaphaila]

they are not a "kids band" after they had children they made some childrens albums and still do. they are awesome no matter what music they are playing LOVE THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS. if you have not gotten any of their childrens albums do so they are great. especially bed bed bed. it is a cd that comes in a book. it is 4 of the best sonegs you will ever hear!

[@TwistedCommercials]

This video is so touching to me for some reason. I have such a soft spot for animated people.

[@thestooge200]

Thanks to nicktendo I finally found a short that I thought was lost forever to the sands of time and only lived in my memory. Back in the day I thought this was just a pencil test done by some college kids, not by Laika of all companies xD

[@lucianakueker5001]

Chris Rock should have sang this at the Oscars.

[@ObjSolid]

It's so cool that this is the same studio that made Paranorman and Caroline! great 2D and great Stopmotion!

[@GRasputin91]

When you run into crazy bastards the best thing to do is just play along with em until you can make an exit lol. No sense in being rude and having somebody out for your blood

[@blueguy15]

It's insane to me that this song is over 16 years old. I feel so old and yet this song is timeless to me.

[@HeroOfHyla]

That's what I thought. One might have donated an organ to the other, and the reciever got a picture of the donor, or the other way around.

[@kemix1006]

god, this was WELL deserved, and i THINK so, about the guy whohas the scar, saved the little guy's life at the expence of the scar and the little guy don't remember what happened......so many different posibilities........head gonna explode.....

[@jeremyaster7470]

We don't have this in a higher quality? Why not?

[@OctacleEdits]

This was animated by Laika, the studio that gave us the phenomenal gothic stop motion animated flick Coraline, among other great movies. But the animation, while great, gives me some strong Danny Antonucci vibes, even though I’m sure he never worked at Laika.

[@TrenchMan93]

Theory: The man knows he’s his long lost siamese twin.

[@myfriendthegoodangel]

one of my favourite pieces of animation ever, and a great song too!

[@Morporkshortman]

Its really neat and i do like it, but it kinda ruins the minds eye version i had, i thought it was the singer being overly paranoid and just assuming this innocent man wanting to attack him just cause he was waving at him...being an introvert it made sense to me

[@sciencemile]

Because he's offended at his friendliness not being reciprocated. Being a crazy bastard, his emotions are a little out of control, so when he gets offended, he really knows how to show it ;).

[@NvPGulstab]

Being deaf is bittersweet. Although unable to hear, a deaf person has enhanced eyesight as well as other senses. Being able to lip read is a huge advantage, anyway. In a way, being deaf can be a good thing.

[@anthonyluetmer8499]

Laika should do 2D animation films.

[@UltraRobbie]

I think this is what it's about: I think the guy with long hair may have been in an accident or something involving the smaller guy, hence the stitches on the long haired guy's body. The long haired guy says hello to the smaller guy, but the smaller guy has possibly forgotten who he is and thinks he's just a random guy on the street. He judges him by his looks and runs away from him. I'm not sure about the ending where the long haired guy punches him, maybe it's out of anger or hurt?

[@phillipPbor]

UltraRobbie ... both is better

[@huitui]

Absolutely love this song, they make some of the worlds best songs. Thank you for posting the video.

[@turcottecomputers8203]

I don't know about the "organ donor" theory. I thought the guy being pursued represents one of the band members and he was being chased by a crazed fan -- a crazed fan who cut himself at some point in time as a psychotic display of loyalty to the band.

[@NicholasBellic]

You know that there's actually conjecture that the two characters in this video are Double D and Ed from Ed Edd n' Eddy after growing up and moving away from each other. They meet again, Edd doesn't recognize Ed, hilarity ensues.

[@bobfrankenstein707]

Wouldn't the show have been called 'Ed n Edd' then?

[@adamelakkad9638]

NicholasBellic That'd be pretty sad though, having them separate and Ed hitting Double D... though I totally think you might be right but I doubt They Might be Giants had that in mind

[@Kagebushin01]

Edd was a bit taller, this seems more like Ed and Eddy.

[@gothdeer]

I love the animation on this. I wish cartoons were animated more like this now-a-days.

[@darodus]

Same

[@iturbo5733]

I love the sound effects they added to the video to go along with the animation.

[@MicahSommer]

His face at 0:11 after seeing the cats is the best thing ever.

[@SpamNapkin]

I've been listening to a lot of songs with "Bastard" in the title for some reason. Bastards of Young, Don't Let the Bastards Grind You Down, Bastard Wants to Hit Me, etc. I have no idea why.

[@corey-bird3489]

Maybe if you didn’t call people a bastard he wouldn’t wanna hit ya into Canajoharie 😱

[@Justini0]

The whole thing is awesome. Why can't there be more TMBG songs like this that you can listen to over and over. :D Love the video too.

[@Nephanee]

I love the animation, especially when the crazy guy pokes eye holes into the paper bag.

[@FRANKEINSTEIN]

Great animation, great art direction, great song. It´s a well deserved nomination! Congratulations.

[@TiqueO6]

yeah, that's what an encounter with an unmedicated paranoid person can be like nice treatment set to music, very good fit i'm on to see more of TMBG's vids

[@theothertonydutch]

This needs to be high res

[@NvPGulstab]

Some crazy bastard wants to make a music video, and he's waving his shiny new award at me.

[@NvPGulstab]

That victim of circumstance just got owned.

[@JosephMelia]

They Might Be Giants.Crazy Bastards.Gotta love them.

[@erich1394]

I remember on the green line in Chicago there was a very angery guy who was attacking the inside of the train. Like the walls and metal poles and stuff. This song reminds me of him.

[@Aemoth]

I'm convinced the crazy bastard is trying to say "I GAVE BIRTH TO YOU! THIS IS WHERE YOU CAME OUT! MAH BEBE!"

[@benjamincrabbe]

218 is the area code for the Duluth MN area, it was tagged on the wall behind the 'crazy bastard' just wanted to point it out.

[@AIEmporium700]

Im guessing this is not an official video lol. I always thought this song had a gloomy dark-purple tone to it. I thought it would be more of just a guy across the street waving at him instead of chasing him, because the song says "I'm not going over there"

[@kurtissmo]

i think it is an official vid. Not sure where they were at the time but i know that Laika is a studio that is putting out movies and such so i would think that they wouldnt make a fan vid on a whim. Since then they have made movies like paranorman and coraline. Tmbg even did record songs for the coraline soundtrack but all but the other father song werent used due to the fact they werent creepy enough.

[@Polygonetwo]

They chose a different animation for the official one, this one's way better really though.

[@Persun_McPersonson]

Music videos often take liberties and aren't trying to be a definitive visual representation of the song. TMBG even said in an interview that they prefer it that way so that the music and video can be two separate experiences-they prefer the song itself to have its own visuals in your head.

[@GRasputin91]

It is an official song its on the DVD for album Venue Songs

[@thedarklordx]

some theorize that this is about edd and ed(yes from that awesome cartoon ed edd n eddy) meeting as adults, but others say that ed wouldnt get pissed and attack him like he did

[@trappedjesus432]

Dude either doesnt remember or doesnt know him. I mean the guys obviously terrified of him and tries to run away. That should be a given sign.

[@wolftamer9]

A while after the video for Ghost by Mystery Skulls came out, I realized it reminded me of this video. That moment where the skeleton shows its pompadour and the Shaggy expy freaks out, it feels just like when the guy shows his scars in this video and the other guy freaks out.

[@SaiEnvy]

..Great Song And Vid....I Feel The Vid Represents....That There Are People Who Try To Attack And Accuse You Of Things You Have No Idea About And You Try To Ignore Them & Get Away From Them..And When You Think You're Out You're Not

[@GodOfMedia]

Actually, that is exactly what I was thinking but didn't know if that would be too out there to be right. The song is amazing and I love the animation style they did a great job putting it together

[@G33KN3rd]

This video is saying that this guy gave his kidney to a big guy but the thing is the guy in the vest doesn't know he got his kidney, but the big guy knows he donated the kidney to him, so he runs and tries to says thanks to him, but he just runs and thinks he's a freak so he hits him. I think the paper bag was so the police couldn't identify him :P

[@afrorobot4]

beautifully made!!! I love the animation and style!!! Nice.

[@methylethyldeth]

The bag on his head... awesome! Great animation. :D

[@geeko55]

god this song is so awesome, i've got it stuck in my head since this morning

[@Tap0k]

To everyone who sees it as the guy being friendly - how do you explain him punching the innocent short dude at the end?

[@kevinruiz903]

I think at first he wanted to be friendly but didn't appreciate the disrespect/avoidance of the other dude

[@crazykid503]

i love it. especially the cats at the beginning x3 and also the chorus!

[@JacksonJunior101]

Awesome! 5 stars!

[@Saohesc]

Or maybe there's no telling whether saying 'hi' the wrong way would ALSO be a false move that would get him hit. He looked pretty crazy to me. Seeing him haul off at the end seals it.

[@kilesgoneguruu]

such a simple song, can be so great

[@Jambi555]

That's the greatest animation!

[@coolairguy]

this video has a meaning. the meaning is that there is always good in the world no matter how jacked up it is.

[@lisamomon6793]

This has happened in real life more than you think

[@DuskLegend]

did it happen to you?

[@lisamomon6793]

Minding your business somehow draw the attention of a stranger who you know maybe unstable scary feeling lucky I was with a friend who was close by

[@jettmanas]

I worked with Aaron back in the days at WildBrain. First time seeing this. Great character & action animation.

[@wiggipedia]

God, that's genius. I have that stuck in my head now.

[@TheSp0rki]

thats a great way to put it

[@ShanePatSmith]

@Stickstar I never thought of it that way, but now that you mention it...

[@smillar98]

Great use of the talk box.

[@Saohesc]

New theory on the scar: their relationship is in fact one of parent and offspring. The scar is from the cesarean section.

[@GRasputin91]

Right and then the mother underwent a sex change operation so she could be a dude 😂 The surgery was botched resulting in a scar along the whole torso

[@OddOwlOut]

The paperbag bit, was hilarious.

[@spikeshinizle123]

Great video, love the animation. Top quality.

[@lolspiders]

oh maaaan this video has amazing animation

[@tayloreh]

I think it's pretty obvious the guy who gets hit is just paranoid (that's what the city does to ya) and thinks the other guy wants to hit him, so he runs away. But really they guys an old friend he doesn't remember, the scar is supposed to remind the guy who gets hit who the other guy is, but he doesn't clue in, he thinks it's a symbol of toughness. Finally the guy who hits him gets angry enough to do it, but the guy who gets hit has brought it on himself.

[@antihero170]

This is the story of the world.

[@G33KN3rd]

OOOOH maybe the sweater-vest hit the crazy guy with his car and he wanted to forgive him, but he thinks he's taking his revenge on him, so he shows him the scar from the accident.

[@ronggai]

He parkour'd the fence! That's my kind of crazy bastard!!

[@franksm2001]

FANTASTIC ! Band of the century

[@AModernMajorGeneral]

No, he just turned and ran. He never tried to explain anything, but ran away once he saw the scar. That pissed the bastard off.

[@Statick1]

Excellent animation.

[@wetreplies]

incredible

[@pokemoneinstein]

How did the guy not think before he did something? He tried to explain to the crazy bastard that he didn't know him, and then the bastard got pissed.

[@carloscardona6587]

one of many mvs ive seen once free on the old apple music app on mac computers

[@waycup737]

ya man. every song has a morale. there's no way this song could just be a talented joke.

[@lxseto93]

The song is about paranoia. The guy just goes on a walk in the park and he thinks that everyone is trying to harm him.

[@thedeven1]

the video kinda reminds me of frankinstein. the guy is looking for friendship and love but the guy whose singing is afraid of him and causes his own death (when not really death but gettin hit in the face which really hurts)

[@soxar]

I think it's supposed to be that the "bastard" donated an organ to him. He keeps pointing at his scar, trying to remind him. It's kinda deep.

[@Craydon]

The paper bag bit is hilarious.

[@taxidriver4141]

this is so dope

[@blueguy15]

what i like best about this vid is nobody knows who the crazy guy mistakes him for and what the scar is

[@iamanniej]

I love the animation. Hilarious song - nice work! :)

[@V8FordTempo]

Yes! excellent vid.

[@sanchez9287]

It took me almost a year to find this song

[@Atheneastro]

FanTAStic animation!

[@Kriptosporidium]

Awesome animation, epic song, ... Just Perfect.

[@jushiness]

XD Whats with the bag over his head? Its so rediculous. I LOVE it

[@slackerboy02]

LOLZ That's the best comment ever! I love that last frame where "sweater vest" gets pwned by CB (crazy bastard)

[@foowah7]

Wow, great song and video!

[@olafontart]

I applaud this quote you have shared, (CLAP, CLAP)!!!

[@LukeOfEarl69]

WOW! Great Job!

[@electronpink]

the animation is so cool

[@twitcher64]

And I thought I was misanthropic. You don't have to burn the world down. All you have to do is sit back and watch as other people, with perfectly good intentions, do it for you.