The Pixies pay tribute to a friend of Paz Lenchantin’s named Desiree who died while surfing with their new video for “Long Rider,” which appears on Beneath the Eyrie. Co-written by Lenchantin and Black Francis, the song’s lyrics refer to Desiree’s tragic death in the morning tide.
Lenchantin developed the video’s storyline based on the song’s lyrics: Pro-surfer Danica Elbertse rides waves at Will Rogers State Beach in Southern California in the Gilbert Trejo-directed clip, then a group of kids pay tribute to the fallen surfer as they traipse the beach in dark robes, forming a ring around a surfboard. The 16mm film-shot visual moves between black-and-white and color scenes. The water sequences were filmed on a Super 8 camera made for underwater filming — all of which gives the imagery a dreamlike vibe.
“It was almost as if Desiree had this dream before she went surfing that morning, and hints at that even if she had known her fate, she would still have taken that wave,” Lenchantin said in a statement.
In December, Pixies will embark on a seven-date North American tour, which kicks off with a two-night stint at the Troubador in Los Angeles, California, December 2nd and 3rd, before they head to Japan, China, New Zealand and Australia in early 2020.