Australian indie-rock surrealist Kirin J Callinan is touring NZ this month. He joined us to explain how Hollywood actress Andie MacDowell ended up staring in his latest music video 'You Weren’t In Love With Me'.
By his own admission, Kirin J Callinan keeps finding himself in “situations that are a bit ridiculous".
The story behind his recruiting Andie MacDowell for the 'You Weren't In Love With Me' video has all the makings of a stranger-than-fiction Hollywood story. And like all good L.A. myths, it centres around a vintage Cadillac... Kirin's 1994 champagne-gold El Dorado to be exact.
Kirin was dating Rainey Qualley, Andie MacDowell’s daughter. She'd kindly suggested that his dearly loved “big hunk of junk" car could be left her mother’s place for a bit, while "Andie was away".
Of course, Andie – who Kirin had never met before – returned early and Kirin was asked to remove his car from her driveway.
“I feel pretty bad about blocking her driveway. She was a little bit short with me.”
Kirin’s hopes of a quick escape were foiled when his car wouldn't start. He had to wait for a mechanic and reluctantly accepted an invitation by Andie to come inside.
“We start watching this documentary about homosexuality within the Mormon faith ,and five minutes later we’re both in tears, it’s incredibly moving.
"We landed up having this generational conversation: she grew up in the South in quite a religious setting and I in a progressive liberal family in Australia.”
“Basically when the mechanic came and fixed my car, I didn’t want to go and she didn’t want me to go.”
“We left hugging it out and then I moved my car.”
“That’s one of the most absurd and surreal things about LA. The people that live there are these celebrities you just grew up with almost knowing through your childhood and adolescent years and that’s just where they all live.
"You land up seeing them or meeting them, or dating their daughter.”
Kirin’s relationship with Rainey didn’t last, but his friendship with the family endured. So well in fact that Andie “was more than happy to” star in his video.
“I don’t know how I keep finding myself in these situations where I am working with idols.”
Taking a step back, Kirin puzzles over the recent events in his life. “I just seem to keep finding myself in these situations that are a bit ridiculous.”
Kirin J Kallinan NZ tour dates:
- Thursday 22nd August - Galatos, Auckland
- Friday 23rd August - San Fran, Wellington
- Saturday 24th August - Starters Bar, Dunedin w/ The Chills
- Sunday 25th August - Blue Smoke, Christchurch
