Jimmy Urine (real name Jimmy Euringer) has spent the last two decades helming the industrial
electro-punk act Mindless Self Indulgence. He recently released his first solo record, ‘Euringer’,
which he describes as “a counter-culture, surreal, psychedelic, art house, avant-garde, possibly
posthumous concept project.” It includes collaborations with Gerard Way (My Chemical Romance),
Grimes, Serj Tankian (System of A Down) and his wife Chantal Claret.
However, the first promo video from the album is for Euringer’s zany, jet-propelled cover version of
‘What A Fool Believes’ by the Doobie Brothers. The song was a no. 1 hit in the USA in 1979,
staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 20 weeks, while it was also Top 40 in the UK.
Euringer has been hoping to cover the tune for quite some time: 15 years to be exact.
“I love the keyboard and synth groove in the original version, but it’s too goddamn slow,” he explains.
“So I amped it up without losing the great melody, and man did I knock it out of the park! Probably
the best thing is if you listen to my version, you can’t go back to the original – it’s so freaking slow
after you hear mine. Yacht rock has great melodies and uses a lot of great keyboards and early
’70s synths, but it must be made faster, and I am just the guy to do it.”
Euringer channelled his inner sexy 70’s man donning a moustache, kimono, speedos and….well
….that’s it, for this slick cover. While the Amber Beaton-directed video is LOL-worthy, replete with
silly dance moves and a sandwich intermission, Euringer was also inspired by some immoral
forces. “I wanted to do a throwback to sleazy New York City, the swingers era circa 1979 – the time
of Midnight Blue and Al Goldstein, and Plato’s Retreat which was a famous swingers club in the
neighbourhood I grew up in.”
Euringer didn’t hold back when it came to achieving the video’s concept. “As you see in the video,
I can still dance like a motherfucker and act crazy at 50,” he says. “I’m not sure if that is cool or
embarrassing, but who fucking cares? Not this old man.”
Electro-yacht rock is truly in full swing in this hilarious video.
