Each week Alaska Dispatch News features a music video by an Alaska artist. Want to suggest a video? Contact play@alaskadispatch.com
You'll see twerking businessmen, a mysterious horse-masked figure and many more strange characters in Saucy Yoda's music video "Melatonin."
Saucy Yoda is Anchorage resident Melodie Langer, who parades around in the video with a horned helmet and sword while wearing footed pajamas.
The video begins in black and white, as Langer wanders the streets of downtown Anchorage. Then the drums kick in, the scene changes to colorful dream sequence, and Langer is shown playing guitar and singing with a horse-masked bass player and drummer on a beach outside Girdwood.
The music video goes on to show a streetwalker beating up a purse snatcher in a bumblebee suit, Girl Scouts harassing a police officer and a group of men in business suits twerking.
"I don't have money to pay anyone anything, I think a lot of people just think it's fun to twerk," Langer said.
Langer said "Melatonin" was inspired by a "total insane asylum boyfriend." After leaving her ex, Langer realized she'd forgotten her melatonin (an over-the-counter sleeping aid) at his house. In the song, Langer sings, "the only thing I left you were my melatonin pills, hoping one day you might eat too many melatonin pills."
"I was hoping he would somehow eat the whole bottle of pills and go to sleep for a very very long time... and murder is still illegal," Langer said.
On the subject of exes, Langer said that the horse-masked individual became her friend because of a past relationship.
"We actually met because we shared a tragic ex-boyfriend in common. That is the silver lining to that lemon tree. We had to teach her bass before the shoot. She had to drink an excessive amount of whiskey in order to pull of those fabulous shoulder moves, but I think that all worked out well," Langer said.
The video was produced by Myra Johnson and shot by Tom Trainor, Jeremy Blake and Travis Madden. There are plenty of characters in the music video, all of which are friends of Langer's.
"I have to say, I love my friends. And I love the camaraderie of the artistic environment here. You won't find that everywhere."
Saucy Yoda will play next at the re-opening party for Quickie Burger (1087 W. 27th Ave., near Chilkoot Charlie's) at 3 p.m. March 19. The event will run 11 a.m.-6 p.m. with free burgers, a lineup of local bands 12-5 p.m. and special guest Ron Jeremy from 2-6 p.m. Search "Quickie Burger" on Facebook for details.
Hear more Saucy Yoda at saucyyoda.bandcamp.com.