Todd "REAS" James is a 2x Juxtapoz cover artist, with the NYC artist most recently on the cover in December 2013. From his Pirate series, to MASH-style pin-ups, and his career in graffiti and tv shows like Crank Yankers, James is one of the true representatives of what this magazine stands for. So it's pretty cool to us that we get to be the exclusive premiere of James's music video work for U2's new track, "The Troubles." Big band, big artist. 

Juxtapoz Exclusive: U2 - The Troubles by Todd James for Films of Innocence


The video is made in conjunction with U2's new LP, Songs of Innocence, and Todd got to work on the closing track, "The Troubles," which features another Jux favorite, Lykke Li. Here are a few q's with Todd about the project: 

What was the inspiration behind your film?
TJ: I loved the song “Troubles" , so the lyrics and music where the starting point which drove me in a direction to try to capture the mood. Themes that appear in my paintings fit the content and where a good visual match. The themes being Roit Police and Masked protesters or just women and cats so global conflict and conflict or Trouble thats maybe more internal or personal.

How did your approach differ from your other projects? Did you face any unique challenges?
TJ: Well because it was secret I was sharing the sound file with the Animators at golden wolf and listened to it on their site. I didn’t have the music exactly embedded in the timeline in the program ?I was drawing in. So I did the boards in a loser way by listening to the song counting the seconds each part took up then trying to match it up.It all worked out fine though.

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U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour 2015 ON SALE TODAY

For more information on U2’s iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE Tour 2015 visit: U2.com & LiveNation.com.

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