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The video features acclaimed actor John C. Reilly, known for films Chicago and Step Brothers, as he steps into the role of the titular Archbishop. The track saw White write a set of junk letter-like lyrics from the perspective of a slick-talking and grifting preacher; poking fun at institutions that use the veil of religion for their own gain.
The video falls very much in line with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the track as Reilly’s character, Harold Holmes, preaches impassionately both to a small group of fervent followers and to the viewer directly.
It breaches into total absurdity as he’s seemingly overcome with bursts of electric-blue energy that he zaps at his admirers, to their elation. One humorous moment, which highlights the ridiculous nature of Holmes’ claims, is when the Archbishop points briefly at one of his followers and they visibly squirm in their chair from excitement.
Of course, the end of the video reveals that the divine powers of Archbishop Harold Holmes, and in fact his entire sermon, are a complete sham.
Holmes and his followers are all patients in a mental asylum experiencing a shared hysteria, and Reilly is pulled away into another room where we see electrical energy pulse away through the frosted window as he’s subject to a form of shock therapy. It’s an ending that’s funny, disturbing, potentially in poor taste, but matches White and Reilly’s sense of humour well.
The video was directed by Gilbert Trejo, son of actor Danny Trejo, who also directed the video for blackbear’s ‘hot girl bummer’. It features heavy use of the colour blue, which has become synonymous with White’s solo career just as red was a large part of The White Stripes’ image. As revealed in an interview with Vulture, it was Reilly that originally pitched the video to White. Give the video for ‘Archbishop Harold Holmes’ a watch on YouTube now, it’s certainly entertaining.
