wurm's turn
by andrew yang

07.03

the latest red hot chili peppers video features lead singer anthony kiedis balancing a bright yellow bucket on his head, bassist flea with markers stuck up various facial orifices, and drummer chad smith being used as a human coatrack. the chili peppers, famous for appearing at their concerts wearing nothing but a strategically placed sock, have put common objects to strange use before. but these antics and others in their video for 'can't stop' are directly inspired by the work of austrian sculptor and performance artist erwin wurm.

the video was conceived by director mark romanek, who believes the chili peppers are the perfect band to interpret wurm's sculptures, which are often a set of instructions left for the perfomer. "the chili peppers seem to revel in pure goofiness," says romanek. the song 'can't stop' can best be described as paean to the energy of life, and, says romanek, "wurm's sculptures just have a way of finding the spiritual in the mundane."

wurm is used to his work being interpreted in different ways. the actions of the chili peppers "were pretty close to my piece," he says. "they used the sculptures like a kid's game. they made it more childish—it's great."

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