Frank Ocean conjures up strippers in new 'Pyramids' video

Frank Ocean isn’t exactly known for his coherent music videos, he’s worn a panda mask in one, for goodness’s sake. Add one more to the WTF pile with the nearly 8-minute clip for “Pyramids,” the newest single from "Channel Orange." 

The Nabil-directed video opens with Ocean shooting up a bar (though we never understand why). He then hops on his motorcycle and rides through the rain. Then, just like that, he’s in the desert and it’s the next day and it’s sunny.  He’s flashes back to a strip club, The Pyramid, where the girl he has just spent the night with works.

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It’s a gauzy  NSFW clip that never really quite gels, which makes sense if Ocean’s  in a dream state throughout most of it. As Ocean hangs out in the strip club, we see the girls go through various scenarios, including whipping and working the pole with various body parts. Did anyone bring the Purell?

Throughout, Ocean, who performed on "Saturday Night Live" on Sept. 15,  seems to be almost sleepwalking. The fugue state continues as he climbs back on his motorcycle and a neon pyramid appears out of nowhere, but it apparently is where John Mayer lives, since he comes out from the back for a tasty, spare blues solo and then disappears again. Is it only a mirage?

Come up with your own theories about the video. We’re sure Ocean would approve.

 

Is it all a dream? What do you think? 

frank ocean [pyramids] from christopher francis ocean on Vimeo.