Open Mike Eagle and Paul F. Tompkins Argue Their Case in New Video for “Bucciarati”

Open Mike Eagle has released a new video for his last single, “Bucciarati,” feat. Kari Faux. The video shows a divorce hearing between Eagle and comedian/actor Paul F. Tompkins, who’s filling in for Kari Faux since she couldn’t make the shoot due to the pandemic. Trumpet player Jordan Katz plays the part of the judge.

The three of them lip sync the lyrics of the song while pantomiming as if they’re arguing. To shake things up, Tompkins lip syncs Eagle’s part and Eagle takes Faux’s part. Katz fills in where there’s concurrent melodies and at the end is seen playing his trumpet part while Eagle and Tompkins fail to wrap up their argument on time. It was directed by Demi Adejuyigbe, a writer/comedian who’s known for hosting the Gilmore Guys podcast as well as writing for The Late Late Show with James Corden and The Good Place. 

Tompkins is likewise known in part for his work on podcasts, mainly Spontaneanation with Paul F. Tompkins. As an actor, he’s appeared in dramas such as There Will Be Blood and The Informant! and he’s done a lot of voice acting too, including the part of Mr. Peanutbutter in Bojack Horseman. 

Musically, the song uses slow jazz chords with heavy low-end. By juxtaposition, focus is placed largely on the quick rhythm of the verses and Faux’s repetitive hook. The lyrics don’t specifically mention divorce but rather general feelings of disappointment and loss and not knowing how to pick up the pieces. “Fallin’ apart, I can’t hold it together/All in the art ’cause I won’t live forever/I had a direction and split from the thesis/Now I need more fingers to pick up the pieces.”

“Bucciarati” is the third single released from Eagle’s upcoming album, Anime, Trauma and Divorce, which is due October 16 via Autoreverse Records. Like the second single, “I’m JoeStar,” the name is a reference to the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure manga/anime. The video for that song was an anime music video using Jojo footage that debuted on Adult Swim. The first single, “The Edge of New Clothes,” did not come with a music video.