Nice song and video. Interesting compilation of Americana vignettes we all grew up with. And the singer is gay (Ezra Axelrod), as is the theme, at least subtly.
I asked Ezra if he wouldn't mind writing a paragraph for the blog, explaining the song, how he came up with the idea, etc. Here's the music video, then below is Ezra's description.
From Ezra Axelrod:
I'll never forget that morning I woke up in a stranger's bed, dazed and confused. "Where the hell am I?" I wondered out loud, then stumbled to the window to pull back the curtains. The sign said it all: "American Motel." I let out a little cry of disbelief. You know you've hit rock bottom when you wake up at the American Motel. It was the ultimate walk of shame, especially in my hometown in the middle of nowhere Oregon. People were already out mowing their lawns in the summer heat, eying me with that knowing gaze. I was just wondering where I'd left my truck the night before...and more importantly, what exactly I'd done with that guy back there in bed! There's something about that moment that stayed with me over the years. For me, waking up in the American Motel is the ultimate metaphor for adolescence, coming of age, and fumbling through your twenties in search of your place in the world. My career as a songwriter is about recounting the journey I've been on, from that morning in the American Motel, to wild adventures in Latin America and a fight to hold on to true love, and finally to my new life as an "auto-exile" in London with a sexy South American I met 7 years ago (when I was 18), and who's been my partner in crime on this crazy adventure. The song "American Motel" captures the first steps of this epic journey.
