Amy Ray - Subway (Official Music Video)
The new music video for “Subway” pays homage to the groundbreaking radio DJ, Rita Houston (a New York City legend who passed away from cancer in 2020). I met Rita in the ’90s. She was so dynamic and true to herself at a time when homophobia was well established in the music industry. Rita rooted for artists in the queer community and ended up driving a lot of people’s careers.
I was sitting at home during the pandemic and missing NYC, thinking about how liberated I always felt there as a young queer person just starting to get comfortable with myself. And I was thinking about what I would say to Rita if I wrote her a letter- sort of a letter from all the young queer songwriters…
I still treasure the unfettered joy of the nights I would walk the city streets to and from shows, or just walk for the feel of it, not wanting to miss a beat, and taking in all the action. Rita embodied that action and that joy.
In the video, Atlanta Director, Scott Lansing (Flint: The Poisoning of an American City (2019), Electric Jesus (2020)), takes us into a dreamscape with the "current Amy" walking through NYC, contemplating her own journey and its inspirations, and the “young Amy” moving through her paces, growing up into her life as a musician. We are brought to the fore with the rebellion and strength of the protests that occurred in the summer of 2020, and the message that independent voices can help drive social justice movements.
“Turn on your radio!”- Amy Ray
Credits
Actors
Young Amy - Sarah Jane Von Hagen
Girlfriend - Iris Rubin
Crew
Director / DP / Edit - Scott Lansing
Junior Edit / Grip - Zachary Bromberg
Production Manager - Jennifer Lansing
Production Assistant - Abigail Donkor
New York Locations Scout & Driver - Ryan Selvy
Atlanta Locations - Scott Lansing
Wardrobe - Jill Grinstead Von Hagen
Drama Mama - Rebecca Rubin
Still Photography / Supplemental Video Footage - Amy Ray
Props - Abigail Donker
Compositing - Sabotage Film Group
Studio Green Screen - Sabotage Film Group