MICHAEL FAIRMAN
Photo by Brian Kaminski
RELEASES OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR “OTHER SIDE”
T
he music video for Michael Fairman’s “Other Side” sheds light on some of the biggest social issues of 2020 including the COVID-19 pandemic, the call to stomp out systemic racism, domestic violence, LGBTQ+ equality, and the rights of the disabled. “We are at a critical time,” Michael Fairman contends, “and it was important to me that the video depict these struggles in a way that catches the viewer's attention, yet is empathetic and hopeful in its message.” In the video, a homeless man is laying on the street with the simple yet heartbreaking message, “I used to be you.” Black Lives Matter protesters march peacefully but assertively. The rainbow flag waves triumphantly. A soldier, injured in battle, is picked up by servicemen and carried to safety while Michael Fairman sings, “It’s a war I can’t lose.” Fairman shares, “Days often seem darkest
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before the dawn. In my own life, I have overcome tremendous challenges: childhood bullying, multiple surgeries due to a spinal condition and chronic pain that I still struggle with today, the sudden loss of loved ones, discrimination, and more. I’ve been knocked down many times but through it all, I’ve somehow managed to get back up and fight on.” It is that reason he chose to include the boxing ring in the music video as the backdrop to the narrative. “I saw it as the perfect analogy for our time.” With it being in a gym that was closed to the public, because of the pandemic, it offered an ideal location to shoot while remaining socially distant, and the setting worked to illustrate the isolation portrayed in the song’s lyrics. A skeletal crew consisting of one cameraman, one lighting tech, and Michael came together over the early summer to shoot the music
