"We got a lot of video treatments from big-name directors that were terrible," POD frontman Sonny says of the script ideas the band received for "Alive," the first clip from their forthcoming disc, Satellite. One that didn't stink though was from director Frances Lawrence (who's worked with Janet Jackson, Aerosmith , and Destiny's Child, among others). The band was so impressed with his concept they used someone else's idea for one of their videos for the first time. "We dug it cause he really got what the song is about," Sonny says.

In Lawrence's treatment, a car is struck by an oncoming bus. The teenage boy driving the car reflects on the "perfect" day he had while sitting in the rubble. "He has had the best day -- skating in an emptied-out pool with his friends, hanging with his girlfriend -- and then all of a sudden tragedy strikes," drummer Wuv says. "What I like about the video is it's kind of dark because the basis for the whole video is the car crash," adds Sonny.

Sonny and Wuv both agree though that the clip ultimately reflects the song's philosophy of not taking life for granted. "For me, the climax of the video is when he comes out of the car alive and he has a new appreciation for things," Sonny says. "He lives in the hustle and bustle before that," Wuv chimes in, "but he finds himself really grateful in the end."

In addition to a moral, the video has plenty of action. An Los Angeles transit bus totals a Dodge Dart (one of two cars totaled for the video), and the band performs "Alive" amidst the flying debris. To make this happen, the intersection of Foothill and Paxton Streets in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley was closed for much of this past weekend. California Highway Patrol officers, private security guards and fire department officials were on hand to keep the intersection closed and make sure the crash sequences went smoothly.

"I know," Sonny says. "It's a big video for little old us." The "Alive" video will debut in August.

The track listing for Satellite:

Set It Off
Alive
Boom
Youth of the Nation
Celestial
Satellite
Ridiculous
The Messenjah
Guitarras de Amor
Anything Right
Ghetto
Masterpiece Conspiracy
Without Jah, Nothin'
Thinking About Forever
Portrait

STEVE BALTIN
(August 2, 2001)