Not a Custom Fit

Since its release to radio stations in October, "Hey Mister" -- the catchy first single from Custom's debut album, Fast (due March 19th) -- has been steadily earning fans and increased airplay. But the video for the song won't be showing up on TRL anytime soon -- MTV has refused to play it.

Directed by Custom (a.k.a. Duane Lavold) himself and shot with a digital camera, the video features the singer writing the song's lyrics -- which include "Hey Mister, I really like your daughter/I'd like to eat her like ice cream" and "God gave her a perfect body/Now I'm all up in it" -- on the body of his female co-star. The video also contains low-angle shots up the woman's skirt while the couple are walking the streets of Las Vegas.

"They thought it was pedophilic and offensive to women," Custom says of MTV's Standards and Practices department, responsible for screening material and judging its appropriateness. According to Custom, the network objected to the entire song -- which also contains teasing female backing vocals, "Na na na na na na" -- and not simply a few lyrics or scenes from the video.

"They completely misunderstood my intent," he says. "I wrote the song after I had watched my sister get hit on in a bar. I realized that I'm not thrilled with the idea of my sister having sex, but I can't deny her that pleasure. It's her right. Some fans have reacted to that, too, like the song's a feminist anthem . . . It's hard because MTV is obviously one of the primary ways to reach listeners, along with radio and the Internet. And when you eliminate one of those things, you can be in trouble."

The New York-based singer, who is also an award-winning filmmaker, knew the project was risky, but didn't expect the ban. "We thought that if we needed to we could cut a shot out of the video very easily," Custom says. "But it's frustrating because they object to it on such an abstract level that I can't do anything about it . . . I mean, they have their own shows that show two girls making out simultaneously with one guy, and then the guy has to choose between them. And that's not objectifying women, but my song is?"

Calls to MTV were not returned by press time.

See the "Hey Mister" video.

AUGUSTIN K. SEDGEWICK
(January 30, 2002)