Like most people stuck inside during quarantine, I have become captivated by the wild world of Joe Exotic. The Netflix documentary series "Tiger King" features everything from elaborate outfits to tiger encounters, to multiple legal disputes and intricate murder plots. At times, it seems too crazy to be real.
The music videos integrated into the series were only small fractions of screen time, such as a transition piece or background music, but they attracted my attention the most. The visuals and lyrics in them were, arguably, just as eccentric as Joe Exotic himself. After I finished the series, I watched all of his music videos - regardless of whether or not it was featured on the show. Some were casually filmed at the GW Zoo and others were extreme visual productions, but regardless of the quality, there were some hidden gems among his music video collection. Here are some of the best of the litter:
Here Kitty Kitty
As most viewers know, "Here Kitty Kitty" was the music video created around the story of his nemesis, Carole Baskin. According to speculation, Carole fed a previous husband to the tigers living at Big Cat Rescue, her animal sanctuary. There is no evidence or proof of this claim, but Joe saw an opportunity and milked this for a music video. The video features a Carole Baskin lookalike feeding "human remains" to a bunch of caged tigers. There are no allusions as to what Joe meant when he sang: "here kitty kitty, mama's got some treats for you, here kitty kitty, you can't find this taste in the zoo."
My First Love
The ballad "My First Love" highlights how much Joe cared for his previous husband, John Finlay. The couple split after it was revealed that Finlay did not actually identify as gay and had relationships with other female employees at the zoo. The music video shows dramatic shots of Joe singing in front of a lake and the couple playing in the snow, and the song has a fairly catchy tune. You can hear how much the break-up affected Joe in is lyrics: "you were my first love, the one that's gonna last, a million miles later, I'm a ghost from the past."
I Saw A Tiger
I'm just going to say what everyone else is thinking: "I Saw A Tiger" should've been the introduction song of every episode of the show. The bleach-blonde mullets, plethora of tigers, and wild outfits are the epitome of Joe Exotic and the "Tiger King" series. Its lyrics really help the viewers understand the unique relationship the people in the documentary had with their animals: "I saw a tiger and the tiger saw man."
All of Joe Exotic's music videos are on YouTube and "Tiger King" is available to stream on Netflix!
