CMT Blog: George Flanigen

Martina McBride usually sees all the treatments that come in for her music videos, and she says she still remembers when she received a very unique one for "Independence Day," which won a CMA award for best video in 1994, and has since emerged as her signature song.

At that time, she had never met video directors/producers Robert Deaton or George Flanigen, the team responsible for hundreds of country music videos. "I remember calling the label and said, ‘I really want to sit down and talk with these guys. I like this treatment but I really want this video to be realistic -- as realistic as we can do it, because it's not something that you just smooth over. I would rather not do a video than do that,'" she recalls. "So we sat and talked for about three hours, just getting to know them. I wanted to make sure that they were coming at it from the same kind of place that I was, with the same passion I had for it. Still, to this day, it's my most memorable video shoot. We all knew it was something really special. It was not just another video. There was something about it that was special, ground-breaking and different."

Kid Rock's "All Summer Long" has become this summer's unofficial anthem. Perhaps it's the song's feel-good vibe with the smooth blend of Lynyrd Skynyrd's renowned "Sweet Home Alabama" and Warren Zevon's "Werewolves of London" that makes us love it so much. Or maybe it's the laid-back vibe and catchy lyrics that force us turn it up and sing at the top of our lungs. Or heck, maybe it's because it's Kid Rock and he drives a boat and has a stripper pole. "A stripper pole finds its way into every video," he admitted with a laugh, during a recent chat.

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