Loei cops directed their time and energy into producing a surprisingly sick music video filmed creatively in a single long shot and accompanied by cringe-free jams.
Going viral during the Songkran holidays, Pak Gon (Take a Break) has been racking up views this week since it was dropped Tuesday by the Loei Police Department. It features a cop-turned-MC swaggering his way down a road dispensing health advice and sharp verse in a COVID-themed rendition of a diss track by Thai artist Milli.
“Rest, rest, rest. Stop browsing at the market. Rest, rest, rest. Barbecuing with friends has to stop,” raps the cop in sunglasses, black vest and gloves. As he makes his way down a rural road, he scolds performers recreating surreal scenes of life and exhorts them to chill out with Facebook, IG, Twitter or Netflix instead. Filmed in one long shot, some of the performers scramble ahead of the roving cop to take up new roles.
According to Loei police, they came up with the music video after they saw a rap cover made by Boonyarit Singruang, publicist at a hospital in Ubon Ratchathani province, so they reached out to ask for permission to use the lyrics. Then, they recruited cast for the video featuring police officers, volunteers and students.
The creative lyrics include advice to take naps, cancel meetings and avoiding eating moo krata barbecue with friends.
It joins the oeuvre of creative works by emergency responders and security forces that have become a hallmark of the COVID-19 era and is certain to invite some backlash for the use of public resources.
The nearly 3-minute video also sees the cop tell folks to wash their hands before eating, keep an arm’s length distance from each other and disclose their information to health workers.
“If you’re walking and chilling, then COVID makes you sick. If you wanna see the doctor, tell’em everything der!” the rap continues, using an Isaan-specific ending particle to complete the rhyme.
Thailand on Friday reported another 28 cases and one death from COVID-19, bringing the total reported to 2,700 cases and 47 deaths since the outbreak began. Ninety-six more people were discharged from the hospital yesterday.
The daily reports have fallen in the past week, prompting officials to make increasingly rosy predictions based on those numbers though testing remains quite limited, and the actual numbers are likely to be much higher.
