Rapper Lil Nas X revealed today that his instant hit video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” was saved from going over-budget simply by filming the scenes for Hell in Cle Elum, Wash.
“We knew CGI for the Hell location was going to be too expensive, and practical effects couldn’t be completed on time,” Lil Nas X told The Needling in an exclusive interview. “One of our production assistants had scouted Cle Elum for Hell scenes in several movies and he knew it was perfect!”
Located on a portal to the underworld about a mile off of Interstate 90, Cle Elum is popular with film crews and Seattle’s goth kids who can’t get into the Merc. The rapper said he hopes the success of his video will bring a more diverse crowd to the area.
“It has a real small-town charm and all the amenities that we required,” Lil Nas X said. “I admit the towering citadel of the damned was a little intimidating, but the souls screaming as they were ripped apart stopped long enough to assure me they love the idea for the video.”
Cle Elum is embracing their current fame, renaming 1st Street to “Old Town Road” and planning to decorate the stripper pole from the video for the holidays to compete with Leavenworth’s tree lighting.
