The Real Story Behind the Spin Doctors’ Iconic ‘Two Princes’ Video: ‘What Are You Wearing??’
Shooting a music video in December, and you want to wear something cozy to stay warm? Well, “just go ahead now,” as Chris Barron of Spin Doctors would say.
“Two Princes,” released in 1993, is not just the alternative rock band’s most recognizable song — it’s one of the biggest songs of the ’90s, thanks to an infectious chorus and a music video that featured Barron dressed in what we’d call “thrift store chic.” And on Aug. 2, the 57-year-old Barron shared the story about how his iconic look came to be.
“A lot of people ask me about the hat in the ‘Two Princes’ video. First of all, they ask me if I still have it, and I do still have it,” he said in a video posted to the Spin Doctors’ Instagram.
Chris revealed that the now-famous hat was not a “fashion statement or anything like that,” but something he bought on a whim. It cost six dollars and was bought at an outdoor stand in New York City. And while he liked it, his bandmates thought it was dorky.
The group was in town to shoot the “Two Princes” video, with a budget of $40,000. Apparently, they didn’t factor in the cost of space heaters.
“We shot [‘Two Princes’] in December at the Bethesda Fountain in New York City, so it was really, really cold,” said Barron, who explained that production continued well into the night, and around “one or two o’clock in the morning,” he went to the hair and makeup truck to warm up.
“The makeup artist was in there,” he says, “and she was like, ‘you poor thing. Take my sweater.’ So, the sweater in [the video] is the makeup lady’s!”
As Barron tried to get the feeling back in his fingers, the director, Richard Murray, was setting up a complicated shot (which ate up most of the video’s budget). When it came time to finally shoot, Murray went to fetch Barron.
“[Murray] goes, ‘What the f—k are you wearing?’” revealed Baron, who said he was dressed up because he was cold.
The director, having absolutely no patience left, shrugged off Chris’s outfit and told him to get in front of the camera. And that’s how the now-iconic look came to be.
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“Two Princes” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1993. It earned the band a Grammy Award nomination for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or a Group, and has become the band’s signature song.
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July/August 2025
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