ART ALEXAKIS - EVERCLEAR STAR DEFENDS BOOZING JESUS PORTRAYAL IN VIDEO

EVERCLEAR frontman ART ALEXAKIS appeared on US news show THE O'REILLY FACTOR on Wednesday night (09AUG06) to defend his group's controversial new video, which appears to mock JESUS CHRIST. The tattooed rocker sparred with host BILL O'REILLY, who took the band to task for portraying Christ as a hard-drinking madman in new promo HATER. The video features a crown-of-thorns-wearing Christ smoking, boozing, gambling, fighting and stealing. Alexakis, who grew up the son of a born-again Christian, defended the video by stating, "This is a break-up song. That's not Jesus. He's a representation of what Jesus could be if he had made the wrong choice." Firing back at O'Reilly when the newsman suggested the shocking video was nothing more than a publicity stunt, the enraged rocker stormed, "If this was some big publicity stunt, I think we would have spent more money than most of you (news anchors) spend on your suits." The controversy surrounding the video has already prompted Everclear to shoot an alternate video, which pokes fun at split celebrities like HALLE BERRY and ERIC BENET; BEN AFFLECK and JENNIFER LOPEZ; and SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY and HEATHER MILLS, who are all lampooned in the promo.