The music video for the song was directed by Jonathan Glazer, previously responsible for Radiohead's "Street Spirit (Fade Out)" clip. The video premiered in August 1997 and featured Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke as well as Hungarian actor Lajos Kovács. Glazer had originally pitched the concept of the "Karma Police" video months earlier to Marilyn Manson, who disliked it.

Glazer: I regard "Karma Police" as a complete failure, because I decided to do a very minimalist, subjective use of camera, and tried to do something hypnotic and dramatic from one perspective, and it was very hard to achieve and I feel that I didn't achieve it. But I did feel like I achieved what I wanted to do in the "Karma Police" video when I did UNKLE's "Rabbit in Your Headlights" video. It's definitely a partner to the Karma Police video, a couplet for me. I did the UNKLE video because I felt I had missed emotionally and dramatically from a simple craft point of view.

ARE YOU SURPRISED THAT 'LOTUS FLOWER' HAS NOW BEEN WATCHED OVER 20 MILLION TIMES ON YOUTUBE?

It's a massive kick. That's what everybody wants. If it's something you've worked at and it goes over the edge like that then that's great. If you do a few duffers it puts you off for a while.

WHICH ARE THE DUFFERS?

Oh, I couldn't possibly say... (laughs)

WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?

'Karma Police’ is still my favourite, because when I watch it or see clips it just reminds me how much of a laugh I had shooting that. It was brilliant. Especially because I'm totally wasted in it.

WHAT HERE YOU DOING?

All sorts. (laughs)