Who won the MTV Best Direction Award in 2006 for "Crazy"?

Gnarls Barkley won the 2006 MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction for “Crazy.” The award recognized director Robert Hales, whose striking animated music video turned the song into one of the year’s most distinctive visual releases.

“Crazy” was Gnarls Barkley’s breakthrough single, performed by the duo of producer Danger Mouse and singer CeeLo Green. Its video uses rapidly shifting, symmetrical inkblot-style imagery inspired by the Rorschach psychological test. The surreal design matched the song’s themes of instability and self-questioning, helping the video stand out in a crowded awards field.

The 2006 ceremony also brought Gnarls Barkley the Best Editing award for the same video, making “Crazy” a double winner in the craft categories. A frequent source of confusion is the wording of the question: MTV awards often credit the artist, director, or production team differently depending on the category. Robert Hales was the individual director, while Gnarls Barkley is the canonical artist answer because the award listing identifies the winning video as “Crazy” by Gnarls Barkley.