[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL "The Videography of Queens of the Stone Age"
03.14.12
BY MIKEY MIGO
A lot can be said by taking a look at a band’s videography. Bands like Nickelback are going to have uninspired bubbly rock videos to match their uninspired bubbly rock songs. Really low-fi hipster indie stuff is going to have low-fi hipster indie videos. Bands are always going to live within their own realm of style, but it’s the videos that give them a chance to make a real impact. It’s when a band takes that extra step in making a cool video. They put a little something extra into its process and create a special moment. I know videos are mainly spread through the internet now, but they’re still a crucial part in a band’s image and success. It’s another medium to share one’s artistic vision. Sometimes it’s magic.
I’m fairly certain I’ve seen at least 75% of the music videos we’re going to take a look at today. My fondness for those videos and just my overall appreciation for the great work by Queens of the Stone Age makes this easy. I know this collection of videos is going to rock. I’m a fan of pretty much everything they’ve put out so far. I don’t see any of the videos I’ve missed being any different.
So sit back, enjoy the tunes and visuals, and smoke’em if you got’em!
Track: "The Lost Art of Keeping a Secret"
Album: ”Rated R”
Year: 2000
Director:John Pirozzi
The band’s first video is for one of the band’s best singles to date. I’ve never seen this video until right now. Out subject appears to check into a motel while a projection of the band performing is shown on the side of the building. Things progress into a slightly comfortable level of creepiness. I like the way it’s shot. It doesn’t automatically “feel” like any era. It’s not quite “grungy” and not quite “millennium hip”(I just made that term up). I guess you can say it’s timeless. Rating: 7.5
Track: "Monsters in the Parasol"
Album: ”Rated R”
Year: 2000
Director:Bob Stevenson
One of the band’s more under rated hits. We see a man in drag walking down the street with a really pissed look on his/her face. Meanwhile the band lingers around as he/she walks through town armed with the same pissed off look. For some reason there is a car accident, money exchanged at a bar, the beating up of a teenager, a little dog and shoes. This video has just enough narrative to not be completely abstract, but it’s a pretty damn random video. Really well done though. Rating: 7.0
Track: "Feel Good Hit of the Summer"
Album: ”Rated R”
Year: 2000
Director:?
I didn’t know there was any sort of official video for this song. Of course if you’re a fan of this band (and/or drugs) then you should already know and embrace this song as awesome. It’s bouncy and provided a good supply list for a good weekend at grandmas. The video is animation. It has a weird computerized animation effect to it. A man drives on an open road while things get trippy and then just creepy and weird. The band doesn’t even show up until about a minute in. Even then it’s in overexposed contrast pictures. I’m just not feeling it. It feels like a slightly animated storyboard for a video that would have been awesome. Rating: 6.0
Track: "No One Knows"
Album: ”Songs for the Deaf”
Year: 2002
Director:Dean Karr
This is obviously one the band’s most known tracks. Rightfully so, it’s tremendous. We get live performance stuff of the band rocking out in a weird green screen type of setting. The story we’re told is that of the band on a late night car ride meeting up with a crazy deer that beats them up and takes their car. The dick head deer drives the car after a back of boy scouts at a campfire, screws with some hookers, and it ends with the deer chilling out as the band’s heads hang on his wall. It’s a crazy video, but Dean Karr did an awesome job with it. It looks great, it has a fun flow, and it really fits the constant “what the fuck” vibe you get from this band. If I didn’t praise this, I fear the dick head deer would try to kill me too… Rating: 8.5
Track: "Go with the Flow"
Album: ”Songs for the Deaf”
Year: 2003
Director:Shynola
This is not only one of my favorite Queens of the Stone Age songs; it’s one of my favorite songs in general. The video has this crazy deep red and black animation. It’s not as “choppy” as the earlier attempt at an animated video at all. The band plays and races around in the back of a truck. Trippiness occurs once a bug is ran over on the road. We’re treated to a nice silhouette of a woman dancing and being seductive. The chorus ends and we’re back to the rocking out and driving around. The guys find themselves being chased by another car full of creepy looking bad guy types. The cars crash into each other head to head and we finish with more trippy and fun animation stuff. Rating: 7.0
Track: "Little Sister"
Album: ”Lullabies to Paralyze”
Year: 2005
Director:Nathan Cox & Josh Homme
I remember this song and album fondly. The band performs in an isolated spot. It’s a little “stripped down”. It’s them, the room, and the camera. The main “special effect” is that the room changes colors based on the lighting and two women “shadow dance” seductively behind a see through wall. It’s a much more laid back video than their others. It’s not bad at all. It’s well shot and well done, it’s just not that memorable. Rating: 6.5
Track: "Someone's in the Wolf"
Album: ”Lullabies to Paralyze”
Year: 2005
Director:Chapman Baehler
I don’t quite recall this video. The song is killer, but this my first time catching this video. At over 7 minutes, I’m expecting something as close to epic as possible. We start off with roaming though the forest as someone chops wood. It cuts to a child with toys and the back to the forest. Now there is a whole pack of wolf-men running around causing trouble. One wolf walks hand in hand with a pretty woman. I’m not sure what the hell is up. The wolf and the woman ball room dance together. We keep getting flashes of a little girl doing normal creepy little girl things. The other wolf-men show up and they have to get them to leave so they can continue their own private dance party. Wood carving, fires, knives, wine, and are all utilized for awhile as the wolf-men get riled up. Now they show up and visit the little girl! It ends with the same men wearing sheep masks in every day/non-forest life. It was shot beautifully and it really drew your attention, but I had a hard time describing the video. In this case, that’s a good thing because I want to watch it a few more times. It’s weird as shit, but enthralling. Rating: 8.0
Track: "In My Head"
Album: ”Lullabies to Paralyze”
Year: 2005
Director:Associates in Science
The band performs while a woman gets ready. The story here is the bad ass editing. The colors, the weird cuts, the transitions, the fades, and the whole tone to this video is perfect. It just looks really good. Weird multi-panel videos aren’t anything too new. The old Woodstock film had it, but I’ve really never seen it done so well before. The song is great, but this video is the shit. Well done Associates in Science! Rating: 8.5
Track: "Burn the Witch"
Album: ”Lullabies to Paralyze”
Year: 2006
Director:Chapman Baehler
I’m pretty secure in the fact that this is my favorite track by Queens of the Stone Age. The catchy riff and melody still bounce around my head more than a half decade later. The video starts off simply with Holmes and a match. Before long we’re in a weird green screened-surreal as shit forest of animation and craziness. It’s old Salem style stuff, which makes sense. The people seem to decide they must burn the witches because of all the evil around them. A young woman is accused and is forced to run for her life as she is chased. She ends up in the grave yard where her true colors come out… and some skeletons! The witch and her skeletal army get revenge and burn the mother down. Fun video, if not just a little sexy. Rating: 7.0
Track: "Sick, Sick, Sick"
Album: ”Era Vulgaris”
Year: 2007
Director:Brett Simon
This is a pretty damn gross video. The whole “sick” thing is very true. Rich people wear rich clothing in their rich homes, but the entire time they’re eating some really gross looking stuff. It’s really enough to ruin one’s appetite. The rich woman continues to eat and consume more and more of this nasty looking every day shit. The band performs as all of this gluttony is going down. The woman eventually caves in and goes on a barbaric binge of all the food on the table. The title of this song isn’t just a witty word play… the video IS “Sick, Sick, Sick”. From an artistic stand point, it was really good. Anything that can physically affect me and make my stomach turn while still rocking out is impressive. I don’t think any Marilyn Manson video has ever made me feel slightly ill as this video did. Props to ya! Rating: 7.0
Track: "3’s & 7’s"
Album: ”Era Vulgaris”
Year: 2007
Director:Paul Minor
The video opens with a little clip of the light bulb character they were using a lot for this album. It goes into a gritty B-movie looking story of bad ass women who going around being sexy and bad ass. An old sheriff lurks around for them as they continue their random act of sexy violence. In the middle of all of this they seem to also piss off some of the local biker type baddies. In the end, there is a throw down scene with guns, violence, and random spanking. It’s like the trailer to what I’m going to be dreaming about for the next week. I think I enjoyed this video way more than I should have. Ah well… Rating: 7.0
Track: "Make It wit Chu"
Album: ”Era Vulgaris”
Year: 2007
Director:Rio Hackford & Raub Shapiro
Josh drives with the sun at his side. The band performs on what looks like a desert ranch. It’s a slower down tempo vibe. Lots of gold and yellows. It’s essentially nothing more than a performance video in a really cool location. About half way in, people start showing up and being all lovey-dovey and what not. It looks great for what it is. I think I appreciate it more because it shows contrast to the other videos we’ve watched today. The song and video are clearly about “getting it on”. This song should probably come with a condom. Rating: 6.5
Track: "I’m Designer"
Album: ”Era Vulgaris”
Year: 2008
Director:Liam Lynch
This video is weird as shit. Josh Holmes, Josh Holmes, and Josh Holmes all rock out and sing in front of a green screen. The one thing I notice is the horribly amusing gloves he’s wearing. It’s almost like a bad karaoke video…or the greatest karaoke video ever. I’m not sure. There’s nothing much to this video other than its weirdness. I’m not sure if this is even “official” because the band doesn’t have it on their own page, but it’s out there. It feels like a random project that took a life of its own. I mean that in a good way. Rating: 6.0
VERDICT
I hope I made it obvious, but I’m a fan of this band. In fact, if you’re annoyed by that disregard all my “Ratings” and just know that if you’re not familiar with these songs and the band in general then you’re missing out on some of the purest rock and roll of the past ten or so years. I was a casual fan for a long time. I’d hear the singles on the radio and enjoy them, but I never really got deep into them. Then after seeing them perform three times over the past few years I grew a huge love for them. They’re one of those bands with a whole catalog of Greatest Hits that you already know and love, but don’t connect the dots to. It’s just crazy how consistent they are. I can honestly say that each of Queen of the Stone Age albums are good, if not great. The videos show you just a little taste of how amazing they are. So yeah, this was completely bias…
BLOGS
- DLP News - The Savage Animal - Random Movie Review - rant/n/rave - PreView:ReView - Worst Case
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