BY MIKEY MIGO
Since the early days of MTV, there have been animated music videos. Some have been award winning pieces of work and some have been really cheesy and annoying. Yet no one can deny they already thought of at least three animated music videos off the top of their head just by reading the title to this column.
Today I'm going to take a look just a few of my favorite animated music videos...
a-ha - "Take on Me"
This is one of the first videos I remember as a kid. It's been parodied numerous times, but that's mostly because of its well known visuals. This goes back and forth between live action and the animation of the comic book. The song isn't that bad at all as well. I know many an 80's Greatest Hits CDs that this is on.
Gorillaz - "Clint Eastwood"
As much as I am not a fan, I'd receive a dozen emails if I didn't mention them. I actually enjoyed "Clint Eastwood" at a time, but got worn out on it quickly. It's just not my cup of tea. The video and characters of the video are well done and I have no problem with cartoon zombie gorillas. These guy(s) are making a mint with animation, and that's respectable due to it being different than other things done in the past.
Alice in Chains - "I Stay Away"
I saw this video on Beavis and Butthead back in the day and it stuck with me. They mocked it, but it was really an awesome video. It's all stop-motion animation and features the band in a circus. What else is there to say but "I'll take five hits for $30 Alex!"
Korn - "Freak on a Leash"
In what many would consider Korn's greatest hit, Todd McFarlane rocked this video with his animation skills. The cross between the animation to live action with the bullet was awesome. The children playing on the cliff also made the cover of this album, which is cool in its own right. In high school this was the shit, and in my early-mid 20's it's just as cool.
Radiohead - "Paranoid Android"
This video follows the odyssey of two animated friends. They deal with drunks, bondage people, junkies, evil businessmen, mermaids, and even an angel. This is what I believe is Radiohead's longest song at around six minutes and the video is the same length. There was some contraversy over the nipples in the video and MTV censored it. Yet, cutting arms and legs off is okay with them? Stupid Standards and Practices.
Nine Inch Nails - "Only"
This is another video done by David Fincher. It's all done on CGI and is sorta a dedication/rehash of the movie Fight Club. At first glance it all seems simple enough, but when Trent Reznor appears on the pinscreen next to the lap top, it takes on a whole new dimension of cool. As complex as it is, it's not super flashy or abrasive but the visuals are amazing and it makes for very cool video that seemed to of flew under the radar over the past year or so.
The White Stripes - "Fell in Love with a Girl"
I love "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind." Why do I mention that? It's because that movie and this video were directed by Michel Gondry. It's a stop animation video that uses legos. There's no other actual description for this other than just saying it flat out rocks. I'm surprised no one thought of this back in the late 80's or eerily 90's when legos seemed to be the hott toy for kids.
Franz Ferdinand - "Take Me Out"
Lets see... Kick ass song? Check. Oddly entertaining video? Check. This video is sorta live action, sorta computerized, but completely interesting. I sorta got tired of this song in 2004/2005 because it seemed to be played everywhere. Now when I hear it pop up, I can't help but enjoy it. It may be Ferdinand's biggest hit thus far, but it shows a lot of potential musically and visually.
Genesis - "Land of Confusion"
This video still haunts me. The creepy puppets were the reason for much middle of the night freak outs during my childhood. I blocked that out until I found this video during my research. Now I know I'm going to have that reoccurring fright again. This video is still pretty cool though once you get past my deep issues with it. The cameos went over my head as a kid, and that's possible the best part of this.
Paula Abdul -"Opposites Attract"
This is another video I remember from my childhood. I didn't remember much about it except for an attractive woman dancing with a cartoon cat. In a world of cootie shots, I think I was more into the cartoon cat. Now I watch it and am impressed with Paula's ability to dance with no one. This David Fincher directed video is probably the gem of Abdul's career and it's easy to see why. It even won Abdul a Grammy in 91 for Best Short Form Music Video, whatever the hell that is.
Tool - "Sober"
I think I've talked about this video at least two times in past columns. This video is just awesome. Tool's Adam Jones is responsible for these figures and Fred Stuhr did the directing. The figure's trials and tribulations are just part of the story, the scenery and visuals are dark and chilling.
Green Jello - "Three Little Pigs"
This is the best version of the old children's story ever. Green Jelly's claymation rendition of this fairy tale involves violence, sarcasm, and Rambo. It's an acid trip without the acid and probably the closest I got to one as a kid. I remember being enthralled with this song so much that I actually bought the cassette tape. Can I name any other tracks off the album? Not a chance, but can I sing a long to this song with ease? Yep.
So, with just a few of the animated videos that I listed, it's quite apparent that the animated video has its place in music. Most videos that look "normal" even have some graphic and Photoshop work involved with them now. With technology advancing, there is no end in sight to this medium.
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