BY MIKEY MIGO
This will date me, but before CDs there was cassettes. Growing up I don't know why, but I boycotted CDs. I was all about tapes. I would collect all the cassettes I could have the music I was into. Be it Jackson Five or Marilyn Manson, I was all about the tapes from the age of five to fifteen. Granted, I did have a few CDs here and there, but it was the all mighty cassette tape that I rocked out to or bummed in my house.
But even before I can remember buying a copy of "Portrait of An American Family" by Marilyn Manson on cassette, there was videos. These videos would come on MTV and leave an everlasting impression on my fragile young mind that still remains to this day. Music Television was born on August 1st, 1981. Two years to the day later, I was born in 1983. So in my mind, my parents gave MTV two years to get their shit together before gracing this mound of dirt with my presence. In my youth I would watch MTV religiously. I didn't know how to tie my shoes, but I know who Robert Palmer was. I remember the videos for Dire Strait's "Money For Nothing," "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, and "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. MTV and the 1980s go hand in hand in my mind. The bands that were immediately identifiable with MTV was the Eurythmics, Culture Club, Def Leppard, Durran Durran, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and many more. To be fair, a lot of those bands are dated now and are the butts to jokes made by mostly everyone these days.
Times changed and so did the music you'd find on MTV. Metal, Glam, Grunge, Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap, and so much more all joined the endless list of genres that MTV has seen. As the variety of music increased, so did the options of music channels.
Recently, we switched from normal basic cable to Direct TV. So I went from having just MTV, VH1, and BET for my musical influenced television to having MTV, MTV2, VH1, VH1 Classic, BET, BET Jazz, and some channel called CD USA. HUGE difference? Sorta. There's still not much "music" on these channels, but I still get exposed to a lot more than before. I must say though, there is a lot of great new videos hitting the tube lately. Some that I'm thinking of at the moment are fresh, inspiring or just flat out entertaining. And since I love to rate things, lets take a look at a few of the current videos out there today that I see over and over again.
Gnarls Barkley
Video: "Crazy"
Visuals: This video starts out with what appears to be ink blobs. The ink blobs quickly morph into Cee-Lo in other ink blob-like pattern. As the song progresses Danger Mouse makes a few appearances in the ink as well. This continues for the remainder of the song with the patterns morphing into more blobs with more Cee-Lo singings.
My Take: The song is called "Crazy" and it's all the ink blobs you'd see in a psychologist's office. The concept makes sense but the nature of it remains abstract. The animation is awesome and still has a simple feel to it. It's everywhere as "Hey Ya!" was a few years ago, so I think "Crazy" is the unofficial summer song of 2006. The song will surely be remembered, but the video? I think so. When this was in REALLY heavy rotation it could be found on pretty much every music channel. This video is all that I said: abstract in nature, awesomely animated, and everywhere.
Rating: 8.72
The Raconteurs
Video: "Steady As She Goes"
Visuals: The band faces off in a box car race. The shifty mustache guitarist makes a deal with Paul Reubens to help him out. The race goes on and the first to bite the dust is the drummer who flies off a cliff. Don't worry, even in the wreckage he continues to drum. The next to bite the dust is what I assume is the bass player as his car goes over a pile of hay. Again he's okay, he sings along to the chorus as he's stretchered off. So it comes down to Jack White and the shifty mustache guitarist. It's neck and neck until Jack gets shot with a dart in his neck. This leads to the shifty mustache guy winning the race. He celebrates with a large amount of milk and his partner in crime Paul "Pee Wee" Reubens.
My Take: This video reminded me of the old show "Little Rascals" and I'm sure that's what the intention was. After seeing this video for the first time I nagged a friend who hadn't seen it to see it. The White Stripes have always had innovative videos with a retro feel to them. Jack White takes that up a notch in this video as it's one of my favorite videos of 2006 thus far. This video taught the youth of today a few things. Even when you're down keep going, Box cars rock, and most importantly, never ever trust "Pee Wee" Herman.
Rating: 8.54
AFI
Video: "Miss Murder"
Visuals: Mr. Havok sits at a vanity in a suit and begins to sing. The video wanders around from him singing at the vanity, black bunnies, and to the top of a castle.
My Take: All the shots in this video are visually appealing and beautiful. It's just the actual shots that bother me. While they look great and I really dig the song, the actual video itself seems to be a recap of older Goth and metal videos. Specifically, the castle scenes are way to close to older Marilyn Manson videos. I have no idea where the bunnies come from, but they creep me out. Not in a good way like Nine Inch Nails' "Closer" or any Tool video for that matter, but in an uncomfortable way. Uncomfortable like watching an old person struggle with everyday activities. That's what this video is, a struggle. You enjoy the directors view of the shots, but you also can't get the older videos it's borrowing from out of your head.
Rating: 6.32
Pearl Jam
Video: "Life Wasted"
Visuals: This video is dark and bold. The main color schemes seem to be black, red, and a plethora of undistracting rusts and browns. The main feature of this video is the heads and faces of the band being displayed in random settings and places. In my mind, the main scene of the video that stands out is Vedder's face being imposed onto some dough or putty like spread and being smushed and warped around by a pairs of hands.
My Take:I'm not a huge Pearl Jam fan at all. I respect their talents and have a few select tracks on my computer, but their music just doesn't "speak to me." My favorite songs and video by Pearl Jam is "Do The Evolution" because its outside the Pearl Jam box and the video is creative and artistic to what I assume is their limit. However, this new video for "Life Wasted" is not only their first video since the 1998 "Evolution" but it's awesome! The song is bearable enough for me not to turn the channel. Again, nothing against Pearl Jam because I know a lot of people love them. Just not my cup of tea. The shots and direction of this video are great. The colors, the graphic work, and the headshots make for a great visual. I graciously eat crow as I didn't think they had this in them.
Rating: 7.83
30 Seconds to Mars
Video: "The Kill"
Visuals: They're alone in a hotel. They skateboard around as creepiness and boredom occurs. One checks out a bathroom and a girl in a towel appears for no reason. Leto walks down the hall and starts to sing and argue with himself. Two girls kiss, randomness, and then the guy in sunglasses looks into a room to see a huge rabbit performing what looks to be oral sex on a human. That's not beastiality, it's inter-specie erotica. Finally, there's a crowd of people in suits and dresses in the ballroom where the band performs.
My Take: Their first CD was my favorite piece of their work thus far. Since then they've taken to the "Emo/punk" genre that so many find appealing for some unknown and sickening reason. The only "Emo/punk" band that I appreciate on any level is AFI, so the first thing I noticed about this video was the rabbit. Is the rabbit or bunny the official mascot for this genre? Did I not get the memo? Oh Well. Oh yeah, the video. The video is slow paced and supposed to be surreal and creepy from what I gather. It's not. If anything, it reminds me of the 90's SNL skit of the two poser gothic kids. The "image" Jared Leto is trying to portray is trite and fake-a-riffic. I enjoy his movies and the first album, so it's not a total hatefest. I just think his needs to be himself, whoever that is, and rock out. At that point I think his videos could be a lot more interesting.
Rating: 4.84
Busta Rhymes
Video: "I Love My Chick"
Visuals:"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" done Busta style. That pretty much sums it up.
My Take: Oh, how I love Busta Rhymes videos. Let me rephrase that. Oh, how I LOVED Busta Rhymes videos. Older videos like "Woo Ha," "Dangerous," and "Put You Hands Where My Eyes Can See" were classics. The crazy antics of Busta-Bust have dissolved into a shadow of it's former self. The first single came out and then the remix video and it was bearable. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. I just figured it was going to do the stereotypical video and then advance into his creative madness as he has in the past. This video takes scenes from the movie and reenacts them almost exactly. In the older classics, he would use the influence of the movies, specifically "Coming to America," and warp it into the insane mind of his. Sadly, I think Busta's movie rental choices are the least of his worries.
Rating: 6.23
Dave Matthews Band featuring Jurassic 5
Video: "Work it Out"
Visuals:This video is a lookalike of George W. Bush running through the city. He makes light of everything he passes such as unemployment, people being arrested and the homeless. As he continues his jog, he waves at people and dances as if nothing is wrong at all. He find himself with the number 10 on his shirt and in a race through the city, which turns out to be a border patrol. He takes off his #10 from the race and puts it on the sign for a gas station, which shows the gas price as $10 and some change. Out of nowhere, Dick Cheney joins in on a "Chariot Commuter Electric Scooter"(I a friend look up the official name of 'a stand up scooter thingy'). They go past a few hookers, turn around, and dance with them until secret service takes him away. Dick chases a group of people into the Armed Forces Recruitment Office. Bush, still thinking his in the race runs through a banner for "Save the Earth" as if he won. Cheney has a heart attack and they revive him. All is well in a normal day for The President as they run off with the sun set in the background.
My Take: Wow. I've seen some protest videos, but this one takes the cake. The song itself is catchy and light, but the video is as in your face and blunt as possible. No matter what your take is on politics, you'll have to laugh at the casual humor this video takes on very serious issues to the American government. Visually, it's standard affair, but the concept is great. I'm not a huge "Dave fan," but I appreciate the creativity and forwardness of this video a lot. On SNL, Clinton (Phil Hartman) would jog into a McDonalds and eat everyone's food. In Dave Matthew's land, George W. jobs through all of America's current issues and problems. Bottom-line, I think it's the most creative video I've seen in a long time.
Rating: 8.38
So that's just a few of the current videos. Some are great and some aren't that great, but there's more than enough quality videos out there. Some songs I don't care for, but the videos are appealing. Some videos suck major ass, but the songs are good. That has been the trend of music videos since day one and I'm sure it'll continue the same way for years to come.
Just as I grew to love CDs more than cassettes, I grew to love many videos I saw over the years on MTV. I'm not saying these videos are the "Best Videos of All Time" or anything crazy like that. These are simply the videos that I have enjoyed the hell out of or have taken inspiration in my own art from. I've actually made quite a few abstract videos, animations, and tons of nonsense and love doing it. You can check them out at: MikeyMiGo.com
So lets take a look at just a few of the videos that make Mikey MiGo tick...
Nine Inch Nails
Video: "March of the Pigs"
Visuals: Nine Inch Nails performs in a small white room setting. No camera angles, no takes, no flash or glitter. At the end of each verse, Trent tosses the mic stand down and roadies or lackeys run into the frame and set it back up. The highlight of this video for me is the chorus. As Mr. Reznor sings "All the pigs are all lined up..." he walks closer and closer to the camera with so much conceit and stagger that you can't help but get into it. He then throws the mic again as the band plays on. A woman rushes into the frame and applies lipstick to Trent. Trent then goes on with the next verse just as a new microphone stand brought to him. He thrashes into Robin Fink and Danny Lohner as he shouts out the lyrics. Again, as he finishes the lyrics he tosses the mic to the ground. The final chorus is sang into the camera for the first part and then Trent goes off into his own little world. The mic stand starts to wobble and he pushes it to the ground one last time. Trent and the band wander around as the video closes.
My Take: I picked this video because of it's purity and excellent portrayal of aggression. Just the band in a room rocking out as Trent Reznor narcissistically stomps around the room and owns all. Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails is my favorite work of music out there. While, many would bring up "Closer," this video is a prime example of the raw emotion that is Nine Inch Nails. While, the video provides a visual, this is all about the actual song. The song itself is abrasive, calming, and just a huge rock out. Simple? Yes, but the job gets done.
Rating: 8.63
Blind Melon
Video: "No Rain"
Visuals: The bee girl tap dances in front of a crowd to a series of laughter. She is upset and wanders the town still in the bee outfit. We cut back and forth between shots of the bee girl and Blind Melon performing in a bright green field. Finally, the bee girl find a group of other little bee girls and bee boys. She joins them and dances around in complete happiness and acceptance.
My Take: The bee girl is a classic, but the visuals of Mr. Hoon and the band playing in the field is what I think of when I hear this song. The lighting and colors used in these shots are bright as hell, yet very calming. This video is ultimately about being able to find acceptance no matter if you're a bee girl, enjoy watching puddles gather rain, or insane. This video is anything but insane. It's a classic video from a band that tragically ended way too soon.
Rating: 8.29
Fiona Apple
Video: "Criminal"
Visuals: Our first shot is Fiona taking a picture. We move around to shots of a retro looking room and a stuffed animal. Fiona rests on the legs of a half naked woman. We go a shot of her leaning against a chair for the first vocals of the video. We go to more shots of her laying in the midst and half naked people sprawled out on the plush green carpet. The next series of shots is a set of roaming of her being in a closet, sitting outside a bathtub, and sitting on top of a kitchen counter in her underwear. We find her in a bath tub and in front of a large fish tank with half naked people swimming inside. She takes pictures of the half naked people and rests her head on a random leg. She's half naked in a car, on a TV, and swimming. The remainder of the video is pretty much the same locations. The ending to the video is a shot of around a dozen or so oranges floating in a bathtub.
My Take: This video makes you feel dirty. It's voyeuristic, raw, and there's a lot of casual sexualness going on. Long before the casual sexualness dominated with the Brittneys, Christinas, and Jessicas, there was Fiona. She's not a pop princess in the least bit. She's one of the girls you'd party with and would hang with your drinking till the end. The direction and shots in this video are dark and makes you feel like you're watching something private. Fiona's delivery straight into the camera doesn't take away from the candid feel of it all, in fact, if anything it only makes it even that much stronger of a video. I picked this video because it does spark an emotion and gives off a vibe that's incomparable to anything else I've seen or can think of.
Rating: 7.98
Tool
Video: "Sober"
Visuals: Dark, creepy, and claymation? Yep, it's Tool! This video is VERY hard to follow that alone get into the details of it all. I'll still try. A wooden door opens and closes to reveal random dark imagery. We zoom into find an odd manlike figure laying and then through what seems to be a hallway setting. This journey continues as there are flashes of the band members. We come back to the figure, who gets up from it's bed. The figure pulls a box from a hole and places it on to a table. He reluctantly approaches the box and slices off the ropes that were wrapped upon it. He opens it and it appears to be nothing. He opens it and closes it again. The figure goes through a door and walks through a hallway. He looks down a long hallway and appears walking with his box again. He appears to be floating in a chair. It seems as if this figure is having a mental breakdown of some sorts. He opens a closet door to reveal another clay manlike figure stuck with pins and in pain. This is the start of a series of shots of other bizarre figures in dark settings. We get flashes of Maynard and the band again, who all appear to be freaking out themselves. The figure is back in bed having a psycho spell. We zoom back to the box and go inside as we fade to black.
My Take: This video is hard to take in, but it's welcomed enigma. The figure, the box, the atmosphere are all a bit confusing. I've recently done research for a screenplay about theories of pain. There's one theory that states that everyone has a box. Inside this box is their definition of pain and there cannot share it with anyone else. To me, the empty box sorta represents that. The figure in the video is obviously in a struggle, I understand that much. Back in what I think is the mid-90's, I was just becoming a teenager. This was my first taste of Tool and it has left a long impression on me. All videos can be considered "art" but this one is truly an artistic take on the song. Still, 10 or so years later, I have no clue what's going on. I just know I'm enthralled by every shot, every mindfuck, and every note to the song.
Rating: 8.36
Marilyn Manson
Video: "Coma White"
Visuals: This is a dark video and again has beautiful shots despite your opinion of the content. The concept is Marilyn Manson's rendition of the Kennedy assassination with Marilyn as JFK and the lovely Rose McGowan as Jackie O. Outside of the JKF footage, we cut to footage of the band playing. Clips of Manson being crucified join the repertoire towards the end. However, the final shot is of Jackie O (Rose McGowan) cradling the shot head of JFK(Marilyn).
My Take: Say what you want about the content. It's obviously controversial and obviously that's what Manson was going for. This is one of Manson's less flashy videos. Conceptually, it's flashy and over the top, but from a direction, lighting, and visual stand point it's very well done. Other videos by Manson like "Beautiful People" or "Dope Hat" are good and more known, but to me those videos are too abrasive. This video is calming and based on what I think is still Manson's biggest video achievement. It doesn't look like "Closer" as "Beautiful People" does a bit too much, there's not a lot of cuts and flashes, and the lyrics to the song compliments the video as opposed to overshadowing it.
Rating: 7.81
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