Are Music Videos Dead?

[Dixon Carter Lee]

They must be, I don't see them anymore. Oh, yes, Britney is doing her Janet Jackson impression (with her three dance moves that are SERIOUSLY getting on my nerves), and the Rap Crowd keeps shoving the camera into fat chick's butts, but aside from that they seem to be pretty much dead as an "art form".

No more Michael Jackson events. No more Paul McCartney story-telling. No more Elton John exuberance. No more Peter Gabriel wit. No more Cindy Lauper verve. No more Bill Joel concept videos.

Not that all of the above was great music, but the videos were at least fun. They were like Elvis movies, guilty pleasures, schlock fests, eye candy. Madonna's weird and provocative stuff may have been awful music, but they were interesting videos. At least it looked like effort was being put into it.

But today the camera is more or less turned on and the artists aren't assked to do anything more than have attitude. And even when some style is tried, it's an old style that's been done and done and done. (Do we REALLY need to see another girl and a group of dancers doing drill-team-like choreography on a set with smoke coming out of the floor?)

I suppose in the Internet music sharing age Music Videos are no longer the end-all-be-all marketing tool they once were.

MP3 killed the video star.

 

[alexandraaah]

MP3 killed the video star. [/B]

that's what i was thinking. what's next? the blue pill killed the internet star?

 

[Weevil]

They must be, I don't see them anymore. Oh, yes, Britney is doing her Janet Jackson impression (with her three dance moves that are SERIOUSLY getting on my nerves), and the Rap Crowd keeps shoving the camera into fat chick's butts, but aside from that they seem to be pretty much dead as an "art form".

No more Michael Jackson events. No more Paul McCartney story-telling. No more Elton John exuberance. No more Peter Gabriel wit. No more Cindy Lauper verve. No more Bill Joel concept videos.

Not that all of the above was great music, but the videos were at least fun. They were like Elvis movies, guilty pleasures, schlock fests, eye candy. Madonna's weird and provocative stuff may have been awful music, but they were interesting videos. At least it looked like effort was being put into it.

I don't think so anyway. Spike Jonze does consistently groundbreaking and hilarious stuff(The community dance troupe, Walken dancing) and you can still see some good stuff. Blur, Sloan and Blink 182 have all done some really good videos in the last little while.

I just don't think VH1 is the place to be looking.

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

I don't get VH-1, only MTV, and all I see is "The Real World" (which doesn't suck, oddly enough), some stupid call in sex problem show, and a whole host of dumbed down "music news" and other promotional type programming.

I've seen some of those videos, and, honestly, I feel like I've seen them before.

 

[Weevil]

I don't get VH-1, only MTV, and all I see is "The Real World" (which doesn't suck, oddly enough), some stupid call in sex problem show, and a whole host of dumbed down "music news" and other promotional type programming.

I've seen some of those videos, and, honestly, I feel like I've seen them before.

Well, then the only answer I can give you is that a medium will never seem as exciting as it did when it was new.

As far as artistic merit goes I think they're better today then they've ever been.

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[MechaBlade]

Music videos are in a transitional period now. They're trying to be creative and original.

But now that I think about it, even though I watch less music videos, a lot of them are great. I like the surrealness of Maxwell's "This Woman's Work" and the funniness of Alien Ant Farm's "Movies." I have the clip on my computer. Little X always directs good videos (Chris Rock's "No Sex in the Champagne Room"). Aerosmith's "Fly Away from Here," was just an awesome video. Also Missy's are pretty creative.

Just keep watching. Videos are alive and well. Especially the rap videos not focusing on fat chick's butts, but on chicks with phat butts. I dare you to find any even slightly overweight girl in a rap video with lots of women, unless she is rapping. They're all Barbie dolls, except with ass.

MechaBlade

 

[Dixon Carter Lee]

Well, then the only answer I can give you is that a medium will never seem as exciting as it did when it was new.

That's partly true, I suppose. But, more than that, the whole idea of Music Videos as a pop art form seems to have gone away. You either point the very expensive camera at the acts now, or do some warmed over "concept" like fronting a group of dancers or something wacky like "taking over a high school" to play some music on the roof (didn't the freakin' Beatles do that already?)

It's not so much an individual artist thing, it's a trend thing. It seems to be gone.

 

[sunstruck]

I've never really liked music videos. What's going on in my head when I'm listening to music is always more interesting.

But as to the VH1 MTV debate, nothing beats Behind the Music. Next to Biography, it's the best of the documentary shows. Who new that rock stars were actual people?

 

[sabbathstorm]

I love music videos, but not the run of the mill stuff. Tool makes the most visually interesting videos I've seen in a long time. I've watched MTV a few times and it was mainly crap with a few videos thrown in. I'll stick with Much/Much More Music thank you very much

Hey anyone out there subscribe to Loud? Just wondering if it's a good channel or not.

 

[scylis]

check out Gorillaz stuff. and hope that the Beastie Boys make some new videos soon.

i'm not too big a fan of Smashing Pumpkins for the most part, but their videos absolutly kick ass. especially some of the later ones. like Ava Adore, which was shot all in one long take. too bad they're out of it.

NIN has some great ones, though i havn't seen hardly any of the ones from The Fragile, but that's only b/c my housemate just up and moved the DVD player on us for no other reason than to spite the rest of us.

 

[Spinaroonie]

Two Words: Aphex Twin.

Perhaps the greatest video is Come to Daddy, a commentary on the media through midget kids with all the same faces. Aphex Twin makes great videos with messages behind them.

Watch Come to daddy
http://director-file.com/cunningham/526.html

Watch Windowlicker
http://director-file.com/cunningham/522.html

You'll have more respect for these than any garbage Blink-182 puts out (even tho' Jonze had soem great work with the Beastie Boys)

 

[Mischka]

I'm either showing my age or pop culture ineptitude, but where do you people watch videos these days? I haven't seen a video on MTV in years. VH-1 plays a few, but they're all covered in pop-ups or they're just a clip of the full video. Did I miss the memo? Where am I supposed to go for music videos?

 

[CelestialBody]

 

[freakygirl]

MTV2?

There is more than one Mtv?

Damn I hate living in hickville.. 39 channels.. and no MTV2..

That's it.. I'm moving to Seattle

 

[sabbathstorm]

check out Gorillaz stuff. and hope that the Beastie Boys make some new videos soon.

i'm not too big a fan of Smashing Pumpkins for the most part, but their videos absolutly kick ass. especially some of the later ones. like Ava Adore, which was shot all in one long take. too bad they're out of it.

NIN has some great ones, though i havn't seen hardly any of the ones from The Fragile, but that's only b/c my housemate just up and moved the DVD player on us for no other reason than to spite the rest of us.

Finally someone mentions Gorillaz! I've been using that CD to piss off my neighbor You know, I'm hoping Blur doesn't interfere too much with getting some new material out. I know the dub CD is supposed to be coming soon

 

[heterotic]

Re: Re: Are Music Videos Dead?

I don't think so anyway. Spike Jonze does consistently groundbreaking and hilarious stuff(The community dance troupe, Walken dancing) and you can still see some good stuff. Blur, Sloan and Blink 182 have all done some really good videos in the last little while.

I just don't think VH1 is the place to be looking.

Christopher Walken tap dancing was hilarious. MTV2 is definitely the channel to find new videos on, some of them even good. MTVX also has a few from time to time.

(This has been a random nearly-off-the-board thread revival. If I was not so bored, it would have been a post I put some thought into and didn't just throw out there to see if anyone noticed)

 

[Ask For More]

Anyone ever see D'angelo's "Untitled: How does it feel" video? I thought that was a very original video and very personal as well from the point of the performer...