AURAL INTERCOURSE

Thursday, February 27, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Aural Intercourse: A good 'Hurt'

By Mike Prevatt

By now, most of us have given up on the music video, a medium that held--and fulfilled--so much promise back in the '80s and early '90s. While there will always be inventive, dynamic and compelling videos made--Bjork, Sigur Ros, Radiohead and Eminem are a few artists making genuine and innovative statements in the visual interpretation of their work--most of what passes for music videos these days appear to be nothing more than promotional spots.

This is partly why the reaction to the evocative video for Johnny Cash's "Hurt" has been so extraordinary. No one expected to see the ailing singer in a music video, and if they did, they sure didn't expect the word of mouth that it's garnering. One thing's for sure: Trent Reznor, who wrote the song for Nine Inch Nails' 1994 album, The Downward Spiral, may never reclaim his song. There's no way you can now hear the song and not think of the reflective Cash sitting at the piano, strumming the guitar or pouring wine all over his dinner table. It is absolutely heartbreaking.

The backstory: Mark Romanek wanted to make a video for Cash, a longtime hero of his. He convinced Cash's producer, Rick Rubin, to let him film something for "Hurt," as well as getting the Man in Black himself to participate. The director also was given access to the House of Cash, a Nashville museum of sorts dedicated to the singer now closed to the public.

The video features Cash singing and playing along to the song at home, while archival footage of his past floats in and out like a nostalgia trip. At one point, his wife, June Carter Cash, sits near him and looks on affectionately as he sings. Nothing has been done to make Cash look any younger and healthier, and that alone makes the video so poignant. He evokes by just being; his mortality is constantly evident in his face, his quivering voice and the thoughts he chooses to share with us, which seem to match the lyrics with an eerie precision. The effect is so profoundly moving that few videos in recent memory can compare. MTV2 and VH-1 have put the video in their rotations. Modern rock station KROQ in L.A. is playing the song, one of its most requested. The media are starting to pick up on it, thanks to its popularity on the Internet--one of the few arenas actively keeping the aesthetic of music video alive. And even if it's not, it's sure as hell extending Cash's musical legacy. View the video at www.markromanek.com/video/14.html.

Grammy blahs

Well, no one was up to making anti-war comments or gestures except Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst, who has apparently been given a 16th minute of fame (by someone who didn't run it by me first). Maybe that was because only 11 awards of 104 total were given out during the ceremony Sunday, and more than half of them were scooped up by jazz-pop crooner Norah Jones, winning all five for which she was nominated (including the Big Four: best album, record, song and new artist).

Perhaps if the Grammy people had handed out on the air one of the two awards Brit rock act Coldplay won (best rock performance by a group, best alternative album), singer Chris Martin might've bellowed out an anti-George W. Bush remark, like the one he offered at last week's Brit Awards in London. Instead, he was given a piano and an orchestra--the New York Philharmonic, at that--and stole the show with his band during "Politik." After the Grammy wins, selling out the 18,000-seat Hollywood Bowl in minutes last Saturday and charting high with its current single, "Clocks," Coldplay has become, like Radiohead, Bush and Oasis, the rare crossover U.K. act.

Other notable winners included Eminem, the Foo Fighters, India.Arie, No Doubt, Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Outkast, the Flaming Lips, Korn, Johnny Cash, Dirty Vegas, Missy Elliott and the Clash, whose recently deceased lead singer Joe Strummer received a live tribute ("London Calling") by multiple winner Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl and others.

Coachella announced

The lineup for the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival--to take place Sat.-Sun., April 26-27, in Indio, Calif., near Palm Springs--has been announced and its organizers have snagged the Beastie Boys for their main headliner. The groundbreaking rap act will play only twice this year--the other gig is a Tibetan Freedom Concert in Tokyo. While the Beasties headline Saturday's show, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will close out Sunday.

Other notable performers include the White Stripes, Blur, Deep Dish, Underworld, N*E*R*D, Queens of the Stone Age, Ben Harper, Sonic Youth, Jack Johnson, and dozens more. Roughly 40 acts a day will play the festival's four stages and tents. Others may be announced later.

The comfort-oriented festival is the most acclaimed in the country, similar to the more successful European summer festivals balancing commercially viable artists with fresh and authentic artistry. Tickets--$75 a day, or $140 for a two-day pass--are already on sale at ticketmaster.com and Ticketmaster outlets. Visit coachella.com for lodging, camping and other details.

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