AURAL INTERCOURSE

Thursday, July 10, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Aural Intercourse: I want my irony

By Mike Prevatt

No longer can we blame MTV programmers and TV watchers for the sad fate of the short-form music video. With most current releases being little more than animated publicity photos synced to the radio edit of a single, it's hard to find anything socially, culturally or even historically insightful in them anymore. Granted, it's hard finding music videos on TV anymore, period; the web is the latest domain for the format. Still, that bands might assume MTV may never play their new work has certainly affected creativity in what was once a thriving medium.

There does seem to be a running theme in some of the newer videos getting some airplay--or, in a few cases, none at all: satire. For years, pop culture icons, institutions and references have been used and exaggerated in videos, in the hope of saying something about art and commerce, the mocked and the mocking. Some use the audio-visual device to hilarious perfection--see Eminem's "Without Me." Some are used to criticize a larger agenda--such as Neil Young's anti-jingle "This Note's for You." And many others aim for both of those goals and miss by a mile.

A recent Net surfing session yielded three current examples of satirical videomaking worthy of analysis.

Foo Fighters, "Low": Foo Fighter videos usually mock and/or backhandedly praise something, and in the highly voyeuristic and lo-fi "Low," it happens quite a few times--most notably, in its display of redneck homoeroticism. Using a handycam, singer Dave Grohl and his spank buddy, Jack Black (Tenacious D), record a wild night in a motel room, where the two lovers get trashed, dress up in drag (only to disrobe shortly thereafter) and get downright freaky. Several intentional-or-not familiarities abound--think the close-up dread shots from Blair Witch Project, the movie-stealing George Michael "Faith" scene in The Rules of Attraction and Prodigy's banned video, "Smack My Bitch Up." And speaking of blacklisting, MTV and its affiliates have deemed "Low" too wild for broadcast. Homophobic implications aside, that might just be high compliment, something Grohl, Black and frequent Foo director Jesse Peretz (Mentos-ad spoofing "Big Me") deserve.

Liz Phair, "Why Can't I": The former indie goddess is no stranger to wry sensationalism herself. Whether it wows anyone now is another story. Phair's recent, heavy-handled, self-titled album has been reamed lately by the music press for her crossover aspirations. This video doesn't help her case. She's mocking rock stardom one moment, and seemingly trying to wax nostalgic the next (evidenced in iconic album imagery). Either way, it's old hat. Furthermore, she dispenses too many fuck-me glares that, despite her sex appeal, don't jive with the music's aura. It's almost like a stripper dancing to a Linkin Park song.

Madonna, "Hollywood": This Warhol ripoff, for the third American Life single, begins with Her Highness cavorting around in something a tad risqué, rubbing her crotch a la Truth or Dare. Either she's mocking herself, or she's trying to revisit old controversies. No matter--what she's trying to convey isn't clear. Despite some playfulness and assumed homage that complement the perk-lite disco strum of the song, her hammy antics here demand a more aggressive, darker soundtrack. And in light of her eschewing the ballsy original for "American Life" for a more sensitive (read: timid) version earlier this year, it would seem one of music video's trailblazers is anything but into the groove.

Quickies

New York City modern rock act Interpol is still on the ascent. Fresh from scoring several high-profile festival slots, significant airplay for its "PDA" single and enough interest to maintain its now-year-plus tour, the well-tailored band is having two summertime remixes done for it. Former Afrika Bambaataa ("Planet Rock") and Kraftwerk collaborator Arthur Baker is having a go at the band's current single, "Obstacle 1." And another New Wave/electro fan, Daniel Hunt from Ladytron, will reshape "Untitled," which opens the band's enduring 2002 album, Turn on the Bright Lights.

Celebrated hip-hop/jazz fusion act A Tribe Called Quest is mulling a reunion, according to Billboard.com. The three musicians--Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife Dawg--have apparently worked on some new songs, but there are logistical problems preventing a speedy conclusion. Q-Tip and Muhammad have solo interests on separate labels, and Tribe as a whole still must contend with its label, Jive, on contractual issues.

Legit Download

of the Week

Upon downloading the new album, Love Songs for Bastards, by Vegas scribe Joshua Ellis, I was instantly smitten by one of its more urgent tracks, "Invisible." The pop-smart track--which bears traces of Echo & the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello and newer Radiohead--isn't free; you must cough up 50 cents to download it (the whole album is a mere $3.50) using the debit card-like BitPass system, which aims to play a role in art/content distribution on the Net. It may sound like a hassle, but it's nearly as user-friendly as Apple's iTunes Music Store. As for the song, it's the best 50 cents you'll spend all week. (Visit www.zenarchery.com/music/lsfb/.)

Send love letters and hate mail to oughtabeinporn@yahoo.com.