music on reel

the other day i had the rare treat to catch a music video on muchmusic and it was miley cyrus. and it was stupid. now of course you can argue miley cyrus is stupid but honestly, i used to watch music videos from artists that i HATED cause back in the day, music videos were AWESOME. now, not so much. it's either disney friendly or some epic kanye west shit. same old, same old.

music videos were the first things to inspire me to become a filmmaker. i used to have a notebook full of music video ideas. i was a major music nerd/snob in high school and spent my days day dreaming in class listening to my walkman (hellz yes) thinking about how to pair the song with film. i seriously spent about 3 hours a day doing this. i couldn't help it. as soon as i heard a song i connected to, the reels in my head started turning. it also helped that you could turn on muchmusic and waste 4 hours watching music videos. anyone my age (between 20-25) remembers the golden age of music videos. the 90's was the decade for music videos. to elaborate dance sequences, to indie film makers breaking new ground (michel gondry, spike jonze) to rappers making videos that had a bit more substance then naked chicks and booze. I MISS IT.

now i could sit here and pretentiously type out what the BEST videos are, but that's easy. take your pick from michael jackson, radiohead or missy elliot. but this list are my fave videos that left a mark on me, that still have an impact on me, that made me watch muchmusic all day hoping it'll come on and that make me want to be a teen again scribbling in my notebook. lets go!

p.s i omitted any dance videos cause everyone knows i'm a huge dance nerds and there would be like 40 videos on here.

Bush - Swallowed
hey remember when gavin rossdale was hot? this video introduced us to Bush, which is all fine and dandy but this video stuck with me because of the sheer randomness. why is there a girl about to give birth? why is that one chick freaking out in the corner? why is a creepy old lady dancing when gavin starts losing it on his guitar? the lighting and slo-mo pull you in till the end. the parting shot of gavin with the immobile party-goers blew my mind for some reason. this made me want to find a crack addict house party and start moshing.


Everclear - Father of Mine
say what you want about everclear, but don't be hating on art alexakis. guy is one of the most honest and brilliant songwriters. he cuts right into the story and pairs it great with his pop friendly rock. as a pre-teen finally dealing with the aftermath of my parent's divorce, this song hit home and helped me deal. a lot of everclear's songs helped me deal with stuff so they will always have a special place in my heart. they had a lot of great videos like everything to everyone, but this one really shows off their ability to use their video to heighten the story of the song. all their videos were always colorful and memorable.
Father of Mine by Everclear


Smashing Pumpkins - Ava Adore.
This is how you shoot a one shot video. I didn't even dig this song from them (I was more a Siamese Dreams era fan) but this video made me love it. from the crazy art direction in every room billy enters, to darcy's creepy stalker dance, to the pan over the actual set (awesome) and james's creepy makeup, this video is just EPIC EPIC EPIC. you can't tear your eyes away. no matter what i was doing, when this came on i had to watch it. also, billy corgan's creepy nosferatu dancing at the beginning is AWESOME.
Smashing Pumpkins - ava adore


Beastie Boys - Sabotage
What can i say? it's a classic. it riles me up everytime. just brilliant. amazing concept. amazing editing.
beastie boys: sabotage


Prodigy - Breathe
i had no idea this kind of music even existed and this video brilliantly introduced me to the genre and i'm a huge fan of it now. so many great eye candy in this video. it also scared the shit out of me, but i could not turn away. same thing as ava adore, i had to watch the full thing everytime it played. the middle part when the hair grows out of the arm in fast motion still gives me goosebumps. great performance from the 2 leading singers in this band.


Jay-Z - 99 Problems
this is a more recent one but it just proves that jay-z is amazing. also take note pretentious filmmakers, black and white only works properly and has the effect you want when done right. aka with purpose. wait vincent gallo AND a dance sequence?! mind blown. jay-z getting shot down at the end? yeah you are the best rapper alive.


Linkin Park - Faint
another band i usually don't enjoy but blew me away with this video. brilliant concept. a truly fresh take on a performance video. when the camera finally reverses to reveal them it gives me chills. well played.


My Chemical Romance - I'm Not Okay (I Promise)
Shitty band, amazing video. A great homage done to Rushmore that speaks to you. Amazing editing at the end, i dare you not to get riled up from it. awesome acting from the band. emo mcgee's scene with the cheerleader where he pulls out her eyelash is hilarious. actually this whole video is hilarious. great way to debut your band and get people's attention. Teenagers unite.


George Michael - Freedom
I could also make another list of early 90's videos cause I love that era and all it's pop music from it. But this one is so brilliant it would have been number one on that list. George Michael leaving Wham! and going solo was awesomely displayed by the burning of his leather jacket in this video while every single famous supermodel from that time are singing his lyrics. So 90's. so awesome. directed by david fincher!
George Michael - Freedom '90


Matthew Good Band - Apparitions
MGB ruled muchmusic in the late 90's and early 2000's. They put out video after video that played heavily and won them MMVA awards. The craze all mostly started with this one. Like everclear, MGB always used their videos to further show their story and out of all them, this one did it the best. Still gives me chills. Still makes me love Matt Good. Still reminds me what a huge crush i had on dave genn... and still do... WHY DID HE MARRY TAMARA TAGGART?!
Universal Music is a bitch and won't allow embedding so click on the link to see the beautiful music video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsljWSslr5s


so there you have it. i left some out, like The Perfect Drug by Nine Inch Nails or any Chemical Brother videos (check those out), but these still hold up as my faves and will cherish them till music videos become completely obsolete. sigh.

ta!

julia gulia

p.s listen to Pursuit of Happiness by Kid Cudi f. MGMT and Ratatat.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfAR5wKEp4A