Author Archives: Jedadiah Leland

Music Video of the Day: California Girls by David Lee Roth (1984, directed by Peter Angelus)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

David Lee Roth first came to prominence as the lead singer of Van Halen.  Famously, he and Eddie Van Halen did not get along but the band’s early success was definitely due to the combination of Eddie’s technical virtuosity and Roth’s unabashed stage presence.  For better or worse, Roth earned the right to be known as Diamond Dave.  When Roth left Van Halen (for the first time) and embarked on his solo career, he made up for what he may have lacked in range with pure theatrical showmanship.  Nowhere was that more evident than in Roth’s first solo hit, a cover of the Beach Boys’s California Girls.

Even before the video begins, we know what’s in store for us:

Assuming the opening quote hasn’t scared you off, the video proper begins somewhere in California, with a campy Twilight Zone-style narrator introducing us to a tour group of strange-looking tourists and Jane Leeves.  (Nine years after this video, Leeves would be better known for playing Daphne Moon on Frasier.)

Fortunately, the world’s best tour guide is there to show them what California’s all about!

But first, Diamond Dave makes them all walk through a cemetery for some reason.

Of course, Diamond Dave loves the East Coast Girls.  The Yo Mamma graffiti is a nice touch.

And Diamond Dave loves the Southern Girls, with the way they talk and hang their Confederate flags.

He also likes the Midwest Girls and, apparently, corn.

And don’t forget Northern Girls, with the way they kiss in the snow.

But you know what Dave really likes?

California Girls!

Jane Leeves is amazed!

The bodybuilder here is played by Kay Baxter, who was Dave’s personal trainer at the time.

The screenshot below is not only the epitome of Diamond Dave but also a good example of why he and Van Halen have always had such an uneasy working relationship.  Eddie Van Halen could probably perform a technically perfect version of California Girls (or any other Beach Boys song) but he could never pull off an orange suit and a bowtie.

The video’s most famous (and most often parodied) moment comes when Dave dances down a runway of bikini-clad models, who are all standing still and posed like mannequins.  It may be ridiculous put it’s also the epitome of David Lee Roth.

California Girls was one of Roth’s biggest solo hits and, much like him, it epitomizes an era.  Roth would later rejoin and leave Van Halen several more times before finally joining again in 2007.  When last checked, Roth was still a member and he probably still loves California girls.

 

Music Video of the Day: Cars by Gary Numan (1979, directed by Derek Burbidge)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

One of the first great hits of the new wave era, Gary Numan’s Cars was inspired by an incident of road rage.  As Numan explained in an interview

  “I was in traffic in London once and had a problem with some people in front. They tried to beat me up and get me out of the car. I locked the doors and eventually drove up on the pavement and got away from them. It’s kind of to do with that. It explains how you can feel safe inside a car in the modern world… When you’re in it, your whole mentality is different… It’s like your own little personal empire with four wheels on.”

From this humble beginning came the song that not only became synonymous with post-punk new wave music but which also inspired an untold number of teenagers to switch from learning how to play the drums to wanting a keyboard for Christmas.  Cars may have been about something as modern as road rage but its futuristic sound and video made it a science fiction anthem.

(Sorry, you’re probably going to have to go to YouTube to actually watch this video.)

Cars starts with what I like to call a Doctor Who shot.

Anyone who has ever seen classic Doctor Who or really any science fiction movie from the late 70s knows how important neon was to decorating any villain’s intergalactic lair.  When Gary Numan approaches the microphone, he could easily be mistaken for a militaristic alien who had made the mistake of falling under the influence of the Master.

Once Numan starts to perform, it becomes more obvious that he was more inspired by David Bowie than Doctor Who:

The video features several close-ups of Numan’s tambourine.  The effect may seem cheesy now but in 1979, it undoubtedly blew a lot of minds.

Of course, no new wave video would be complete without some synthesizer action.

Cars became an unexpected hit and remains popular today.  Anyone who has played Grand Theft Auto: Vice City knows the pleasure of fleeing the police while listening to Cars on Wave 103.

Music Video of the Day: You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon (1986, directed by Gary Weis)

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How did Chevy Chase come to star in a music video?

It all started with a case of mistaken identity.  Paul Simon and his then-wife were at a party where they met French composer, Pierre Boulez.  Boulez was not sure who Simon was and repeatedly called him “Al.”  At the same time, Simon was suffering from a mid-life crisis that would not be resolved until Simon visited South Africa.   Simon brought the two incident together when he wrote You Can Call Me Al, the lead single off of his 1986 album, Graceland.

As for the video, it was the brainchild of Lorne Michaels.  Michaels, of course, is best known for producing Saturday Night Live and it was his idea to combine the tall and extroverted Chevy Chase with Paul Simon, who was neither of those things.

Lorne Michaels and Chevy Chase have had a long history together.  Michaels originally hired Chase for SNL and was instrumental in Chase’s early success.  Chase reacted to his sudden success by leaving SNL after its first season and subsequently trashing the show in interviews.  When Chase first returned to host SNL, he got into a fist fight with his successor, Bill Murray.  Chase’s subsequent appearances on the show have become legendary for Chase’s obnoxious and absuive behind-the-scenes behavior.  (In 1986, for example, Chase suggested a sketch in which openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney would announce that he had AIDS and then be regularly weighed throughout episode.)  Eventually, Chase managed to become the first former cast member to be banned from appearing on the show.

Paul Simon, though, is still welcome anywhere he goes.

 

Music Video of the Day: I Wanna Sex You Up by Color Me Badd (1991, directed by ????)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

For today’s music video of the day, we have the song that was ranked #40 on Blender’s list of the 50 Worst Songs Ever.  From Color Me Badd (which I guess earned that extra d by being extra bad), here’s I Wanna Sex You Up.

Let’s break it down.

0:01 — “To the tick tock ya don’t stop” is sampled from La Di Da Di by Doug E. Fresh.

0:03 — Now, we meet the band, who appear to be Kenny G and his roadies.

0:15 — Kenny G and the boys, out for a stroll.

0:22 — “Yes, I will watch my video cassettes.”  Are we watching Swedish porn now?

0:32 — This song was released in 1991, coming at the tail end of late 80s pop but before the start of the grunge revolution.

0:41 — “We’re dancing and we’re spinning!  And now, we’re spinning and we’re dancing!”

0:47 — When listening to the vocals, take a moment to consider that this song came out the same year as Smells Like Teen Spirit and you’ll understand why Nirvana saved the music industry from itself.

0:55 — Kenny G. proves the chivalry is not dead.

1:09 — “Did I ever tell you guys my limo story?”

1:32 — 1991 was also the year that Anita Hill accused her former boss, Clarence Thomas, of sexual harassment.

1:39 — “Are you guys sure you don’t want to hear my limo story?”

1:47 — Kenny G’s trapped in an elevator!

2:16 — The community college art show is always the perfect place to pick up chicks.

2:20 — Meanwhile, Kenny G is still trapped in the elevator.

2:31 — “Doesn’t anyone want to hear about my limo ride?  Anyone?”

2:42 — Where’s your sax now, Kenny?

2:54 — She secretly taped them!?  Where are they, Russia!?

2:58 — She’s not the most discreet voyeur.

3:08 — “Come on, guys!  Just like we practiced!”

3:12 — Kenny G doesn’t need his sax to make beautiful music.

3:17 — Vladimer will be pleased.

3:28 — Woo ew ooo ew!

3:48 — “Nirvana?  What’s that?”

Music Video of the Day: Respect Yourself by Bruce Willis (1987, directed by ????)

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Bruce Willis, R&B star?

It nearly happened!

Well, actually, it didn’t come close to happening but it wasn’t for lack of trying.  In 1987, when Willis was still best known for co-starring on Moonlighting, Motown records released The Return of Bruno, an album that featured Willis and a host of well-respected musicians performing 10 R&B classics.

The Return of Bruno is actually a concept album, with Willis taking on the role of Bruno Radolini, a legendary soul singer who influenced everyone from Elton John to The Bee Gees.  The Return of Bruno peaked at number 14 on the US Billboard 2000 chart and was later named the 4th worst album ever recorded by Q Magazine.  It has since become a collector’s item.  (My father owns a copy!)   Willis performed the songs in his own style, which means that despite the presence of Booker T. Jones, The Pointer Sisters, and The Temptations performing backing vocals, this is still the smirkiest R&B album of all time.  The best way to describe it would be to say that it sounds like John McClane performing karaoke.

There’s an idea!  Die Hard 6: Sing For Your Life.

Heard you the first time, Bruce!

The biggest hit to come off the album was a cover of Respect Yourself, a duet with June Pointer that featured backing vocals from the other Pointer Sisters.  The music video for Respect Yourself plays to what was then considered to be Bruce’s main strengths as an actor: blue collar cockiness and a refusal to let something like a lack of any real musical talent hold him back.

Two years after The Return of Bruno, Willis released one final album, another collection of R&B covers called If It Don’t Kill You, It Just Makes Your Stronger.  Considering Willis went from The Return of Bruno to starring in Die Hard, it was an appropriate title.

Music Video of the Day: Numb by U2 (1993, directed by Kevin Godley)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

For today’s music video of the day, we break down the video that the New Musical Express named as being the 16th worst video of all time.  Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to get … Numb!

0:06 — Drip drip drip.  Someone’s in for an unpleasant shock when they get the water bill.

0:30 — Numb is one of the few U2 songs to feature lead vocals from The Edge.  The Edge’s real name is David Howell Evans.

0:35 — That’s U2’s bassist, Adam Clayton, blowing smoke in the Edge’s face.  Clayton is the only member of U2 not to sing on this track but he still plays an important role in the video, as we’ll soon see.

0:50 — Who doesn’t love a good massage?

1:00 — The Edge is learning that singing lead has its advantages.

1:17 — “You’re not Bono!”

1:23 — Holding the rope in the background is, once again, Adam Clayton.

1:45 — As Clayton ties up The Edge, drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. makes an appearance.  It was actually Mullen’s idea to start the band that would eventually become U2.

1:53 — However, Mullen has obviously been overshadowed by Bono.

2:11 — Oh no, they killed the Edge!

2:13 — Hello?

2:15 — Is anyone there?

2:20 — With the Edge apparently dead, now seems like a good time to tell you that Numb was the first single released off of U2’s 1993 album Zooropa, which many consider to be the moment that U2 went from being an energetic group of rockers to the most pretentious band on the planet.  Numb, like the rest of the album, is about sensory overload.

2:23 — Numb was originally recorded for Achtung Baby and was called Down All The Days.  No one in the band liked the song but they still reworked it for Zooropa.

2:27 — Edge, can you hear me?

2:33 — Larry Mullen, Jr. is the new Edge.

2:41 — Adam considers tying Larry up but realizes that he wasted all of his rope on The Edge.

3:00 — The Edge lives!

3:18 — But with those feet in his face, The Edge might wish that he was dead.

3:36 — The Edge catches the bouquet.

3:51 — That is Morleigh Steinberg dancing in front of the Edge.  Nine years after the release of this video, the Edge and Steinberg got married.

4:12 — Just the fact that the fans are using cameras instead of phones proves this video was made in the early 90s.

4:17 — “Excuse me, Mr. Edge, but we have a wedding party coming in so if you and your friends could please vacate the room…”

4:25 — The Edge ain’t going nowhere.

Numb was originally release as a video single, so if you wanted to listen to it outside of Zoorupa, you had to buy it on VHS.  Also included on the tape was a video for Love is Blindness.

Music Video of the Day: Outside by Aaron Lewis featuring Fred Durst (2000, directed by ????)

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Today’s music video of the day comes from the era when it was believed that all good music had to be depressing as hell.  I can still remember those days back in 2000, driving around Baltimore with my friends.  Whenever this song came on the radio, everyone would fall silent and listen to every single lyric.  They were deep, man.  And we were deep because we could appreciate them.

The majority of this video was filmed in Biloxi, Mississippi during the 1999 Family Values Tour.  When Staind’s Aaron Lewis took the stage to perform a solo, he decided to play a song that he was still in the process of writing.  That song was Outside and Lewis finished the lyrics while performing them.

So, what is Fred Durst doing there?  It’s easy to forget what a big deal Durst and Limp Bizkit were back in the day.  In 1999, along with helping to destroy Woodstock ’99, Limp Bizkit headlined the Family Values tour.  When Outside first started to get radio airplay, it was often promoted as being a Fred Durst song, despite the fact that Durst contributed little beyond “This is the real motherfucking deal, y’all,” and “I’m feeling those lighters.”  As easy as it is to disparage Durst’s contributions, his presence in the video undoubtedly helped it to achieve frequent play on MTV2.

A studio version of Outside was later included on Staind’s second album, Break the Cycle.

Weekly Trailer Round-Up: Glass, Aquaman, Shazam, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gridenwald, Patient Zero, I Still See You, Second Act, On The Basis of Sex, The Walking Dead

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

First, in 2000, there was Unbreakable.  Then, 16 years later, there was Split.  This January, M. Night Shyamalan brings us the third part of his Eastrail 177 trilogy, Glass.  The first trailer for Glass was dropped at SDCC this weekend and it leads off this week’s trailer round-up.

Also dropping at SDCC was the first trailer for Aquaman.  The DC hero that everyone loves to ridicule is finally get a movie of his very own.  The trailer hints at the origins of Arthur Curry, features the expected underwater action, and features enough ironic line readings that it could almost pass for the latest entry in the MCU.

If Glass and Aquaman are not heroic enough for you, there is always Shazam.  Back in the 1940s, Shazam was known as Captain Marvel and his adventures were published by Fawcett.  Claiming that Captain Marvel was clear rip-off of Superman, DC attempted to sue Fawcett out of business and then purchased the character, renaming him Shazam.  Now, Shazam is coming to theaters.  Shazam’s appeal has always been retro so, naturally, the trailer is full of references to Game of Thrones and self-reflexive humor.

Following the 2014 Godzilla reboot and Kong: Skull Island, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is the third chapter in Legendary’s Monsterverse.  This one will see Godzilla meeting Mothra, Rodan, and King Ghidorah.  Godzilla: King of the Monsters will be released on May 31st, 2019.

Also released at SDCC was the latest trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Gridenwald.  Fantastic Beasts will be released on November 16th.

In Patient Zero, Matt Smith and Natalie Dormer try to find a cure for a virus that is transforming humanity into zombies.  The film is scheduled to be released through video-on-demand on 14 August 2018, before a limited theatrical release on 14 September 2018.

I Still See You is the latest B-movie to feature Bella Thorne getting stalked.  Will you see I Still See You when it’s released on October 12th?

In the upcoming comedy, Second Act, Jennifer Lopez plays an ambitious woman who is mistaken for a high-level business consultant.  With a plot like that, Second Act sounds like it could be the funniest film of 2004.  Second Act will be released on November 21st, 2018.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg has already been the subject of one of the year’s most successful documentaries.  She gets the biopic treatment with On The Basis of Sex.  Felicity Jones plays Ginsburg while Mimi Leder returns from her cinematic exile to handle directing duties.  On The Basis of Sex will be released on December 25th.

Finally, the trailer for the 9th season of The Walking Dead dropped at SDCC and promised a new world with new rules.  Season 9 premieres on October 7th.

 

Music Video of the Day: Don’t Mean Nothin’ by Richard Marx (1988, directed by Dominic Sena)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

Today’s music video of the day is Richard Marx’s Don’t Mean Nothin’.  This video was directed by Dominic Sena, who later directed films like Kalifornia, Gone in 60 Seconds, and Swordfish.  Let’s break it down and see if this video really don’t mean nothin’.

0:03 — I’m not sure but I think we may be in Hollywood.

0:04 — These scenes of Los Angeles street life will be familiar to anyone who has ever seen a movie about a small town girl moving to the big city to pursue her dreams.

0:18 — Welcome to Shangri-La!

0:26 — Cynthia Rhodes plays the small town girl.  You may recognize her from Flashdance, Staying Alive, and Dirty Dancing.  At the time this video was shot, she was dating Richard Marx.  She would marry him a year later.  They divorced in 2014.

0:38 — The sleazy apartment manager is played by the one and only G.W. Bailey.  Bailey has been in a ton of television shows and movies.  If you don’t know him from M*A*S*H, you probably know him from the Police Academy films.

0:48 — Cynthia knows what ol’ G.W. was doing back there.

0:55 — Richard Marx’s father was in advertising and Richard Marx started his singing career when he was five years old and he performed a jingle that his father had written.  When Marx was 17, he moved to Los Angeles.  This song was based on his experiences.

1:14 — Cynthia’s barely been in Hollywood for a week and she’s already got an audition!  That’s better that most small town girls do in the big city.

1:38 — Another great moment from G.W. Bailey.

1:53 — Cynthia is shocked! to discover what goes on in Hollywood.

2:09 — Richard says, “Drink up and enjoy the show!”  Cynthia is not amused.

2:24 — More Hollywood stock footage.

2:44 — That’s Joe Walsh of the Eagles on guitar.

2:59 — Proof that this video was made in 1988: Richard hands over a cassette of his music.

3:24 — Disgusted to see that Cynthia’s become either a maid or a waitress, Richard stops the music and throws away his future.

3:27 — There’s a lot of hockey hair in this video.

3:38 — Ol’ G.W.’s in trouble now.

3:42 — Are they taking pictures of G.W. getting beaten up?  Or does G.W. own a strobe light?

4:08 — Cynthia finally feels comfortable enough to wear an ugly sweater in L.A. and Richard has switched to decaf.

4:20 — A new small town girl arrives.  Cynthia tells her where she can find Ol’ G.W.

4:24 — Cynthia and Richard shares a smile and a private laugh as the new girl naively plunges into the moral abyss that is Hollywood.

4:32 — Don’t worry.  It don’t mean nothin’ at all.

Weekly Trailer Round-Up: Mary Queen of Scots, Colette, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, The Favourite, Goosebumps 2, A Simple Favor, The Extinction, The Package, Life Itself, Along Came The Devil, Little Italy, Unfriended: Dark Web, Wonder Park, Castle Rock

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

It’s time for the weekly trailer round-up!  We’ve got fourteen today so let’s get down to business:

First off, we have the trailer for one of the most anticipated films of the year: Mary, Queen of Scots.  This movie brings together two of last year’s nominees for best actress, with Saoirse Ronan playing the title character and Margot Robbie playing Queen Elizabeth I.  It is set to be released in December for Oscar consideration.

Also getting early Oscar buzz is Keira Knightley for her performance in Colette.  Colette premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year and will be released on September 21st.

Another film that generated buzz at Sundance was The Miseducation of Cameron Post, which stars Chloe Grace Moretz as a teenage girl forced into gay conversation therapy.  The Miseducation of Cameron Post will be released into theaters on August 3rd.

Following the arthouse success of The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos returns with The Favourite.  Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone play cousins who compete to be the favorite of Queen Anne.  The Favourite will be released on November 23rd.

The books and the monsters are back but Jack Black is nowhere to be seen in the trailer for Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween.  This film will be released on October 12th.

When Blake Lively disappears, her new best friend, Anna Kendrick, teams up with Lively’s husband to find her.  Directed by Paul Feig of Ghostbusters and Bridesmaids fame, A Simple Favor will be released on September 14th.

Everyone’s favorite sidekick, Michael Pena, finally gets the leading role in The Extinction, a sci-fi thriller that will be premiering on Netflix on July 27th.

Also coming to Netflix is The Package, a teen comedy from the creators of Workaholics.  The Package will be delivered on August 10th.

The second film to be directed by This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman, Life Itself will be released on September 21st.

According to this trailer, Along Came The Devil is “an exorcism film for a new generation.”  This film will be released on August 10th.

Have you ever wondered what happened to Danny Aiello?  He’s in Little Italy, with Emma Roberts and Hayden Christensen.  Little Italy will be released in August.

The internet is still the most dangerous place on Earth in the second trailer for Unfriended: Dark Web.  See for yourself on July 20th.

After a long and troubled production that saw original director Dylan Brown fired for “inappropriate conduct,” the animated film Wonder Park will finally be released on March 15th, 2019.

Finally, here is the long-awaited official trailer for Castle Rock, the new Hulu series from J.J. Abrams and Stephen King.  Castle Rock premieres on July 25th.