This song was considered to be very racy for its time (“safe sex!”) and, while the music video was a big hit on MTV, it was actually banned from British television. An official reason for the ban was never announced, though it was speculated that the disembodied limbs were considered to be too disturbing for younger viewers.
According to the band, this video was actually meant to be a joke take on all of the over-sexualized music videos of the time.
Enjoy!
Though Accidents Will Happen has since come to be seen as one of Elvis Costello’s signature songs, it was only a moderate hit when it was initially released in the UK. Maybe it would have been more popular if MTV had been around in 1979. The music video was innovative at a time when most videos were just performance clips of the bands in concert.
The video for Accidents Will Happen is considered to be the first fully animated music video. The video was directed by Annabel Jankel and Rocky Morton, who also did videos for Rush and Cathy Denis. Jankel and Morton would later go on to create Max Headroom and to direct the infamous first Super Mario Bros. film.
Enjoy!
Yesterday, I shared the first music video for Madness’s first single, The Prince, which was just the band performing the song on Top of the Pops in 1979. That video didn’t have Madness’s signature nuttiness so, over 40 years later, the band released a new, official video for the song.
This video is made up for footage that was taken from 1981 Madness film, Take It or Leave It and it features the band in the studio, on stage, and generally having a good time. The film was directed by Dave Robinson, who was the president of Stiff Records and who directed all of Madness’s early music videos.
Enjoy!
A series of murders have occurred at Harrison State Prison in California. What better way to investigate the crimes and catch the guilty than to send in an undercover cop? Who can enter a California prison and investigate the crime without drawing too much attention to himself? It would have to be someone who could blend in with the population without seeming out of place.
How about Jean-Claude Van Damme?
Van Damme, in one of his early films, stars as Louis Burke, a Canadian with a Belgian accent who comes to Los Angeles to track down a serial killer known as the Sandman (Patrick Kilpatrick, who was last seen running for governor of California in 2021) and then just sticks around. Burke enters the prison and somehow, he is not immediately tagged as being a B-movie star who is working for the police. I guess California prisons are full of Belgian kickboxers.
A realistic portrait of prison and police work, this is not. But it is Van Damme at his most berserk, flexing his muscles and shouting at his enemies and getting hit in the head by a flying wrench at one point. To the surprise of no one, the Sandman eventually ends up in the prison with Burke and it leads to an epic showdown that takes place in the middle of a prison riot. The fight is exciting because Van Damme and Kilpatrick were two tough actors who, at that point in their careers, had nothing to lose by going all out on screen.
(Of the three major B-action stars of the 90s, Dolph Lundgren was the one you watched because he could actually act. Steven Seagal was the one you watched because you hoped someone would beat him up. Jean-Claude Van Damme was the one you watched because he could actually do everything he did in the movies in real life as well.)
There are many good actors to be found in Death Warrant, playing paper-thin characters. Robert Guillaume is the one-eyed clerk who takes Burke under his wing. Larry Hankin is the biggest weasel in the prison. Art LaFleuer is the prison guard from Hell. George Dickerson is the obviously corrupt official. Abdul Salaam El-Razzac is the voodoo priest who watches over the prison. Cynthia Gibb is the attorney who pays Burke a conjugal visit. It’s good to see them all.
Death Warrant is a dumb and entertaining B-movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s not Van Damme’s best but it’s not his worst either. It’s Damme fun.
Our first music video of the day for 2024 is also the first video to be released for Madness’s first single, The Prince. This song was a tribute to Jamaican ska performer Prince Buster and it was a big enough hit that it led to Madness signing with Stiff Records and releasing a cover of Prince Buster as their second single, One Step Beyond.
(The band’s name was even taken from a Prince Buster song.)
Though the band did not have the resources to shoot an official video for the song, they did perform the song on Top of the Pops and they thought enough of how it was filmed that they subsequently purchased the rights to the performance. The performance was often used as a promo for the band, making it technically Madness’s first music video.
Enjoy!
Happy Festivus!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Monday is Christmas. But today is a Festivus for the Rest of Us! How will you celebrate Festivus? Will you air your grievances or participate in the feats of strength? Festivus may not be for everyone but, for some of us, it’s our heritage.
If you need a reminder about what Festivus is all about, allow Frank Costanza to explain:
Here’s wishing you a merry little festivus!
Happy Thanksgiving!
It’s been 45 years since this first aired but some moments just defy time and achieve immortality. Happy Thanksgiving!
Consider today’s music video of the day to be a reminder that Tesla did more than just that cover of Signs. The lyrics may say that it doesn’t matter what you call the music but Tesla’s performing in front of an American flag and that’s good enough for me.
Enjoy!
This is one of the many new Metallica videos that were released this year. This song appears on their 11th studio album, 72 Seasons.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens