Shockingly enough, this song and video was actually considered to be controversial in 1994. Today, we just wish that Tom Petty was still here to roll another joint.
This video was directed by Phil Joanu, who directed several videos for both Tom Petty and U2. He also directed films like State of Grace and Gridiron Gang.
Enjoy!
Harry Shearer narrates the story of Leslie Edwards (Matthew Perry) and Bathowlemew Hunt (Chris Farley), the leaders of an expedition that competed with the more famous Lewis & Clark expedition to see who could first to reach the Pacific Ocean. Edwards is foppish and naive. Hunt is illiterate and loud. Included in their expediton is French pirate Fontenot (Eugene Levy) and Fontenot’s Indian wife, Shaquinna (Lisa Barbuscia). The journey leads the expidition to multiple whorehouses, an angry Eagle, and a group of arrogant conquistadors led by Hidalgo (Kevin Dunn). Edwards tries to teach Hunt how to read but Hunt gives up after learning “A.” Hunt, however, gets a chance to not only prove his worth but also to get a haircut from a taxidermist.
Given the talent involved, it’s too bad that this is neither a good comedy nor a good movie. Christopher Guest directs with none of the wit that had made his improvised films so memorable. Apparently, the film was originally envisioned as being an ensemble piece but, once filming began, the studio insisted on just focusing on Farley and, to a lesser extent, Perry. This was also Farley’s last leading role, with the film itself being released several months after his death. Today, if the film is remembered for anything, it’s for featuring two comedic actors who struggled with similar demons and who both died too young. Unfortunately, neither Farley nor Perry are really at their best in this film. Farley yells but with little of the energy that made Tommy Boy a hit. Matthew Perry resorts to playing Chandler Bing in the 1700s. For that matter, this film also features what may be Eugene Levy’s worst performance. It’s a disappointing effort all around. (Would the film have worked better with Farley’s usual foil, David Spade, in the role of Edwards? Probably not. I don’t think any combination of actors could have saved the script.)
What is unfotunate is that the premise had promise. The early years of the United States was full of eccentric characters, quite a few of which were involved in exploring the still-largely uknown continet. Christopher Guest really does seem like he should have been the ideal director for a project liket this but instead, Almost Heroes is overly broad and features its two leading actors giving performanes that fill more appropriate for a sitcom than a motion picture. Almost Heroes was a misfire all the way around.
It’s Canada Day so let’s give our neighbors up north a shout-out by featuring Rush.
To quote Neil Peart, this song “seems to encapsulate everything that we want Rush to represent.” The song is about dealing with the hypocrisy and finding your own truth, away from the demands of the establishment and the so-called “kings” who think that it is their place to tell others how to live their lives and what to believe.
Both the song and the music video are filled with imagery that harkens back to the Middle Ages, a reminder that hypocrites have always been there and they always will be but that the people will always find a way to be free.
Enjoy!
With this music video, ZZ Top show that they were about more than just legs and fast cars. This video and song sees the band putting their own spin on the blues.
Director Tim Newman directed most of ZZ Top’s best-known videos. He also worked with Lou Reed, Huey Lewis & The News, and a several other bands of the 80s.
Enjoy!
Earlier today, I was searching for an old Johnny Mack Brown Western called Fronteir Agent. I found a video on YouTube that claimed to be an upload of Frontier Agent but, when I started watching it, I discovered that the movie, while a western, was definitely not a Johnny Mack Brown programmer. Instead, it was a movie called Relentless and it was about as different from Johnny Mack Brown’s cheery B-westerns as you could get.
Robert Young plays Nick Buckley, a drifter who is more comfortable riding the range than spending time with “civilzation.” He rides into town on a rainy night, looking for shelter for him both him and his pregnant mare. At the local saloon, two prospectors invite him to stay at their cabin for the night. Another man, Tex (Barton MacLane), suggests that Nick and his mare should instead stay in Tex’s stables. Tex isn’t just being altruistic. He and Jim (Frank Fenton) murder the prospectors at their cabin and steal their map to a gold mine. Tex then kills Jim and frames Nick for all three of the murders. The entire town wants to either hang Nick or turn him in for the reward or force him to draw the map that they think he killed the prospectors for. Only the owner of the traveling general store, Luella (Marguerite Chapman), believes Nick when he says that he’s been framed.
Dark and moody, Relentless is almost as much of a film noir as a western. At first, Robert Young seems like a strange choice to play a drifter but he actually does a good job of showing how Nick is someone who has spent so much time on the frontier that he’s not really sure how to deal with civilization. One reason that Tex is able to frame Nick is because Nick is a stranger. He has no history and, at first, his main concerns seems to be taking care of his mare and her foal. Nick was unlucky enough to ride into town at the wrong time and soon, he’s worth more dead than alive. Nick’s quest to both clear his name and get revenge becomes an obsession (you might even call it relentless) and it takes him from the town to a barren desert.
One thing that sets this western apart from so many others is the relationship between Nick and Louella. Louella is also a loner but, as a store owner, she’s accepted by the town in a way that Nick is not. Louella and Nick come across as two mature people who have been hardened by life in the old west but who still haven’t surrendered their morals to greed like so many other characters in the movie.
Relentless is a superior western, featuring good acting and interesting characters. I may never find Frontier Agent but I’m glad I found Relentless.
Paradise City seems to be the Guns N’ Roses song that’s liked even by people who don’t like Guns N’ Roses.
Paradise City is a good song and a good video. The video keeps things effectively simple, with clips of the band performing the song at Giants Stadium mixed in with behind-the-scenes footage of the band. All of the members of the band look like they’re getting along and, at no point, do Slash and Axl look like they’re about to come to blows. It’s a look at Guns N’ Roses that definitely goes against their later reputation for intraband strife.
This is what I like to call a “They sure can play” video because the emphasis is on the band as professional musicians who know what they’re doing and who aren’t just spending all of their time doing drugs and entertaining groupies. I’m usually not a fan of these type of videos because they often feel phony but it works for Guns ‘N Roses because they really could play.
Enjoy!
It doesn’t get more 80s than Huey Lewis and The News. In this video, we discover that even Huey sometimes feels out of place. The woman who catches Huey’s eye is played by actress Signy Coleman.
Director David Rathod also did the video for I Want A New Drug.
Enjoy!
Jason Newsted and his then-band rock out in this video and remind us all of what metal is supposed to be. Newsted has said that this song is about fighting for what you want and for what you believe and that’s something that Newsted has done over the course of his entire career.
Director Leon Melas has also done music videos for Rick Monroe, David Also, Chantel, and others.
Enjoy!
Journey was never a band that needed anything fancy when it came to music videos. (That was one thing that their video for Separate Ways proved.) All they had to do was perform like they do in this video.
Enjoy!
The lead singer of Pretty Boy Floyd wants to be with you, even if it means calling in the middle of a performance. This video is shot in black-and-white so you know it’s artistic.
Pretty Boy Floyd may not have been the most aggressive of the hair metal bands but they could still probably beat up Winger.
Enjoy!
Through the Shattered Lens 