Today’s music video of the day comes to use from Austin’s own Gary Clark, Jr.
The video for What About Us? takes place in and around a trailer park and it really does capture the feel of the place. Now, before anyone asks, I’ve never lived in a trailer park but I’ve visited more than a few. Trailer parks are often both ominous and hopeful at the same time. While you definitely see some people who have fallen on hard times, you also see a lot of acts of small kindness. There’s a community spirit to a good trailer park. When you’re on the outskirts of “acceptable” society, it’s always good to have people who you can depend upon.
This video was directed by Savannah Leaf, who also did the video for Clark’s This Land. The gorgeous black-and-white cinematography is credited to Isaac Bauman. Bauman has served as director of photography on several music videos. He’s got 66 credits listed at the Imvdb, including Avicii’s Broken Arrow.
Who is getting killed and who is doing the killing?
The video kinda starts out like a typical Friday the 13th-influenced slasher film so I’m sure that would lead many to suspect that Jason Voorhees or some other immortal backwoods zombie is lurking around in the shadows, carrying a machete.
I think it’s just as possible that the video could be an homage to a 70s redneck rampage movie. So, maybe the threat is coming from a toothless mountain mnn. I will say, however, the real-life toothless mountain men are always a lot nicer than they’re portrayed in the movies. Or at least, they are if they’re the type of mountain men who grow weed instead of cooking meth.
Or maybe it’s the dog. I’m tempted to blame the dog but that’s just because I have a long-standing fear of dogs. Way back when I was like ten, my family went to a lake and there was this big dog that showed up out of nowhere and followed us around everywhere and acted really friendly. But then, suddenly, it stopped, took one look at me, and started to growl. My mom told me not to move while my uncle tried to calm it down. Of course, telling a terrified ten year-old not to move almost always has the opposite effect and, before I knew it, the dog was charging right at me. Anyway, I kinda blacked out at that point so I’m not sure what exactly happened next. Apparently, my uncle was able to hold the dog off until its owners finally showed up and retrieved it. For years afterwards, I was absolutely terrified of dogs but now I’ve reached the point where they only make me nervous.
(It’s sad because, deep down, I really want to like dogs, if just because they make me feel so guilty if I don’t act happy to see them.)
Anyway, regardless of who is or is not getting killed or doing the killing in this video, this is still another wonderfully hypnotic mood piece from Chromatics and this atmospheric video is the perfect companion piece,
“Oh my God, Adi Ulmansky stole that kid’s skateboard!”
Good for her! That kid didn’t look like he really appreciated his skateboard and she let him keep his ice cream cone so what’s he crying about?
“OH MY GOD! ADI ULMANSKY HAS GOT A CHAINSAW!”
And again, good for her! Sometimes, you need a chainsaw to get through this crazy world of ours. My Heart was included on Adi’s Shit Just Got Real mixtape and you know what? Sometimes, when shit gets real, you need a chainsaw!
As I’ve mentioned many times in the past, my BFF Evelyn and I absolutely love Adi Ulmansky and this video shows why. She doesn’t let anything get in her way and if she cuts her finger, she just uses the blood for decoration. All of us should be so strong.
Add to that, the black cat in this video reminds me of Doc.
Today’s music video of the day is dedicated to everyone who will be going home with an Oscar later today.
I like this song. Whether it’s a Kia commercial or a David O. Russell film, this song provides the perfect score for just about anything. This is a song that inspires you to walk into a room and take over. It’s a song that inspires you to never settle for getting stuck in a traffic. This is a song that makes you want to move and the video captures that feeling perfectly.
I assume the video is a player on the Little Red Riding Hood story. I like the cartoon skeletons.
If this video inspires you to have a Twin Peaks flashback, do not be concerned. You’re not alone. I had the exact same reaction.
During Twin Peaks: The Return, Chromatics made three appearances as the band playing at the roadhouse and their dream-like music fit in perfectly with David Lynch’s enigmatic portrait of America in the 21st Century. Lynch also directed several videos for the Chromatics, though he didn’t direct this one. This video is credited to the band itself. Still, watching and listening, you can definitely see why Lynch was inspired to include this band in his masterwork.
I don’t know. A part of me feels like I should have held off on this video until October rolled around. It definitely has a sort of nightmarish quality to it. But, as I watched the video, I realized that it was basically almost exactly like a dream that I had a few nights ago so I took that a sign and I decided to go ahead and share it.
Basically, there’s some really messed up stuff going on in that house. And really, this is why you need to keep an eye on trees, vines, and outdoor graves. Because if you’re not careful, that stuff going to start invading your home and then you’ll never get rid of it all.
Has someone been murdered in the house? Possibly. Then again, you could probably say that about every house in America. In fact, there could be a ghost sneaking up on you right now. Who knows, right?
Ennui is actually one of my favorite words and not a day passes that I don’t find an excuse to use it. For instance, a few days ago, I was stuck in traffic in downtown Dallas and I happened to notice that there was a pigeon sitting on a guard rail and it looked like it was wondering whether it should jump into traffic or if it should just continue to exist and contemplate life. So, I rolled down my window and I looked straight at that pigeon and I called out, “ENNUI!”
The pigeon looked back at me.
We had an understanding.
Anyway, this video seems like it’s full of ennui. To be honest, there’s no way to escape that feeling whenever you’re the only person standing near a swimming pool. As I watched this video, I thought about that scene in The Graduate where William Daniels forces Dustin Hoffman to sit at the bottom of the pool. I also thought about the Burt Lancaster film, The Swimmer, in which Burt attempted to swim home by going through all of the neighborhood pools. And, of course, there was Todd Field’s Little Children, where Kate Winslet spent the whole movie hanging out at the neighborhood pool.
Julia Jacklin has got a talent for these ennui-drenched videos.
As far as cover versions of classic songs go, this one is pretty good. It’s certainly better than that overwrought version of Blowing in the Wind that they’re currently using in the WGU commercials. This is a pretty simple music video but I think that visual simplicity nicely compliments the arrangement of this version of Bizarre Love Triangle.
So, instead of rambling too much, I’m going to wish you a good Wednesday and invite you to ….. enjoy!
The year was 2000 and Lou Pearlman, the super creepy music producer who would later die in prison, was putting together a boy band called O-Town. Because it was also the early days of reality TV, Pearlman was also producing a show called Making the Band, so that viewers could follow as Pearlman auditioned and selected the members of his new band.
In the end Pearlman selected five young men to be the members of the O-Town. He announced that not only would they be stars but that he would also pretty much control every aspect of their lives and music. Four members of the band were okay with that. Ikaika Kahoano was not. Declaring both Pearlman and O-Town to be “wack,” Kahoano left O-Town and instead, got together with two other musicians who auditioned for a spot with the boy band, Bryan Chan and Mike Miller. They were signed by Atlantic Records, who promptly held a contest in the pages of Teen People to select a name for the new band. The winner? LMNT (as in Element).
Now, since every boy band has to have at least four members, Matthew Morrison was recruited to serve as the fourth member of LMNT. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because he later went on to play Mr. Schuester on Glee. Morrison was apparently as miserable in LMNT as Kahoana was in O-Town because he left the band before they recorded their first album. Morrison was replaced by Jonas Persch.
With all the drama that went into forming the band, it can be easy to overlook their music. It was pretty much standard 2001 boy band stuff. In fact, there’s little distinguish LMNT from O-Town, except for the fact that LMNT didn’t have Lou Pearlman stalking around in the background. Instead, they had Disney. For instance, their song Hey Juliet first gained popularity when it was featured on an episode of Lizzie McGuire.
The video for Hey Juliet …. well, it’s all about doing laundry and having fantasies and, amazingly enough, there’s four members of the band and there’s four women in the laundromat so no one gets left out. If you had any doubt that this song was from 2001, the Matrix homage will erase them.
Through the Shattered Lens