Music Video of the Day: Close (to the Edit) by Art of Noise (1985, dir by Zbigniew Rybczyński)

Posted on March 16, 2024 by Lisa Marie Bowman

This video was directed by the man who edited the controversial 1983 film, Angst. This video was also controversial and was banned in New Zealand for being too violent. Compared to what I see whenever I scroll through my twitter timeline, this video seems incredibly tame (albeit entertaining) today.

Myself, I would never order anyone to destroy a musical instrument. Well, I guess I would if it was like a harmonica or something. Don’t get me started on harmonicas. Unless you’re Charles Bronson in Once Upon A Time In The West, stay away from the harmonica. I’m looking at you, Tim Kaine.

Enjoy!

Music Video of the Day: Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots of Money) by Pet Shop Boys (1985, directed by Zbigniew Rybczyński)

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Jedadiah Leland

Yesterday, I shared the first video for Opportunities.

Today. I’m sharing the second version. The second version was released after the song itself was remixed and re-recorded. This is the version that subsequently became a hit for the Pet Shop Boys. This is the version that is currently being unironically used by Allstate in their commercials.

(As much as I complain about this song being used by Allstate, it did lead to both Opportunities and West End Girls reentering the charts.)

The director of this video is the Polish artist and filmmaker, Zbigniew Rybczyński. Before directing this video, he won the 1982 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for Tango.

Enjoy!