My favorite r.e.m. videos
gabi-gabi ngayon ay pinapanood ko na naman ang mga music video ng r.e.m. nang paulit-ulit, parang ginagawa ko noong teenedyer pa ako. hindi ko alam kung bakit. sana ay mahanap ko na kung kanino ko pinahiram yung vhs ko ng "parallel". gusto ko sanang magsulat ng maiksing sanaysay tungkol sa "cinema of feeling" pero tinatamad na ako. basta, eto lang ang masasabi ko: minsan, napapalukso ang damdamin ko ng ISANG image lang, na gusto kong umiyak, at malapit na nga. may ganitong epekto sa akin ang mga bijo ng paborito kong banda, at oo ang bakla-bakla talaga, r.e.m.
music videos that "don't suck"
1. e-bow the letter
patti smith on the train, michael stipe sleeping in the airport, christmas lights in the studio. almost a documentary and definitely a poem, jem cohen's lovely low light study of a city in a half-awake state, capturing that feeling of passage and transit but also of stillness, has an emotional effect on me that i still can't explain after nearly ten years.
2. all the way to reno
documentarian michael moore shot r.e.m. goofing around one day in a new york city high school (it actually took two shooting days), and even employed some students to do camera work. aging rockstars in an ocean of youth, to the tune of "you know who you are." damn, if it ain't moving.
3. everybody hurts
it was my favorite for a long time. ripping off fellini and wenders, the central metaphor of a congested freeway traffic gives way to much brooding and pained expressions, moving from one melodramatic vignette to the next via subtitles, all of which adds up to one irresistibly overblown illustration of human grief and deliverance. what's not to love?
4. losing my religion
everybody's favorite. director tarsem borrows from caravaggio paintings, russian propaganda posters, and god knows what else, to create great nonsense. no, actually, it's supposed to be about a romantic obsession that drives a guy nuts. features crazy-ass flailing by michael stipe, which is my second favorite music video dance of all time, the first being david byrne's spastic convulsions in "once in a lifetime".
5. orange crush
another old favorite. a kid unearths a bullet, while a soldier is in torment -- all enveloped in matt mahurin's signature shadows. they say it's both anti-war and homoerotic.
6. man on the moon
innumerable superimpositions that simulate ancient projections, with andy kauffman footage and stipe as a traveling cowboy, who hitches on a truck, then enters a saloon where everybody mouths the lyrics to the song. poignant, and i don't even know why.
7. electrolite
i call it the freedom showcase: people on the street donning balls and chains; speedracing in the desert; band members shrinking and growing; among other expressions of what it means to be free. this video goes everywhere, and that's the point. it took only two directors to make it, not fifteen.
8. daysleeper
the technique is a killer: still frames animated to produce the ballsiest, most emotional kind of skittery rhythm ever. it's editing perfection, and the pictures are pretty too: a hong kong bustling with activity while our robotic hero toils away in the office with only the swirls in his coffee and the bubbles in his water cooler as company, and his pals awake in the morning light.
9. imitation of life
17 seconds of a meticulously orchestrated poolside scene are looped forwards and backwards, zooming in and out to focus on its parts. even if you know this, you still won't be able to figure out how they did it. digital music video making peaks right here.
10. nightswimming
i love jem cohen. and i love his seeming disregard for the common hipness that makes other directors famous. here, he captures the quiet of the night: empty parking lots and gas stations, the closing of a grocery, a man stripping by a motel pool, and, most strikingly, a bunch of kids skinny dipping in a lake, with nudity in its home video release. my heart bleeds, you genius fuck you.
the rest of my favorites:
11. strange currencies - mark romanek's gorgeous b&w glow gallery.
12. fall on me - where we watch the words flash like warning; the best of the pre-warner videos. most of them are great, but not favorites.
13. what's the frequency, kenneth? - performance frenzy.
14. drive - mosh pit as high drama.
15. crush with eyeliner - japanese kids karaoke. spike jonze jokiness.
16. i'll take the rain - bare-bones cartoon as soaring inspirational.
17. bittersweet me - a faux italian melodrama with some of stipe's best tricks with the mic stand.
18. low - lesbian affection in paintings that come to life, languidly. can test patience.
19. the one i love - best part: superimposed faces during "fire!"
20. country feedback - grainy images of objects. because the song kicks ass no matter what.
music videos that "don't suck"
1. e-bow the letter
patti smith on the train, michael stipe sleeping in the airport, christmas lights in the studio. almost a documentary and definitely a poem, jem cohen's lovely low light study of a city in a half-awake state, capturing that feeling of passage and transit but also of stillness, has an emotional effect on me that i still can't explain after nearly ten years.
2. all the way to reno
documentarian michael moore shot r.e.m. goofing around one day in a new york city high school (it actually took two shooting days), and even employed some students to do camera work. aging rockstars in an ocean of youth, to the tune of "you know who you are." damn, if it ain't moving.
3. everybody hurts
it was my favorite for a long time. ripping off fellini and wenders, the central metaphor of a congested freeway traffic gives way to much brooding and pained expressions, moving from one melodramatic vignette to the next via subtitles, all of which adds up to one irresistibly overblown illustration of human grief and deliverance. what's not to love?
4. losing my religion
everybody's favorite. director tarsem borrows from caravaggio paintings, russian propaganda posters, and god knows what else, to create great nonsense. no, actually, it's supposed to be about a romantic obsession that drives a guy nuts. features crazy-ass flailing by michael stipe, which is my second favorite music video dance of all time, the first being david byrne's spastic convulsions in "once in a lifetime".
5. orange crush
another old favorite. a kid unearths a bullet, while a soldier is in torment -- all enveloped in matt mahurin's signature shadows. they say it's both anti-war and homoerotic.
6. man on the moon
innumerable superimpositions that simulate ancient projections, with andy kauffman footage and stipe as a traveling cowboy, who hitches on a truck, then enters a saloon where everybody mouths the lyrics to the song. poignant, and i don't even know why.
7. electrolite
i call it the freedom showcase: people on the street donning balls and chains; speedracing in the desert; band members shrinking and growing; among other expressions of what it means to be free. this video goes everywhere, and that's the point. it took only two directors to make it, not fifteen.
8. daysleeper
the technique is a killer: still frames animated to produce the ballsiest, most emotional kind of skittery rhythm ever. it's editing perfection, and the pictures are pretty too: a hong kong bustling with activity while our robotic hero toils away in the office with only the swirls in his coffee and the bubbles in his water cooler as company, and his pals awake in the morning light.
9. imitation of life
17 seconds of a meticulously orchestrated poolside scene are looped forwards and backwards, zooming in and out to focus on its parts. even if you know this, you still won't be able to figure out how they did it. digital music video making peaks right here.
10. nightswimming
i love jem cohen. and i love his seeming disregard for the common hipness that makes other directors famous. here, he captures the quiet of the night: empty parking lots and gas stations, the closing of a grocery, a man stripping by a motel pool, and, most strikingly, a bunch of kids skinny dipping in a lake, with nudity in its home video release. my heart bleeds, you genius fuck you.
the rest of my favorites:
11. strange currencies - mark romanek's gorgeous b&w glow gallery.
12. fall on me - where we watch the words flash like warning; the best of the pre-warner videos. most of them are great, but not favorites.
13. what's the frequency, kenneth? - performance frenzy.
14. drive - mosh pit as high drama.
15. crush with eyeliner - japanese kids karaoke. spike jonze jokiness.
16. i'll take the rain - bare-bones cartoon as soaring inspirational.
17. bittersweet me - a faux italian melodrama with some of stipe's best tricks with the mic stand.
18. low - lesbian affection in paintings that come to life, languidly. can test patience.
19. the one i love - best part: superimposed faces during "fire!"
20. country feedback - grainy images of objects. because the song kicks ass no matter what.