The Time Tested Music Video...You tube experiment

I would love to start producing music videos, going to hopefully get a couple of GoPros this summer and link up with a good video editor. I have some pretty interesting ideas and I'll start with my own music. In the spirit of that, I have always done "research" in the music video world. Since I was a kid, MTV and VH1 (geezer) were an addiction. Now, the Internet provides so many other sources.

Really, you can spend all of your time watching cute little cat videos on YouTube, or...

You can quench your junkie thirst on the time tested music video. Check out the First music videos aired on MTV list. Yes, I am citing Wikipedia, but this is a blog so get over it. That page is stacked to the gills with fun filled facts that you can quiz your friends and neighbors like: "What pray tell was the very first Heavy Metal music video? No, sorry loser...That would be "Iron Maiden" by Iron Maiden.  Just never reveal your source, that way you can keep them guessing. I can't find that particular video by itself on You tube by the way, but I did find a ridiculous live version you can check out at 2AM, or probably not though...It doesn't need anymore hits.


And did I just link MTV? No, absolutely not. I linked You Tube, the world's free-ish entertainment source where the masses flock to get their daily shot of awesome. Where viral videos can spread and make stars out of idiots and well thought out dance choreography occur in every living room.

MTV turned to crap and doesn't seem to actually show music videos anymore, just reality TV garbage. People eat it up, but can you imagine if MTV had the foresight to make a You tube or Vevo?

Fortunately, this golden archive in the sky allows me to reminisce of easier times and watch/listen to  "Mother" by Danzig and "Idioteque" by Radiohead live in Tokyo, which really peaks at 3:24 and Lil' Troy with "Wanna Be a Baller".

I could go on forever, there are so many great and not so great music videos produced and archived every day, thank you Vevo.

So...for the list and the experiment. I am going to start with a song that I didn't know, only it was stuck in my head for a week without words which makes it very difficult to find it on Google. I finally broke down and hummed a few bars to another trusty green man who I knew would know...

Turns out, it was "Wolf Like Me" by TV On the Radio. Not only is this a cool song, I was pleasantly surprised by the video. It has 2,293,581 views and I wonder how much it cost to make? A whole lot of editing went into it and like many music videos, it had a twist in the end. "Sail" by AWOLNATION is another with a weird ending.


If I give Wolf Like Me an 9 out of 10 based on the song being pretty cool and the video definitely worth watching, I will now rate 4 other "randomly" selected videos that come up as suggestions by You tube and rate them on the same scale. These are basically Indie videos pimped by Vevo. My selection will change my path to the next, sort of like the old "Choose your own adventure" tales from back in the day:

1. Jukebox the Ghost- "Oh Emily"- I HATE the song and I wish the rest of the band were shown but the video concept is good. Relatively low budget and easy on the eyes, I like the cardboard house and the Devo character towards the end. The dinner scene is neat but overall, just alright. 6

I chose wrong with the first, but here we go...

2. Pacific Air-"Move"- I would probably turn the song if I heard it on the radio, my heavy tuned ears couldn't handle such bliss but WHAT A COOL VIDEO! Low budget, likely shot with a GoPro, the maker of this video deserves an Oscar or at least one of those awesome coffee table art books. The bubbles are great and the female form splashing into the water is superb. Video makes up for the song. 7.5

3. Telekenesis- "Emphathetic People"- Nicely done. I would not only buy his record but watch it again. He plays in an old warehouse and makes vinyl using old machinery. The song is decent too, who could ask for more from an indie artist? 8.5

4. Bastille- "Pompeii"- Don't bother, wanker's galore. The only saving grace is that it turns into a sort of nightmare but overall terrible. I accidentally clicked on it, it has 24mil views, wow. 2.5

I got backed out of the indie corner at this point and will go no further. Millions of views on crap don't need one or two more.


Before you die, don't forget to check out "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis where being frugal is cool and La Grange live 1982 by ZZ Top. Those guys are real showmen.  

Coming Soon...No Shows

All,

It has come to my own attention that I have spent far too much time watching shows. I imagine dying and in the end, the powers that be will give me a final rundown of all of things I spent my time doing. For example:

166,075 hours: Sleeping

70,200 hours: Eating

4,758 hours: Having Sex (rather low)

44,658 hours: Driving

36,589 hours: Being a kind and gracious soul

256,000 hours: WATCHING SERIES BACK TO BACK ON NETFLIX



While it is true that I do not have cable or satellite television hooked up, Netflix has become the ultimate alternative to regular programming and the adult series has often replaced a night at the movies for many Americans. With so many "good" shows out there, it is impossible to watch them all and still have time for even the least bit of productivity. Some even make you think and are compelling enough dramas to suck you in until you and your partner nudge each other in the dark and say, "Just one more episode before bed then?"

Also, Amazon has instant movies/tv shows and some pretty "good" deals for prime members. Shows like: Breaking Bad, Downton Abbey, Big Love, Weeds, The West Wing, STNG (nerd), The Wire, X-files, The Walking Dead and the one that I dare not watch for fear that I will be sucked into a marathon sitting of epic proportions: Game of Thrones. Netflix is better but sometimes you have to wait a season to keep current, which is ok at first until you just can't wait...

These are all like visual crack and eventually, with a super long series like the X-files, I overdosed and eventually watched it simply just to end the damn thing. All good things, even crack, have to come to an end someday and that day is tomorrow...I think.

Why? Why not indulge in the fruits of the lackadaisical American lifestyle you ask? Well, I don't want to use the drug anymore because I want to become a dealer and one day I hope to speak French.

So tomorrow, after I finally finish the series that I have been "working on", I will be forced to look inward and spend the wee hours before bed doing something productive like writing my blog...er...I mean, my novels.

Good luck to me and good luck to you dear Sir/Madame who are trying to wean themselves off of My Big Redneck Vacation.

Tomorrow I will discuss visual methadone clinics and the YouTube music video scene.