A little break from the norm is always a good thing, right?
A fan of music videos from way back, I have grown older and less interested in the music video artform of the last several years. I do try and catch the MTV Video Music Awards each year, but the best and most groundbreaking videos seem to be relegated to either off television categories or come up short on the big night. Dating myself considerably perhaps, I remember back to my childhood when all-night video programs like “Night Tracks” and “Night Flight” and “Friday Night Videos” made me develop a love for the music video artform. Then, when I finally got MTV in like 1987…well, forget about it.
Following a conversation with a friend about the lost art of the music video, I happened to look at this year’s list of Video of the Year nominees for the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. And the thought occurred for me to take a few looks at the six nominees and weigh in on my thoughts and impressions from this little slice of the Internet.
And the nominees are (with Yahoo! Music links provided…one nominee (Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” linked in a barely edited version, still NSFW or kids)
30 SECONDS TO MARS – KINGS AND QUEENS (8:55) (Dir: Bartholomew Cubbins (a/k/a Jared Leto))
Bicyclists of all walks of life come together on the streets of L.A., with a rally cry to all the “Kings and Queens of promise/the children of a lesser God” by 30 Seconds To Mars’ frontman, Jared Leto. Since their creative and stunning take on Kubrick’s “The Shining” for their 2006 music video, “The Kill (Rebirth)”, 30 Seconds To Mars have seemingly determined that every music video they make needs to be lengthy and epic. While some view this approach as self-indulgent and off-putting, with “Kings and Queens” the band warrants the approach with a beautifully shot and cinematic video. Under his Bartholomew Cubbins alias, Leto captures the song’s urgency and intensity well with the diverse mix of bicyclists who stand together as the band play over a scenic landscape of Los Angeles at night. Almost inspiring in its message of outcasts coming together to defy the conformity of society, the band and Leto simply cannot leave well enough alone sadly, with the final 2+ minutes of the video devoted to theatrical style credits. Sigh. While completely unnecessary, until that point, “Kings And Queens” is an accomplished and thoughtful interpretation of the “Us vs. Him” mentality.
Rating: 
Nominations: 4 (Video of the Year, Best Rock Video, Best Direction, Best Art Direction)
B.o.B FEATURING HAYLEY WILLIAMS – AIRPLANES (2:59) (Dir: Hiro Murai)
A rather brilliant single about wishes lost and forgotten, the wishes we make when we have nothing left, and eventually working to see those wishes become realities, breakthrough rapper B.o.B’s conscientious single works as a great piece of hip-hop/pop. The music video on the other hand, doesn’t seem to resonate with me nearly to the same degree the song does. Visually, it looks impressive as a stylish music video often does, but ultimately serves no connection to the song’s hopeful and inspirational message. Discarded polaroids which seem to indicate earlier struggles come and go and Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams looks terrific in a spacey/star-laden setting. Perhaps my being underwhelmed stems from a love I have of the song and the fact that the video, while aesthetically accomplished, fails to deliver anything close to what it should have.
Rating: 
Nominations: 4 (Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Collaboration)
EMINEM – NOT AFRAID (4:19) (Dir: Rich Lee)
Still polarizing after more than a decade as an A-list music figure who has sold more than 80 million records worldwide, Eminem went through a well-publicized drug addiction and recovery and delivered 2009′s poorly received, “Relapse”. Disappointed fans didn’t respond to the rapper as expected and recognizing that he misfired to some degree, Eminem pulled the plug on his comeback and returned to the studio to deliver what is now the biggest selling album of 2010, “Recovery”. A blistering comeback single, “Not Afraid” preceded the album and with its success, Eminem successfully hit the relaunch button this time around. Acknowledging the braggadocio Eminem’s genre of music necessitates, “Not Afraid” is an intriguing lyric. Angry, unrepentant, and yet showing his trademark vulnerability in the song, much of the intensity translates in Eminem’s performance in the video. Beginning on a rooftop overlooking New York City, Eminem ferociously delivers his lyric and then, in a move I find rather ill-advised, he (**SPOILER ALERT**) takes a leap and flies all over the NYC, as some type of superhero saddled with low-budget visual effects. It’s a disappointing conclusion to the divisive artist’s impressive return. Say what you will, but Eminem has proven he is still rich with talent, which makes the cheesy conclusion to his comeback video all the more surprising.
Rating:
Nominations: 8 (Best Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Direction, Best Special Effects(?!?), Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography)
FLORENCE & THE MACHINE – DOG DAYS ARE OVER (3:44) (Dir: Georgie Greville and Geremy Jasper)
The exact definition as to why music videos are necessary in defining an artist’s vision, Florence & The Machine’s “Dog Days Are Over” is visually stunning in its simplicity. Soaked in heavy white facial makeup, with the reddest of red hair, Florence Welch is unique, captivating, and the closest thing I have seen to Bjork and her aesthetic unpredictability in a long, long time. So often, people will look at a video and lament that the video has nothing to do with the song and/or vice versa. Truth be told, the music video is not always needed as a storytelling device. Florence & The Machine prove here that less is indeed more and there is just something intoxicating and refreshing that unfolds here. For my eyes, the video with seemingly no message at all is the one which delivers the most rewarding message of freedom in being who you are, embracing individuality, and letting something as invigorating as music take over our emotions, even if only for a few minutes. Oh sure, we may not take Florence’s approach with the clothing and the makeup, but on a basic, primal level, we have all been moved to dance, sing, and give in to the music at some point in our lives. For me and perhaps only me (and Florence), this video screams that message loud and clear.
Rating:
Nominations: 4 (Best Video Of The Year, Best Rock Video, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography)
LADY GAGA – BAD ROMANCE (5:08) (Dir: Frances Lawrence)
Perhaps it’s the Warholian feel of the opening shot, the symbolism of selling your soul as her spine protrudes from her back. Maybe it’s the stripped bare and makeup-free woman pleading that she is caught in a “Bad Romance”, or the anime-eyed girl in way over her head in some kind of a bad situation. Or it could be the switchblade sunglasses, revealing costumes, or overriding sense that fame and romance requires a sacrifice that people so willingly give without as much of a thought as to what it may mean to their self-worth. Whatever it is, midway through my first viewing of ‘Bad Romance” in November 2009, I remember telling my wife that this is one of the greatest music videos of all time. And now here we are, with “Bad Romance” and Lady Gaga receiving a record setting number of nominations this year. There are a lot of things that can be said about Lady Gaga, but there is no one pushing the envelope in more odd, creative, and thus far, successful ways. She is a throwback to so much we have seen and yet, she is unlike anyone we have ever encountered in pop music, at least in my lifetime. “Bad Romance” is simply brilliant for its art form – a crazed, slightly demonic, surreal and risky endeavor that defines everything we know of the artist thus far. People may recoil, but this video stands up against the best of the best and is worthy of every award it can and should receive.
Rating:
Nominations: 10 (Best Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video, Best Dance Video, Best Direction, Best Choreography, Best Special Effects, Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography)
LADY GAGA FEATURING BEYONCE – TELEPHONE (9:32) (Dir: Jonas Akerlund)
So…with all of the good things I stated above…not everything Gaga touches turns to gold. Ambitious as anything, “Telephone” is visually eye-popping and if viewed in its 9:32 totality, will make Gaga’s fans cheer and those who don’t care or get her, throw up their hands and say enough. A sequel to her 2008 “Paparazzi” mini-movie/video, where she poisons a boyfriend who attempts to murder her and becomes a pop culture icon in the process, Gaga is off to prison and bailed out by Beyonce’s “Honey B”. Seems Honey B. needs to exact revenge on her man (Tyrese Gibson) and together, Gaga and Beyonce poison off an entire diner’s worth of patrons, pay tribute to a couple of Tarantino films, exchange laughably awful dialogue, and Gaga even mocks rumors about herself, dances while clad only in caution tape, and even goes fully nude in the opening sequence. It’s all a lot to take and even if it is completing a story, it is tenuous storytelling at best. Undoubtedly fun to make, with a bit of a personal agenda, “Telephone” is not nearly as terrific as it thinks it is, but for a handful of viewings it is edgy and entertaining – or – repulsive enough to you to ban Gaga from your house for a lifetime.
Rating:
Nominations: 3 (Best Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Choreography)
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So what are your thoughts? Did the music video die years and years ago when MTV and other networks largely left them in the dust for reality programming? Or, are they still vitally important to the music industry? Did I miss the boat on any of these videos? The VMA’s are Sunday, September 12, 2010.
And to all of you Beliebers, sorry to leave Justin out…
