dolls.in.the.walls

And thus we continue. Mostly, it’s not about “my top 10″ so much as those I remember when I think “music video”.

7:  Seeing Grace Jones in any capacity has left its mark on me, especially when she and Dolph Lundgren did that naked photo shoot for Playboy in the 80s & especially once the lady started advertising for those Honda Elite Scooters.  But I digress! This vid stands as a testament to all things  music video had to offer at the time and to the beginnings of the classic music video format. To me it always looked like DaDa -- like Hugo Ball and Tristan Tzara were dug up just for the occasion of creating this little moment for Miz Jones.

People painted colors, singing heads on a television set filmed to be shown on television (wheels within wheels), sped up video dancing, & antique bathing costumes are just the beginning… robo headed Grace Jones!

Grace Jones, Slave to the Rhythm

6: This is the first music video I ever saw, the first time I ever switched on MTV, first there was the astronaut with his flag and then there was this, all in 1982  (see also Bauhaus, Mask #9).  I will never forget Mr. Billy Joel falling into the carpet which was really shaving foam while haughty society women look on put out by his gauche actions.   I feel  the guns of pressure pointed at my head…  Classic dystopic future themes, ruined loafers, water glass stress, and more

. I’m not a Billy Joel fan but I still like it when I hear this song, thanks to the video.

5: I’ve inadvertently gone back to spooky town with this offering of Coil covering tainted love .

This video did more for my sense of safe sexual practices and understanding of the sheer tragic loss from HIV related complications and the ugliness of not knowing one’s STD status than any public service announcement ever did.  Was it the flies and honey?  Maybe.  Perhaps it was the dirgelike cover in combination with the Nosferatu -esque moments… or maybe it was just the times.

Either way, this video introduced me to Coil and for that I will always be grateful.

Tainted Love, Coil

Music, when married to imagery in  youth up into my early 20s probably broke open my eye better than any other artistic combination.  And so, here I begin my series of 10 with those videos that have stuck with me from the moment I clapped eyes on them, for better or worse until death do us part.

10: Oh Sonic Youth, it’s a toss up.  How can I possibly choose between Death Valley 69 and any another Sonic Youth video?  Death Valley is such a classic.   Dirty Boots has the romance, McBeth is pure trash with pure trash music making it one of my favorite videos… I could go on but really the best video in the Sonic Youth category can’t help but be the evil marriage of Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch, Lung Leg, and Sonic Youth for the real murders and their sonic take on the whole affair.  This shattered my vision of music and image fantasy and took me somewhere entirely new when I first saw it:

9: Oh  bauhaus how can I possibly express the terror driven into my psychotropicaly frazzled mind by the viewing of this video? I’m ahead of myself though, as that terror wouldn’t have been felt until at LEAST 1986.  So perhaps I was permanently shaded to a fine grey from seeing this at an early age.  Either way I fell hard and fast for the band known as bauhaus and forever defended their brilliant artistrty & dark passion once I viewed this gem I’ve dug up from the past.  Call me spooky tooth, but this is better than most of what 1981 had to offer (and I’m looking right at you “Jessie’s Girl” and your kiss is NOT on my list Hall and Oates…).  Not surprisingly, it blew my mind.

Filmed in 1981, it likely wasn’t until 1982 at the earliest that I saw this as this is when MTV was installed in my grandparent’s home.  Well, it was multi-channel cable that was instaslled but as far as my brother and I were concerned it was MTV that was installed.  It’s possible my bizarre comfort with death was formed with the fusion of cancer, MTV, and bauhaus’ fine song and film… Mask

8: Oh The Residents  (and snakefinger), Hello Skinny indeed! This is still my favorite song of yours and so it beats out the amazing filmed “video” for Third Reich and Roll (but barely!  because I love the newspaper klansmen and the gigantic steaks destroying the swastika so MUCH).   The appearance of eyeballs in the background of this video has nothing to do withbad artschool first film ever!1! and everything to do with The Residents, pre theft of one eye head, for those not familiar.

This will complete the absurdly creepy videos portion of our programme.  Well, maybe.  I think it’s the creepy ones that always worked best for me.  Skinny sold something, every single night….