I’m vaguely aware of the MTV Video Music Awards having been on last weekend. Like MTV itself, remember the good old days when the VMAs didn’t suck ass?? I usually still watch the show (and bitch to hubby about how much it sucks – I’m so old!). But I haven’t watched last weekend’s. Hosted by Miley Cyrus? A world where Kim Kardashian could be the First Lady? I just don’t have the energy for it anymore. I’m all bitched-out. I feel so far removed from the “youth” of today. And that’s before we even get to the fact that the music & the videos are shit now!
Then David Bowie’s son (Duncan Jones) tweeted this:
Right on, Duncan! Hell, I was happy enough with the cheesy videos of the Eighties (things like last week’s video – Pat Benatar’s Love Is A Battlefield). That will always be my favorite era of MTV, of course, but I did love that period during the late 90s/early 2000s when people like Spike Jonze & Chris Cunningham came along & made truly artistic videos that were more like “mini-films”. I know we still get the occasional good video but they seem to be few & far between.
I love the videos from those mentioned in the above tweet (Jonathan Glazer, director of Under The Skin, made one of my very favorites: UNKLE’s Rabbit In Your Headlights) but I’ve been meaning to talk about Chris Cunningham one of these Fridays. I’m sure I’ll post other videos of his but wanted to start with those he did for Aphex Twin.
Cunningham is most famous for the amazing Björk video All Is Full Of Love and I think his video for Afrika Shox by Leftfield and Afrika Bambaataa is great. But I remember going “what the fuuuuuuuu%&k?” when I saw his video for Come To Daddy by Aphex Twin (Richard D. James). Come To Daddy was released in 1997 & I saw it on MTV but it was on a show where I think celebrities were talking about their favorite videos and this one was chosen & played (since by this point MTV was just TV shows instead of music videos). And I thought “Wow! What the hell was that? Why isn’t MTV playing this sort of thing all the time??” Then Cunningham topped it with the ultra weird 1999 video for Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker.
I’ve rambled on long enough & I’d assume everyone here has seen these videos by now. But, just in case you haven’t (Rob), I better put a WARNING: Not Safe For Kids! Both are very disturbing and Windowlicker has loads of swearing (according to Wikipedia, “There are 127 uses of profanity in the dialogue segment of the video (which is under 4 minutes), including 44 uses of the word fuck. This averages to more than one use of profanity every two seconds”). But, in searching for these, I discovered a short film by Cunningham that I somehow knew nothing about!!! And it makes these videos look like Disney cartoons. If you’re brave enough after watching these, click THIS LINK for his film Rubber Johnny (featuring, again, music from Aphex Twin). Now THAT is weird…
Enjoy! And Sweet Dreams. 😉 I know I won’t be having any of those since watching Rubber Johnny!
Chris Cunningham made a bunch of great videos including ones for Madonna and Portishead. I love Bjork’s all is full of love video but yeah Aphex Twin is awesome. Wish he would have made a feature film. Great post
He was going to make the movie Neuromancer at one point – I’d love to see a full movie from him! I still need to check a few of his videos out but I do have a DVD of a bunch of his work. Also Jonze & Gondry, I believe. I really should dig those DVDs out! 🙂
YOU’RE A RUBBER JOHNNY!!!
That actually means a condom, you know…. 😉 Did you watch that?!?!?!
LOL that’s funny! No, not yet. I’ve been pretty busy for a guy with no job…
#rubberjohnny
That sucks! You need to watch it…
Remind me tomorrow!
I might forget tomorrow!!!!!!
Aren’t you the one with the incredible memory??????
#????????
Yes I am. I think????
Rubber Johnny is pretty creepy! It’s cool 🙂
Hehe. I made Eric watch it. He said it wasn’t his bag. Probably not weird enough for him! 😉
What?!!! It’s only a short video lol can’t imagine anyone not finding it interesting!!! BOO! HISS!
Lol. This is Eric. And me telling him to watch it. It was already a guarantee that he wouldn’t find it interesting. Lol 😉 I’d have to say it’s one of the most fucked up things I’ve seen. Crazy shit! 🙂
I know what you mean haha!!!! Oh well.
I’m gonna watch it again!!!! 🙂
Some great names. Michel Gondry is the other one that jumps out to me. All is full of love is one of my favourite love songs. And that video!
Oh, I also have plenty of Gondry videos on my long list of videos to post each Friday. 😉
I think I’ve seen most of Chris Cunningham’s music vidoes from what you mentioned, but his work with Aphex Twin and especially Come To Daddy is some of the most messed up stuff I’ve seen. He’d make for a great horror movie director I’m sure.
He definitely would! I’d love to see a full length film from Cunningham. Would be creepy & awesome! 🙂
great post. i’m not familiar with half of these videos as i am decidedly uncool. but the bjork video is fantastic (as are all her videos; i still think the video for ‘Bachelorette’ by Michael Gondry is incredible)
Thanks! Oh, I’m definitely uncool as well. Lol. Gondry does great videos too! I’m not sure if I’ve seen that one, though… I’ll have to go check it out! 🙂
here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJnhaXwK86M
Oh cool – I’ll come back when I’m back home & on wifi tonight! 🙂
AWESOME POST!!!!!!!!!!! Chris Cunningham’s videos are so good but his work with Aphex Twin is definitely the best stuff.
I hope Eric’s watched Rubber Johnny, that shit is creepy!
My dad wants “Come to Daddy” played at his funeral lol.
Thanks, Emma! Looks like there are quite a few fans of Cunningham’s work. It’s so damn weird…. I love it! 🙂 Haha – your dad sounds AWESOME! I’ll never forget seeing that video for the first time. 🙂
It’s bloody scary!!! Lol. Yeah he’s pretty crazy ha ha.
how did u guess that id never heard of this?? 🙂
I’m smart. 😉
Apparently so. . 😉
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