by Marisa Pesa
Music videos are that of a dying breed. Filming bands jam is, let’s face it, boring to the masses, so videos nowadays aim to either make their viewers feel extremely trippy, horny, nauseous or a combination of the three. So in light of recent weird and controversial clips such as “Wrecking Ball” and “The Fox,” I came up with a list of equally funny and disturbing music videos:
1. Margot and the Nuclear So & So’s
“As Tall As Cliffs”
Released after the 2010 election, this video is a flat out hilarious and downright ridiculous depiction of George W. Bush’s last night in office, in which he urinates on a Mazda, eggs a car, asks for blow, and purchases a dildo. I especially enjoyed the subtle “Yes We Can” Obama billboard flashed in the very beginning and the ending scene where Bush’s black bodyguard (Obama) throws him out onto the street.
2. Father John Misty
“This is Sally Hatchet”
J. Tillman, the man behind Father John Misty, makes Satanism sexy through this allegorical video in which the gateway to hell is, lucky for me, a pizza parlor (cleverly named Purgatory Pizza). Clips of who we can assume to be Sally Hatchet emptying clips in the shop’s back room cut in and out clips of Papa John Misty slicing pentagrams into pizzas. Tillman’s finger stubs serve as blood sacrifice as well as tasty toppings to a personal pan. It’s a hard video to wrap your mind around after the initial viewing, but a glimpse of mushrooms atop a pizza explains some of the crazy.
3. MGMT
“Kids”
Everything MGMT has ever produced is, by definition, strange as shit. The special effects are pitifully lame; however, the toddler (who I might add is an exceptionally talented baby actor) is sure to suffer traumatic nightmares of roach men for the rest of his life. MGMT doesn’t make an appearance until three minutes into the video, where they are suited up in aluminum foil.
4. Radiohead
“There There”
In this eerie video, front man Thom Yorke enters a forest and stumbles upon squirrels smoking pipes, rabbits feasting, and cats wedding. Yorke then finds a golden jacket and dress shoes which somehow morph him into a screaming tree. (With treefingers, you could say he is forever the king of limbs). The video was filmed at one-quarter regular speed, making it look jumpy, thus, successfully mimicking Yorke’s famous spacy demeanor.
5. Portugal, The Man
“The Sun”
In the latest video from Portugal. The Man, a depressed sheep terrorizes the good people of Portland. He grills expired steak, meanders through a skate park, and gets drunk off malt liquor. I feel like Wilfred and this downtrodden quadruped would really hit it off.
