Guitar Drag

This short film by Christian Marclay is simple, but quite provocative. In the film a plugged in electric guitar is dragged around San Antonio from the back of a pick-up truck with a rope. This is an amazingly inflammatory work and absolutely riveting. It makes me deeply uncomfortable, though I'm not entirely sure why.

Guitar Drag

Polish Raga Bhangra Hip Hop?

Courtesy of Wired and No Fear of the Future, I bring you the fine fruits of globalization: Masala Sound System. It's a Polish group with a penchant for Indian rhythyms and hip hop sensibilities.

What more can I say? You can't make this up.

Masala - Od Tarnobrzegu po Bangladesz


Masala - Rewolucja w Nas (Festiwal Gwiazd 2007)

The Avalanches

Supposedly these Australian vinyl wizards have a new record coming out eventually. Until then I content myself with Since I Left You, which is much more than a small comfort. It's hard for me to believe this record came out in 2000. The videos for the two singles, I also, incidentally find particularly enjoyable. In fact, I probably like them better than the songs.

Frontier Psychiatrist


Since I Left You


I'd Rather Dance With You
Not The Avalanches, but The Kings of Convenience. Included simply because it is sweetest music video to ever be set in a dance studio.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

In 1970, Jaromil Jires, released a movie called "Valerie a tyden divu," or "Valerie and Her Week of Wonders." This Czech movie is supposed to be a stunning and otherwordly series of dreams and hallucinations by which a girl first experiences menstruation. I have yet to see the movie, but fell in love with the soundtrack released by the good folks on Finders Keepers. So, I queued it up on Netflix, and hopefully watching it won't be as disastrous as the time I tried to watch Vampyros Lesbos. In any case, here are some clips of what promises to be an amazing movie.

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders

The Go! Team

It's hard for me to resist a band whose aesthetic consists of manic cheerleader chants, old action movie soundtracks, and loud distorted guitars. I love all of these things and I can't help but admire the Go! Team for combining these. Here are two videos from off the new album, and it looks like an unofficial video that someone made using one of my favorite songs off their old album. I enjoy all three.

Doing It Right


Grip Like A Vice


Junior Kickstart

Zach Galifianakis

Zach Galifianakis is a very funny comedian from North Carolina. You know him as the one dude with the beard in the thing. Usually these things are television shows.. He is also in other things. Here are some of those other things.

Can't Tell Me Nothing
Zach lip-synchs to Kanye. What he is currently most known for. Shot on location in beautiful Allegheny County!


Not About Love
Zach lip-synchs to Fiona. Probably inspired the Kanye piece.


Faking an orgasm
What it sounds like.


On the Ellen Show
Yeah, I always thought the dancing thing was weird too.


Comedians of Comedy: Physical Comedy
Zach toured with other funny comedians. They made videos together.


Stand-up at Cat's Cradle
Hometown show. The chorus is actually a local improv group with folks I know.
In a separate clip of the same show, you can look for if you haven't had your fill of Zach, he calls a nursing student "young, dumb, and full of cum."

Sofia Coppola

Sofia Coppola is one of my favorite contemporary directors. She has a wonderful subtlety and eye for particularly clever moments. Her career as an actress, however, is somewhat less than stellar. The Godfather III is perhaps the most glaring example of this. On the other hand she is pretty brilliant as an actress in a couple music videos.

Electrobank
Chemical Brothers song, directed by her then-spouse Spike Jonze.


Mildred Pierce
In 1990, Sofia Coppola takes on the Joan Crawford role for a Sonic Youth music video.


I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself
Sofia Coppola directs Kate Moss pole dancing to the White Stripes. This is like a fantasy come true.


Lick The Star
As a bonus, here is (in two parts) Sofia Coppola's directorial debut. In this movie you can see the seeds of the ideas for a large portion of Sofia's first feature, The Virgin Suicides.

Mighty Warriors, Warlocks, and Cats

Jason Forrest is far and away one of my favorite musicians. I can't get enough of those cheeky, often abrasive beats. The videos that have been made to accompany the singles has been pretty good as well. Both have strange fantasy undercurrents and the breakcore mashup show that Jason Forrest used to host was called Advanced D&D.

Coincidence?!?!

War Photographer
This is the more famous video. The song itself is pretty rad and I daresay it makes Blood, Sweat, and Tears sound cool.


Steppin' Off
This video is simply genius in its details and style.


About Fun
Not Jason Forrest, but rather Psapp. The video is, however, pretty adorably wonderful, despite no obvious connection to Dungeons and Dragons. The song is catchy too. Only recently did I learn that Psapp did the theme song for Grey's Anatomy. Go figure.