Carpark North - Human Director - Martin De Thurah
Music videos remain one of my favorite artistic expressions. Ah who am I kidding… I like all forms of artistic expression, but when I find a combination of music and moving pictures that is much greater than the sum of its parts, I’m changed for it.
I’m of the generation that saw the first MTV broadcast, and will admit to spending many a Friday and Saturday night watching MTV until the wee hours of the morning. It soothed the pain of being girlfriendless and stoked my budding imagination, all while keeping my craven, timid, teenage self out of harm’s way.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the first years of music videos were anything special, but for someone who wasn’t able to go to concerts very often, they brought the music to life in the way an album cover never could. Taught me some good dance moves too.
When the medium became more about the art than the song, another more subtle but no less important shift occurred. In one way it opened the door for me to appreciate music I normally wouldn’t listen to. But moreover, it gave a venue for short-form, mind-bending, visual imagery to exist beyond the still format. I think Man Ray and the Dadaists would’ve really enjoyed being alive today.
Attending CCAC in 1990 opened my eyes to the possibilities hidden from the mainstream, but seeing the first Chris Cunningham video in the late 90’s via the internet really broke the damn. I think it was Bjork’s All is Full of Love, but add the body of work he did with Aphex Twin and it was a life altering experience.
It probably happened sooner, but Windowlicker left a big dent in my forehead. More on that in a moment…
