Off the Record Video

[realdeal]

man, i can't see this on my mac. it says i need netscape something or other and then that won't load. i really want to see this. bummer  :-/

Don't waste your time. Worthless video. What was the point of making this nonsense.

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

I'm not so sure what the big deal is, it's just a video.  Have you guys been watching what passes for music videos these days?  This is leagues better than most.  They can't all be "Video Killed the Radio Star", now can they?  ;)

[whitepepper]

I like it...kinda Invasion of the Body Snatchers or some sci fi shit

[dragonboy]

I'm not so sure what the big deal is, it's just a video.  Have you guys been watching what passes for music videos these days?  This is leagues better than most.  They can't all be "Video Killed the Radio Star", now can they?  ;)

I hear what you're saying John, it is just a video but it's a MMJ video! That's why it's a big deal, isn't it?

We all love MMJ & therefore we're interested in anything & everything that they do both good & bad, that's why we're here posting, right?

So Z is just another CD release?

[dragonboy]

I always remember Kurt Cobain going on about how much he hated the video for Teen Spirit & how he felt it was such a huge waste of money.

I would really like to know how involved the band were & whether they like it or not?

[darkglow]

let's all make a petition for a new video.. i'm serious

this song deserves a better visual representation

[ratsprayer]

It reminds me of the Street Spirit (Fade Out) video.  But that just might be people in suits.

no see, i love the street spirit video, hands down.  radiohead consistently make fucking excellent videos.  björk does too.  they need chris cunningham to make their video, now that would freak the fuck out of us all, but in a good way.   :D

[peanut butter puddin surprise]

my point was that the videos aren't all epic masterpieces like the music is.  it is a delivery system for the masterpieces...

[aMillionDreams]

videos don't mean much these days to anyone, but that doesn't mean that we can't be disappointed by their video.  Unfortunately I haven't seen the video yet because the link sucks, but I was disappointed by the 'One Big Holiday' video.  The alternative video was way better and that guy didn't even have permission to shoot it.  My point is, I always imagined that mmj would make some great videos when they reached that status, but so far it doesn't seem to be the case.  And I know the music is way more important but I do enjoy videos from the likes of Radiohead, Beck, Bjork, and others.  Cameron Crowe obviously sees a cinematic quality to their music, but I don't think their videos are doing them any favors.

[dragonboy]

videos don't mean much these days to anyone, but that doesn't mean that we can't be disappointed by their video.  Unfortunately I haven't seen the video yet because the link sucks, but I was disappointed by the 'One Big Holiday' video.  The alternative video was way better and that guy didn't even have permission to shoot it.  My point is, I always imagined that mmj would make some great videos when they reached that status, but so far it doesn't seem to be the case.  And I know the music is way more important but I do enjoy videos from the likes of Radiohead, Beck, Bjork, and others.  Cameron Crowe obviously sees a cinematic quality to their music, but I don't think their videos are doing them any favors.

I quite agree.
I don't watch music TV myself but I can't imagine anyone (other than MMJ fans) having seen the video once talking about it afterwards or looking foward to seeing it again.

[darkglow]

i absolutely love the old beastie boys dvds.. very trippy and weird and spacy but still very imaginative and cool.. i'd expect something like that from MMJ.. not this

[ratsprayer]

i absolutely love the old beastie boys dvds.. very trippy and weird and spacy but still very imaginative and cool.. i'd expect something like that from MMJ.. not this

ok that reminds me spike jonze could do a fucking excellent video for them.  am i the only one envisioning some kind of spastic mind fuck during the keyboard breakdown of this song?   the only thing i liked about this video is it stopped before it got to that point.  

[darkglow]

glad SOMEONE agrees.. maybe they'll get on the horn and call him tommorrow

[ratsprayer]

glad SOMEONE agrees.. maybe they'll get on the horn and call him tommorrow

if we can find his number, lets pass it on the band, eh?

[tomEisenbraun]

here's a thought!

why not have Crowe direct it?

[ratsprayer]

here's a thought!

why not have Crowe direct it?

dude, my moneys on chris cunningham or spike jonze.  either one of them could turn a linkin park video in to something captivating.   ;)

[EC]

Okay.

I've watched this a few times, now.  Because I couldn't quite get it at first.  

So, I've mentioned that I've noticed themes.  I think this video trails on one of them.

1.  funky dance soul music (obvious references)
2.  fucked up world

I'll expound on 2.  

First, I don't think that most of what I think is literal, nor do I think it's a good thing to think too much on stuff.  Your initial gut reaction generally is the one you go back to, and usually, for me, it isn't really something I can talk about.

So.  I think, like everyone else, I was expecting something along the lines of the sneaky peek at z little video.  Which is AWESOME.  It's informative, cinematically it's totally interesting and snazzy, it's full of small details which I love, and it has a good soundtrack. ;)

Obviously, this video is not like that.  And, I don't think it's supposed to be.

As soon as I saw the cover for Z, and heard a few things from interviews and stuff, I started thinking that the next phase might include socio/political commentary.  

And I think that's exactly what this video is about.  It's not flashy.  It's not "cool" or full of weirdo stuff that normally I love.  It's a statement of some sort.

I haven't entirely figured out the song Off The Record yet, let alone the video.  But gut feelings make me think it's about integrity.  And secrets.  

I mean whatever, I know that's all tremendously obvious and I'm not a big Sherlock Holmes here.

But I wonder.  If you're a thinking kind of a person (and I think Jim and the boys are all like that) then you have ideas and opinions about things.  Maybe about the state of the world.  And you have an opportunity that most don't have - to express your opinion and have it be heard.

Just a small interjection to remind people that this is my opinion.  

This video makes me think about destroying evidence, about not being honest, about being observed by big brother, about kids having been exposed to crazy shit, about anti-depressents and drug/bandaids.

And then I think about the cover of Z.  The owls (which are wise creatures in lore) are dissecting the city which is full of organs.  Owls have wings, and these owls' wings are also fingers/hands.  Little organ people/machines are whizzing through the city.

That makes me think about an interview or two (maybe from Patrick and maybe from Jim and maybe both, I can't remember) where they're talking about how Z was kind of about the state of the world, and their reaction to that, and how they were trying to remain positive about it all.

So maybe this video is meant to be thought out a little.  It's not a flashy, cool, rockstar video.  It's supposed to make you think.  

If it's true that this record will bring on board a whole new level of people who may not understand why a person could fall in love with At Dawn, then that's cool.  They may not get the point of the Off The Record video.  I don't even think I "get" the point of the Off The Record video.  But it's certainly made me think.

My Morning Jacket is not a band that needs flashy sexy videos to get people to listen to them.  We, all of us here, already know that.  Just because we're here.  

This is possibly the most random, all-over-the-place, non-conclusive post I've ever done.  But that's the state I'm in in my half-heard Z, post It Still Moves, post Southern Road trip state.

And I'm okay with that.  I think this video is meant to be something more than the general video you'll see.

Because I already know that these boys create amazing things, I don't belive that they would make some half-assed, boring video just because.  That's why I watched it more and tried to think about it more.

Again, just my opinion.  I don't need a flashy sexy video from them.  I get that from their music and their shows. ;)  

[darkglow]

megan you have to remember that most people will be seeing this on television so it would take them months to analyze this like that.. i was just kinda hoping for a more fun video because this is a fun tune

[EC]

megan you have to remember that most people will be seeing this on television so it would take them months to analyze this like that.. i was just kinda hoping for a more fun video because this is a fun tune

I know, honey.  I was, too.  But in a way, I'm kind of glad that I had to go back and watch it a bunch.  I don't really see this band as a "hit" band, although, certainly, they have many hits in meganworld.  They don't really compete with a (fuck, what is even popular now, I have no idea) let's say a Beck video, because they're even beyond that dude.  I love Beck, don't get me wrong, and I even dig his new video.  

So, let's examine the alternative.  We love the sneaky z.  But that was honest videotaping of stuff as it happened.

Do you want to see Jim lip synching?  I don't.  I hate that shit.  Do you want to see Tom pretending to play bass, and Patrick pretending to play drums, and Bo pretending to play his snazzy as fuck keyboarding styles, and Carl pretending to play guitar?  I don't.

We're all aware that the dudes have cool people who can make cool-ass shit if they wanted.  And that's what makes me think this is not what they wanted for this.  

Or, and let me say this as I always do, I'm totally wrong, and I've made a big misinterpreting mistake.

The thing that I think about Off The Record is that, sure, it's a fun tune.  But it's way more than that.  I don't really see it as some rebellious band thing where the dudes are going "We're gonna do what we fuckin' want, asshole, because we're original and we're fucking the shit."

They are the shit.  They don't need to talk about it.  They make music that they like, and that's all there is to it.

Anyhow, I'm off on a damn tangent again.

[darkglow]

i've said it before and i'll say it again.. a true MMJ music video should be full of live footage with other stuff thrown in.. hell, if you had the whole video clip of "steam engine" from bonnaroo 2004 it would be one of the most watched videos EVER