I've always really loved music videos. 99% of the time what you get rates anywhere from pedestrian to suck, but there are those moments of almost celestial insight that make all the shuffling through worth it.

In other words, it's like any other art form.

Of course, the video music channels don't play music videos anymore, so I've drifted away from the genre in recent years. Lately, though, I've been delving ever deeper into this bitchin' new thing I found on the Internets, YouTube.com. And best I can tell, just about everything that has ever been committed to film, video, or digital memory has been posted there. Whoa.

So now I can sift back and find stuff I haven't seen in years. I can find things I never got to see more than once. Or ever, in a couple cases, because sometimes MTV wouldn't hardly play the cool vids. There were "decency" issues in some cases ("Girls on Film") but in other instances (Death in Vegas' "Dirt") I guess they just figured nobody would get it.

Anyhow, this also set me to researching a bit. And ruminating about what I think are the best videos ever made. After reviewing DigitalDreamDoor's 100 Greatest Music Videos and Pitchfork Media's 100 Awesome Music Videos, I realized that I should leave the "best ever" task the heck alone, because the heavy lifting has already been done (even where I don't necessarily agree with the choices). The Pitchfork Media list is an absolute must, by the way.

So, instead, I have opted to produce a small screening of Lullaby
Pit's Really Awesome Music Videos That You May or May Not
Have Seen (But Should). I won't bother explaining the kinds of things that impress my sensibilities. I think you'll be able to figure that out on your own...

Click to view. (And please let me know if you find a broken link or something that doesn't seem quite right. Things get yanked and changed at YouTube all the time.)

"Dirt" – Death in Vegas
There's a great Jungian collective unconscious moment here. One night back in the mid/late-'90s, not too long after this came out, maybe, I was at home alone and getting ready to shut it down and go to bed. I had heard about this video but hadn't yet seen it. The TV was off by now - I'd been on the computer and the TV hadn't been on for awhile - and as I hit the light I stopped. Something in my head said "what if the video for 'Dirt' is on right now?" So what the hell - I flipped on the TV real quick. And just coming on - "Dirt," by Death in Vegas. Coincidence? Sure, why not.

"Smack My Bitch Up" – The Prodigy
Well, wasn't this one controversial. Misogynistic and all that. And you couldn't very well play it where the kids would see hooters flying all over the place, eh? It's not the most, ummm, aesthetically pleasing vid in history, but gods, what an edge...

"The Box" – Orbital
I used this one in a class or two back in the late '90s. Humanities and the Electronic Media, I think. Just a brilliant bit of short film making here - deftly captures the anomie and alienation of the postmodern urban wasteland. It's almost magical how we can be so isolated from a character and so connected all at the same time.

"Gave Up" – Nine Inch Nails
Used this in a class, as well. We were talking about censorship, and I decided that we should have something in front of us that would challenge anybody with even the slightest censoring bone in their body. The original version of this appeared on the Broken video release, and you should know the version here is considerably less disturbing than the full, unprettied original. It's so valuable because of how it destroys the homogeneity and emotional distancing effect of television, which allows us to filter the genuine horrors of the world around us in a way that doesn't upset our dinner. Here, Reznor wants the viewer to fucking get it. To quote a famous American, "mission accomplished."

"Hurt" – Johnny Cash
This is one you may have seen - it got some attention when it was released, and for good reason. I guess there's an institutional critique to be had here - industry sees a buck in having fading legend do stripped down cover of successful tune by contemporary artist. But I can't see any valid argument about the result here. The pain is palpable, tangible. Both song and video are nothing short of brilliant.

"Ich Bin Ein Auslander" – Pop Will Eat Itself
PWEI sets out to make an ominous statement about "the rise of the Right," and the video, while unlilely to win awards for cinematography, manages to accomplish its goal by being downright creepy. Wonderfully, the message is conveyed not by resort to imagery depicting the transgressions of those being indicted, but by focusing on...the band? Damn.

"NWO" – Ministry
I don't know what it is about the Bush family and its penchant for declaring victory just as the Commanches are cresting the hill, but suffice it say that Dubya wasn't the first in the family to pronounce a conflict over only to be proven wrong. In GHWB's case the stakes were even grander, I guess - a New World Order where evil would be unable to find a foothold. Ministry apparently was unconvinced...

"Space Oddity" – David Bowie
Bowie prety much invented music video years before MTV was ever launched. They used to show some of his vids on the Midnight Special back in the mid-'70s, and as cool as this one is, I wish YouTube had "DJ" posted. That was always my favorite.

"Round and Round" – New Order
The magic of this one is its sheer simplicity. Maybe it's just me, but it seems to capture a deeper essence of beauty by letting the camera linger, focus, concentrate. By letting the objets d'art develop a bit of a relationship with the shot, if you will. (Also, Technique was a criminally overlooked album.)

"Run Around" – Blues Traveler
I'm not a huge Blues Traveler fan, but this is as deceptively clever and cute a piece of storytelling-meets-wicked-industry-critique as I've seen.

And now, some more in the Just for Fun category. I may add on here as I find new and cool stuff...

"After Dark" – Seraphim Shock
Here's a bit of vampire fantasy for you from Denver's very own...

"Clown" – Switchblade Symphony
I miss Switchblade Symphony.