The Feelers “As Good as it Gets”

2000-the-feelers-as-good-as-it-getsSo, this is an interesting video. “As Good as it Gets” was a non-album single, the first new release after the run of singles from their debut album “Supersystem”. The song addresses “my honeymoon child”, but it very much feels like the honeymoon is over.

“As Good as it Gets” is laden with digital effects. The video is colour graded to the notorious teal and orange palette, but this was years before teal and orange was a big annoying thing. So there’s some cutting edge visuals from the Feelers.

There’s also lots of CGI with a the video being set in a stylised high-rise building with each room containing an interesting person from the world of music videos. Let’s do a roll call: interpretive dancer, schoolboy writing lines, hula hooper, a tap-dancing amputee, a mechanic working on inflatable pool toy cars, an aerial silk performer and a martial arts practitioner. All that’s missing is an old person doing something outrageous.

Whereas previous videos put the Feelers at the centre of all the action, it seems like this video marks the point where the Feelers have given up trying to do the big sexy rock star thing. The energy of “Pressure Man” is a distance memory. In this video they’re wearing sensible jumpers and all look like a band of dads, leaving the crazy to the hired hands. This, the Feelers are declaring, actually is as good as it gets.

Best bit: the giant orange shorts the interpretive dancer wears.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… skater dudes.

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