December 2006: Misfits of Science, Mr Boinkin and the Kurnel MC, Pete Fountain, PNC, Sarah Brown, Stylus

The Misfits get touchy, swingin’ in suits, playing with Lego, 20th century dress-ups, a last supper, and a red dinosaur.

Misfits of Science “Can’t Leave It Alone”

So, “Can’t Leave It Alone” is an ode to masturbation. Yay. It contains lyrics like this: “Rubbin’ on the Vaseline with Angeline/Jolie while I read my Dolly magazine/Cos it’s the only way to stay in touch with young girls/But I ain’t saying I wanna touch the young girls”. Ok, it’s a bit creepy, but it could be much worse. The video fits in with the MOS style of cartoony animation, but this time the rappers themselves are barely altered, slotted into the crazy animated world.

Mr Boinkin and the Kurnel MC “Swing It”

“Swing It” samples “Midnight in Moscow” and is an introduction to the talents of the Kurnel MC. But I can’t help thinking “Show, don’t tell”. Good song lyrics don’t need to read like the “personal strengths” section of a CV. Deliver a good song and then audiences won’t need to be told you’re the best – they’ll already know. The video is quite fun. The duo are both dressed in sharp suits and bring goofy energy. At one point Mr Boinkin has had his previously luxuriant pompadour shaved into a bald spot and combover, both amusing and distressing.

Director: Dale McCready
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Pete Fountain “Heavy Tonight”

“Heavy Tonight” is a chilled-out folky track. The video is based around two hand-held Lego spaceships (each piloted by a version of Pete). They’re battling each other, which is explained in the YouTube description as “a light hearted look at fighting with one’s self.” Visually it doesn’t quite work – the song would suit something bigger than the tiny universe of Lego toys.

PNC “PNWhoa!”

This video was filmed at Gladstone School in Auckland. And if there’s one thing that kids love more than shouting out a countdown, it’s acting like cool dudes. So there’s PNC, P-Money and PNC’s red dinosaur friend hanging out at the school, surrounded by dozens of kids, all carefully wearing sunhats. Scribe might have had the craziest fan posse in his “Stand Up” video, but PNC’s posse is a close second.

Sarah Brown “Nothing New”

Sarah Brown gets glam in her second video directed by Kezia Barnett. “Nothing New” puts Sarah in a number of glamorous outfits from different decades of the 20th century (the one from the ’80s is the craziest and therefore the best). The video uses split-screen to show Sarah split between two or three decades, picking up on the lyrical message that it’s all been done before.

Director: Kezia Barnett
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

Stylus “Home”

The video opens with Stylus sitting around the kitchen table, being served meat ‘n’ two veg. Then a wide shot reveals that – whoa! – they’re satirising Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time a rock star took on a Jesus Christ pose. The domestic scene eventually erupts into a rock scene. This was the last of Stylus’ five funded videos. They’ve all been available online, thanks to Dave the drummer who has pretty much everything they’ve done on his YouTube channel.

Nga Taonga Sound & Vision

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