5000 Ways to Love You – Page 90 – Exploring the world of NZ On Air music video funding

Garageland “Fingerpops”

The “Fingerpops” video is an ode to drinking, specifically to that kind of drinking people do in their early 20s. It’s when you’ve moved on from such adolescent delights as peach schnapps and Sprite, and are now entering the adult world of sophisticated drinks. Why, in this video Garageland are hanging out in a Tarantinoesque bar, enjoying a whisky-like beverage in cut-glass tumblers, and drinking some sort of milky concoction shaken up and poured into shot glasses, and there are cocktail umbrellas. Take that, Don Draper.

“Fingerpops” is a love song, about being carried away with the whirlwind of emotion that comes with love, about how the cracking of knuckles can set your heart ablaze just cos it’s your special sweetie who’s doing it.

As well as the drinking, the video captures both the moody, emotional side of the love (the dark bar) and the joyful fun side (a bright lounge decorated with op shop furniture). It’s that perfect naivety of being a young adult – caught between the bright shiny world of childhood but forcing yourself into the dark world of adulthood.

Maybe this is how I want to remember the ’90s. I look to Jeremy Eade, wearing the sort of shirt you only see these days on cool uncles. “I haven’t been to bed for days,” brags Jeremy. “I live in a twilight haze.” When you’re old, this is a terrible situation. When you’re young, it’s brilliant.

Best bit: As the rest of the band rocks out, Debbie Silvey plays her guitar while lying on the couch.

Director: Peter Bell, Carla Rotondo
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a boy, a girl, a ladder.

Bike “Save My Life”

Ok, first a disclosure: I really don’t like this song, I generally don’t like the music of Bike, and I was not a fan of Andrew Brough’s songwriting in the Straitjacket Fits. But I know many people who love his songs, including “Save My Life”, so I’m willing to put my personal feelings aside. This is very generous of me.

Directed by Mark Tierney, the video is based around the band playing the song in a simple studio. They’re all dressed in black, all wearing dark glasses, and the black-and-white footage is tinted orange. The video is slowed down, which gives it a dreamy feeling and works with the tone of the song.

The band’s sunglasses are a little reminiscent of the diabolical Boss Godfrey in “Cool Hand Luke”, and we frequently see fiery flames reflected in Andrew’s glasses. So when he sings “I’m already dead”, we can assume this means he’s in hell. Oh crap.

Occasionally we catch a glimpse of the outside world – a wave crashes on a beach, a photograph flutters in the wind in a city street. These images are shot in untinted black and white. Is this heaven?

As the video progresses, the orange-filtered footage of the band alternates with straight black and white. Even though they are “already dead”, perhaps it is still possible for their souls to be saved. Whoa.

Best bit: the flames, the fiery flames of hell.

Director: Mark Tierney
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… open up the bar.

Superette “Touch Me”

ouch”Touch Me” is a song about Mark David Chapman and his obsessive relationship with John Lennon, the second Superette song to give a pop treatment to a bad man.

But instead of making the film about a deranged killer, director Stuart Page picks up on the “touch me” refrain of the chorus and turns it in a more sexy but still unsettling direction.

Set in a K Road peep show booth, a leather-clad Superette squeeze on to the rotating stage in the booth, where they perform their sexy indie pop routine to a number of customers.

There’s a very excited fellow who’s brought along a catering-size jar of Vaseline, which he proceeds to smear all over his face and hair. At first he’s startled by what he finds on the other side of the window (not Madonna in the “Open Your Heart” video), but he soon comes to appreciate the trio.

We also meet a balding man who views a bored transvestite, a businesswoman who views two female boxers, and a floppy haired man who breaks open the window and finds Mr Vaseline rotating on the stage. Is this a magical peep booth that shows people what their heart truly desires?

While the song has some pretty dark themes, the “Touch Me” video cleverly keeps the dark undertones but uses enough humour to match the poppy feeling of the song. And any band who can enthusiastically wear S&M leathers while performing in a small space has my admiration.

Best bit: Mr Vaseline’s sex face. He likes what he sees.

Director: Stuart Page
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… life after death.

Semi Lemon Kola “Play Dumb”

Semi Lemon Kola always had a bit of a Red Hot Chili Peppers sound, and indeed it’s there even when they’re tackling a ballad. “Play Dumb” has that same serious Anthony Keidis ballad voice happening, complete with compressed vocals.

The video attempts a World War II theme, but it’s not quite an authentic period drama. In this World War II, glamorous women are also high-ranking military officials.

A non-military glamorous woman puts a record on the stereogram for a couple of officers, while up in the sky some aerial combat takes place. Any attempt at realism is dropped with the use of wobbly models for the aerial shots.

After a terrible crash, a soldier gets some badly applied bandages on his face, reminiscent of Metallica’s “One” video, only not as haunting.

But who is the enemy these brave soliders are fighting? Perhaps there is a clue in the lyrics – “I’m my own worst enemy. The only one I blame is myself.” Oh, it’s not Nazis they’re fighting; it’s the super-ego!

The video ends in more aerial combat, cuminating with a cheerful pilot who appears to drop a nuclear bomb on the Beehive. It’s not entirely clear why he does this, though it’s probably something to do with the government getting everyone down.

I dunno. New rule for music video production: stay away from the army surplus store.

Best bit: the glamourous lady plays the “Oceana Roll” record, a song that predates World War I. Get with it, grandma.

Director: Steve Morrison
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a giant jar of Vaseline and a view.

Rikki Morris “These Dark Moods”

Even before I watched this video, I was intrigued by this comment on YouTube. “Warners hated this video. I’m not sure it ever actually went to air.” Well, it would have gone to air at least once to fulfill the NZOA funding obligations, but was it really as uncommercial as that comment seemed to suggest?

The song itself is intriguing. It’s an upbeat, ’60s-influenced pop rock song – something that Rikki Morris is very good at writing. But the lyrics are about really bad depression. Not just feeling a bit glum, but full-on, paralysingly shit depression.

The video is mostly black and white footage of Rikki in a black space singing the song and playing his guitar. Occasionally there are glimpses of a churchyard, gargoyles and crosses. But the poppy nature of the song means all the gothic imagry isn’t too gloomy.

Occasionally we see some behind-the-scenes shots, glimpses of Rikki and the video crew in a studio. It’s a reminder that what you see in the video is, at least in some respect, showbiz.

No doubt a more commercial video could have been made, but I like this one. And looking back, 15 years later, this video feels a lot less dated than other videos from this era.

Best bit: the black and white graveyard scenes, like a high school photography portfolio.

Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… a glamorous military commander.

OMC “Right On”

Modern life is tough for Pauly Fuemana. As he plays chess with his glamorous friends in a cool urban cafe, he starts to think back to his carefree childhood in the mystical Island Bay. But it’s not the windy Wellington suburb. Pauly’s Island Bay is a warm sunny seaside spot that filled with the joy of the Pacific Islands.

Following in the steps of their massive worldwide hit “How Bizarre”, “Right On” doesn’t stray very far from the winning sound of “How Bizarre”. It has the Pacific guitar, ladies singing the chorus, mariachi horns and a handy catchphrase. It’s a fine pop song in its own right, but tends to pale in comparison to “How Bizarre”.

In an attempt to capture the spirit of his childhood, Pauly boards a colourful Elvis-driven bus and gathers up some friends, destination Island Bay. Despite the carefree world of both the lyrics and the video, Pauly looks very serious, as if perhaps there are deep troubles weighing on him. And when he does smile, it looks like he’s trying to hide it, as if looking happy would damage his reputation.

But the video gets a happy ending, with the urbanites reaching Island Bay and enjoying a twilight singalong. And that’s not a bad thing to experience.

Best bit: the important businessman taking an important phone call on his chunky ’90s cellphone.

Director: Rob Mclaughlin
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… some very dark moods.

Nothing at All! “Busted”

Nothing At All! were a legendary punky garagey band from the North Shore. They came out with a crazy guitar sound years before that sound became popular in the early 2000s. “Busted” is two minutes of fun and energy with a video that perfectly captures this.

Directed by Andrew Moore, we see the band dressed in opshop finery, playing on a small stage, in front of a golden curtain. This is mixed with footage of the band being badasses out on the streets of Auckland.

There’s much marauding around the railway station, the tank farm, the waterfront – if there’s a cool location, the boys will find a way to run, drive or pose through it.

There’s a dramatic scene where a stolen car smashes into a stack of egg trays, but hey, if you leave a stack of egg trays in a narrow alleyway, you have to expect it’ll get knocked about.

But the video saves the best for last – there’s a helicopter, an actual real helicopter. Down by the waterfront, the lads board and take off into the skies over Auckland. For what is a low-budget music video, this is a brilliant touch, a bit of 1980s glam amid the ’90s garage.

Director Andrew Moore on the making of the video: “The band had seen some skating videos I’d made and contacted me about doing a video. We agreed to spend a day hanging out and filming some stuff as kind of a demo for the main shoot. It was the funniest day ever, we got bent and spent the video budget on beers, food and other incentives. I fucken laughed all day, these dudes were hilarious. Shot at their practise room at Frisbee studios in Symonds St”

Best bit: the sprint past a police car. Yeah, take that.

Director: Andrew Moore
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… Jan goes manic in Sydney.

Martin Phillipps and the Chills “Come Home”

Miami Sound Machine became Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, by the mid ’90s the Chills had rebranded as Martin Phillipps and the Chills. The cheerful “Home Come” was the first single off new album “Sun Burnt”, and it served as a clarion call to young expat New Zealanders.

The video introduces us to two such expats. In New York, a glamorous young woman wearing a giant winter hat drops a handful of coins in the cup of an elderly beggarman. She furrows her brow, as if she has realised deep down that it is not right for an elderly man who be out begging in the middle of winter. Come home! New Zealand does not have many beggars and the winters are mild, anyway!

Meanwhile in London, a young man wearing surfer gear works behind bar. His short hair is roughly braided. While he goes about his job, he is momentarily distracted, as if he is remembering the golden summers he spent surfing in Gisborne. He doesn’t see much sun in this dingy bar. Come home! You can work in a bar by the beach, and you don’t even have to bother with mixing drinks as it is the ’90s and RTDs are new on the scene!

Back in New Zealand, a group of children play hide and seek in a park. Sure, it’s not as exciting as London or New York, but, like, it’s green and there are trees. And children.

Throughout all this the Chills play on an isolated beach, complete with highly symbolic megaphones. I’m sure this video would have persuaded a few homesick Kiwis to return back to Aotearoa, but it’s only really going to be successful if you hate cities and love isolated outdoor areas.

Best bit: where the camera appears to chase a boy, who turns and runs in fear.

Director: Mark Tierney
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… running, jumping, helicoptering.

Jan Hellriegel “Pure Pleasure”

In this Mark Tierney-directed video, Jan plays a catsuit-clad femme fatale, the star of a fake show called “Supervixens!”, which appears to have no relation to the legendary Russ Meyer film.

Jan and her supervixen posse – Buffy and St Marie (oh, I did what they did there) – receive a call to action: a secret formula has been stolen! The girls very stylishly hit the road, and meanwhile evil people do evil things with the secret formula.

The evil mastermind is played by Zane Lowe. At the time he was one of Urban Disturbance, whereas now he is all properly famous. Jan and los vixens make it to the criminal HQ and procede to fight the evil criminals, with Jan giving Zane a pash of death.

It’s a fun, playful video. It’s very much a work of the mid-’90s, packed full of strong ’70s pop culture references. It’s another video that was obviously inspired by the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage”, and there’s also a bit of Tarantino cool lurking around.

Best bit: the surprise cat ending.

Director: Mark Tierney
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… Martin’s public service announcement.

Dead Flowers “You Drink The Water, I’ll Drink The Wine”

Dead Flowers get all “November Rain” with this epic-ish metal ballad. Shot in high-contrast black and white, the video takes place in rural New Zealand, where a tragedy has occurred.

Someone has died, which causes mothers and children to cry in close up. The young male suspect stands trial and appears to be found guilty, sentenced to hang. Yes, this is the part of New Zealand where hanging still happens. Probably somewhere in Southland.

But then the narrative gets a bit fuzzy. Suddenly we see Bryan Dead Flowers in the police cell. What’s he doing there? He is actually the murderer? He has switched places?

The previously strong narrative dissolves into a series of dramatic shots, as if someone gave up trying to give the video a conclusion and instead just strung together some prior footage.

Despite all that, this is a pretty decent looking video. But it’s let down by one really big thing: the cops have really bad fake moustaches. I don’t quite understand it. There’s obviously been a lot of effort put into the video, making it look really good, but yet the policemen have really bad $2 shop Moustache Party stick-on mo’s. And even worse – one of these cops is shown in close-up. Even the Beastie Boys had better looking fake moustaches in the deliberately cheesy “Sabotage” video.

Best bit: the serious judge with his serious pointing finger.

Director: Chris Mauger
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision

Next… revenge of the Supervixens.