Falling from trees, the smooth love, down at the beach, the successful diva, a protective posse, the mysterious indie adventure, and the more famous Gareths.
Tag: Joe Lonie
August 2009: J Williams, Junipah, Liam Finn, Luger Boa, Midnight Youth, Minuit
Loitering at the pool hall, all around town, here and not here, couch party, a post-apocalyptic nightclub, and askew showgirls.
Continue reading August 2009: J Williams, Junipah, Liam Finn, Luger Boa, Midnight Youth, Minuit
June 2007: Fur Patrol, Hera, Liam Finn, Midnight Youth, My Life Story, Paul McLaney, Pine
A bath full of wine, playing in the leaves, a small church, love letters, a girl’s name, golden years and ur teacha iz da best.
Continue reading June 2007: Fur Patrol, Hera, Liam Finn, Midnight Youth, My Life Story, Paul McLaney, Pine
June 2007: Brutally Frank, Cyphanetik, Daniel Munro, Dukes, Ethical, False Start
Juicy fruits, Plan 9 from inner space, furry monsters, musical fears, a grave issue and an ethical conundrum.
Continue reading June 2007: Brutally Frank, Cyphanetik, Daniel Munro, Dukes, Ethical, False Start
Found videos from 1999
Resting bitch face, actual cows, a red room, Catholic guilt, a scenic boat trip, forecourt drama, romantic Venice, an outdoor TV and and pre-millennium tension.
Continue reading Found videos from 1999
Found videos from 1998
A high street strip, a gothic seductress, a cultural lesson, a bomb threat, a photo booth, a photo shoot, a cruise down the main street, a broadcast from outer space, a floaty necklace, a Harajuku girl and a mysterious staircase.
Continue reading Found videos from 1998
Found videos from 1997
A fluffy bra, nightclub, a prison, a derelict swimming pool, three lifts and an escalator.
Continue reading Found videos from 1997
Found videos from 1995
Let it rain 1995! There’s Supergroove on bikes, funk at the Civic, Lionel’s disappearing act, mean streets, tropical lolz, music with a message, wide lapels and an Auckland story.
Continue reading Found videos from 1995
Deja Voodoo “Can’t Do (What I Wanna Do)”
This song tackles the subject of what it’s like being a 30-year-old man in love with a 14-year-old girl. Because, yeah, 14-year-old girls are totally hot for gross, hairy, sweaty old guys.
The video avoids showing the subject of the song. Instead it’s Deja Voodoo rocking out among sand dunes and some classic-era Deja Voodoo explosions. Sometimes they’re shown walking in slow-motion and smoking cigarettes, which reminds me of Supergroove’s “You Freak Me” video with its self-conscious “Look!!! We are smoking!!!!” teenage posing (and curiously enough, both videos were directed by Joe Lonie).
Perhaps all the explosions and fireballs symbolise the sexual frustration of a man who has vowed to wait until his 14-year-old girlfriend is 18 – two years past the age of consent – before they do it.
This was the first single of Deja Voodoo’s second album, Back in Brown, and both the song and the video feels stuck between the jokey tone of their first album and a totally legit rock band. Look at it one way, and it’s funny, but the other way and it’s kind of creepy.
But then, maybe the line “You weren’t even born in the ’80s!” is really the cry of a man annoyed that his teen girlfriend doesn’t get his hilarious Thundercats references.
Best bit: the “cool dudes walking in slow motion ignore big explosion” scene.
Director: Joe Lonie
Nga Taonga Sound & Vision
Next… an old building.
Betchadupa “Who’s Coming Through The Window”
“Who’s Coming Through The Window” was Betchadupa’s 11th NZOA-funded video, with the band soon coming to the organic end of its life. The video saw the band team up with Joe Lonie, and it’s like a technologically advanced version of his earlier one-take wonder videos with Goodshirt.
The video uses one continuous, stationary shot of a grimy looking dressing room. Shot in moody black and white, there’a a window, a door, a mirror that reflects that other half of the room, a shelf stack with the band’s boozy rider, and enough room for one member of Betchadupa to play.
We see different members of the band performing in the one spot, sometimes with others playing in the mirror’s reflection. While this happens, a succession of gig-goers climb in the window, steal a beer or two or three, and head out the door. There wouldn’t be any of this trouble if Betchadupa had requested a fruit platter.
The song is a slightly offbeat pop track (with hints of the Mint Chicks’ skewed sound) and the video plays with that not-quite-normal feeling. All the different layers of the video, with the window-climbers and band members sharing the same space, remind me of the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, but the less said about that, the better.
Like many Joe Lonie videos, it’s a gimmick-based video with no deep meaning behind it all. But that’s fine – let the song do the talking.
Best bit: a poster advertising a band (or album?) called Deafblindness.
Director: Joe Lonie
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Next… something a bit sci-fi.