This is an angry dude anthem. On the main refrain, Tiki Taane snarls, “Don’t tell me what to do! Don’t tell me what to play! I got my own idea and I don’t give a care!” Which makes it seem like he is incapable of saying no, that if someone tells him to do something he doesn’t want to do, he feels compelled to do it anyway. Dude, this is all you need to do. Just say in a really whiny voice, “Oh, I’m gonna have to pass this time. I’ve had a rough week and I need rest. And I have a headache. I’m just gonna have a bath and go to bed.”
“Don’t Tell Me” takes the angry vocals of Tiki and combines it with the angry music of Concord Dawn, and I can imagine this song being popular with 15-year-old boys whose mum has just reminded them again that the lawn still needs mowing.
The action begins in a stark old warehouse. A guy in a white top pulls himself up off the ground and starts sprinting through the warehouse, shot in slow-motion with an bleak blue-grey colour palette. He’s soon joined by two others wearing black. They seem to be in a race, with the coveted leading position being most important at all times.
We then meet Tiki, standing in the same warehouse, being angry by himself. He’s also joined by Concord Dawn, with the three of them standing around while they’re covered with mysterious indoor rain.
I feel like I can’t fully embrace the world of “Don’t Tell Me” because I’m waaay outside the target audience, but eventually the white shirt guy wins the race and Tiki is smiling as he performs, so maybe things aren’t all that bad in angry dude land.
Best bit: the indoor rain – where does it come from?
Director: Andrew Morton
Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision
Next… fill ‘er up.