Tag: Videos

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Something Wonderful

Take a Break! Here Are Some Bite-Sized Bits of Fun

photo of a cat that appears to be laughing

Sometimes you need to step away from things for just a moment and take in something that makes you smile or laugh out loud. If you need a break from the news or your work, here are several bite-sized videos that can brighten your day.

Music Videos

Some of these are more about the music than the video — you can enjoy them just as much if you just listen while doing something else — but others are all about the imagery.

Those Darned Accordions Cover Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire”

Seventy-four-year-old Clyde Forsman’s vocals are what make this so special.

The Cure’s Official Video for “The Lovecats”

I enjoy the song, but honestly, this one’s all about the video: the bad taxidermy, the fur suits, Robert Smith dancing around and around until you’re dizzy. Tip: I couldn’t embed this video, so had I to link to it. If it appears too big for your screen, hit the “full screen” icon in the bottom right corner of the video, and it will shrink to fit.

Munamies (AKA “Eggy”) Performs “Pomppufiilis”

I don’t understand a word of Finnish (an online translation says the title means “Feel Like Bouncing”), but I love this egg character and all of the people who willingly jump and down with him in the video. Be sure to watch the little kid on the right at about 2:06.

Kate Bush’s Official Video for “Them Heavy People”

Watch it for her expressiveness, the weird dance during the chorus, and the slow, dramatic “fight” at the end.

“Weird Al” Yankovic’s “Word Crimes” Video

There are lots of great “Weird Al” videos to choose from, but as a writer and editor, I had to pick this one.

The Otamatone Cover of “Take On Me”

This is a shot-for-shot remake of the original a-ha music video, all done with Otamatones. If you aren’t familiar with or don’t care much for the original, this probably won’t do a lot for you.

The B-52’s Singing “Quiche Lorraine”

I’ve always preferred the B-52’s older, weirder songs to their more popular — and normal — songs like “Love Shack.” This one is definitely weird.

OK Go’s Video for “Upside Down & Inside Out”

This video, shot in zero gravity, is just one of OK Go’s many amazing music videos. The song is fun, too.

Sakanaction’s Video for “Shin Takarajima”

The song is catchy, the video is humorous, and I love the asymmetrical suit the female guitar player is wearing.

William Shatner “Sings” to George Lucas

Does this count as a music video? I’m saying it does.

Ads and Other Videos

The one thing these videos have in common? They aren’t music videos.

This Sweded Version of the Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

The term “swede” comes from Be Kind Rewind; it refers to short, low-budget versions of movies (or trailers). This shot-for-shot remake of The Force Awakens trailer is one of my favorites.

This Look Around You Clip

This bit from a British comedy series may only appeal to Gen Xers, but it definitely reminds me of science videos from my school years — even though the ones I watched were probably all created in the U.S.

The EDS “Cat Herders” Ad

This 20-year-old ad from the Fallon advertising agency in Minneapolis is probably my all-time favorite television commercial.

Any “Never Say No to Panda” Ad

I don’t remember how I came across Panda Cheese ads from Egypt (probably through my kid), but they’re great.

This Award-Winning Ad: “Best Friends”

A couple of years ago I watched the British Arrow Awards at the Walker Art Center. This was my favorite.

What are your favorite bite-sized videos?

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Something Wonderful

I Watched All of Safiya Nygaard’s Videos

YouTuber Safiya Nygaard is, technically speaking, young enough to be my child. She has drawers full of lipsticks; I own one lipstick, one lip pencil, one lip gloss, and two lip balms. She occasionally does things that make me squirm with discomfort, such as using a screw to apply mascara. (Keep that thing away from your eyes!) So how did I get hooked on her videos? And why am I telling you about someone who is so well-known that she has millions of subscribers?

Last question first: Most of my readers tend to be Gen Xers or Boomers. I’m assuming many of you don’t know any more about Nygaard than I did before my kid introduced me to her work. But I believe that her videos can be just as fun for someone who’s fifty as they are for someone who’s twenty-five. Much of that has to do with who she is as a person.

She’s adventurous.

I have a great love for trying new things. Nygaard is my role model in this area. She’s forever engaging in experiments, including melting all of Bath and Body Work’s candles together, getting things from unusual vending machines in Tokyo, buying an abandoned storage unit, and wearing strange clothing items, like this t-shirt. I certainly wouldn’t do everything she’s tried (I felt a little queasy watching her eat a cake with lipstick in it), but I’m entertained and even inspired by the way she explores the world.

She’s got a goofy sense of humor.

I have a soft spot for people who are willing to be silly. Watching Nygaard playfully wear a jean jacket with four-foot-long sleeves warms my heart.

She’s ever-so-slightly geeky.

I don’t know if Nygaard dives into geek culture beyond the most popular things, but I love hearing her Pokémon references, watching her try out Harry Potter sorting hat bath bombs, and seeing the Game of Thrones pillows on her couch. Safiya, the geek in me salutes the geek in you.

She’s both honest and kind.

Nygaard is very upfront about when content is sponsored… and when it is not. She gives credit to other YouTubers who have inspired her or have done something first. And when she offers up critiques, she isn’t mean-spirited. Nygaard proves that you can be both honest and kind.

She’ll teach you about everything from fashion to theme parks.

Nygaard’s videos are, in my opinion, entertaining first and foremost, but I’ve also learned things. I love her videos involving fashion history, including a video featuring bridal gowns from different time periods and a series devoted to looks from 1953 to 2007. Beyond learning about fashion history, I’ve learned many other useless but fun facts, such as the term for Disney-specific casual cosplay (Disneybounding) and the fact that there is a South Korean theme park dedicated to cheese.

Bonus: Her husband, Tyler Williams, is also lots of fun.

Williams has both filmed and been a part of many of Nygaard’s videos almost from the beginning. He supports her in whatever challenge she takes on, even if it includes (somewhat reluctantly) kissing her when she has toilet paper on her lips. I don’t often say, “What a cute couple!” but really, they are just that.

Ready to watch her videos?

I watched all of Nygaard’s videos because that seemed the only way to review someone who will melt every single one of Sephora’s lipsticks together. You don’t have to do that. I recommend starting with her more recent videos and deciding whether you will just subscribe to pick up the newest ones or work your way back as far as you want. In general, I think her videos have been getting better over the years, so if you randomly pick one from a few years ago and don’t like it, try something a little more recent.

Oh, and keep in mind: Some of Nygaard’s videos, like this “hairy chest swimsuit” video, are NSFW (that’s Not Suitable For Work, for those who didn’t know). You’ve been warned.

One more thing: At the end of every video, Nygaard asks people to “shmash that subscribe button.” If you like this blog, please consider “shmashing” its subscribe button. Just look for “Subscribe to Blog via Email” at the top of the right-hand column. Thank you!

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: The Point

These dogs remind me of Arrow from The Point
If I had a dog as pointy as these, I might name it Arrow.

If you haven’t listened to Harry Nilsson’s The Point! or watched the related cartoon, it’s time.

The Point is the story of Oblio, a child in the Pointed Village, where everyone and everything has a point. Born round, Oblio is the exception to the rule. Despite his well-known pointlessness, he manages to fit in fairly well. His mother has made him a pointed cap, which helps him look like everyone else. He also has a dog, Arrow, who teams up with him for the popular game Triangle Toss. Then he crosses the Count’s son and finds himself banished to the Pointless Forest. His journey through the forest convinces him that everything has a point (visible or not). Like The Princess Bride, the story is framed within a story of an adult reading to a child, complete with interruptions. There is a moral — errrr, point — to the story, but it doesn’t feel preachy.

The television show, which I saw at least once as a kid, is true to its time (1971). Its animation is basic but beautiful — in a very different way than, say, Miyazaki’s animation. It’s also pretty trippy. I wasn’t terribly surprised to learn that Nilsson conceived of the story while on acid. You’ll recognize many of the voices: Ringo Starr is the narrator (for the best-known version), Mike Lookinland is Oblio, and Paul Frees and Lennie Weinrib also contributed their talents. When I rewatched the video before writing this post, I found a moment that is cringe-worthy in its lack of sensitivity — a stereotype of a Chinese man during the first few seconds of “P.O.V. Waltz” — but otherwise the video is as watchable and relevant today as it was when it first came out.

The album is classic Nilsson. It includes “Me and My Arrow,” a song you may have heard even if you are unfamiliar with The Point. In fact, I was inspired to write this post because I recently heard that song in a store and found myself grinning ear-to-ear. I listened to my parents’ album over and over and am overjoyed to have found a man who shares my love for it. His commentary about and clips of The Point are far better than the official video trailer.

The Vinyl Geek recommends that you watch the video on YouTube and buy the vinyl album. I agree that the album is amazing. If you can get your hands on a good copy with the insert, by all means get it! But new copies of The Point! are not available, so unless you’re lucky enough to find a reasonably priced album in good condition, you may have to settle for the CD or MP3 version. (Since plenty of people are listening to vinyl again, I hope the album will be re-released, complete with the insert.) Rather than watching the video on YouTube, however, I’m going to encourage you to get it from Netflix (you’ll have to get it on disc) or see if your library has it. You can also purchase the DVD from Amazon.

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Something Wonderful

Something Wonderful: Amanda Palmer’s Music Videos

I took an oblique path to Amanda Palmer’s fandom, though I know I’m not the only person to have done so. I had admired Neil Gaiman’s work for some time. When he mentioned her book on social media, I asked for it for Christmas. I read it a little over a year ago and was impressed with the way Amanda approached her art and fan base, so I decided to follow her on Twitter (warning: she occasionally swears) and become one of her Patreon patrons. I was interested in observing the way she approached the business side of her art. I’ve also wanted to be a patron of the arts since I was a young teenager, and since I’ve never become a fabulously wealthy woman who can donate thousands of dollars — or more — to artistic organizations, being one of Amanda’s patrons was an affordable way of attaining my dream.

Amanda creates beautiful work for her patrons on a regular basis. I’ve been treated to her cover of “Purple Rain,” her humorous dance song “On the Door,” and many other things. In one of her posts to patrons, she included a link to a song she had performed several years ago with Jason Webley: “Evelyn Evelyn.” As soon as I’d seen it, I decided that one day I would write about the beautiful videos that sometimes accompany her work.

Amanda enjoys collaborating with other artists — both musical and visual. As a result, some of the most gorgeous music videos I’ve ever seen have come from artists she has worked with to illustrate her songs. Not long after I became a patron, she released the video “1952 Vincent Black Lightning” with art by David Mack.

The song comes from an album she recorded with her father, You Got Me Singing. That album inspired more than just the David Mack video. Amanda released not one but two videos for “Wynken, Blynken & Nod.” The official video stars Amanda and Neil’s son, Ash, and involved a nightlong shoot while he was sleeping. The other video is a stop-motion animation done by Chiara Ambrosio, who also created the video for “Evelyn Evelyn.” It reminds me a little of In the Night Kitchen.

For Christmas, Amanda sent patrons a video for the Basque carol “The Angel Gabriel.” It was filmed in Havana and was created with a host of actors, dancers, and artists. I know that my readers have different religious views and different sensitivities to things like nudity. Amanda is not at all shy about nakedness, and that definitely shows up in this video: there are lots of bare breasts. Some people may find that offensive in general or may simply be bothered by nudity in a video with religious references. Although it’s not the best analogy, I’d say if you saw Jesus of Montreal and were uncomfortable with it, you may want to skip this, but if you were moved by it, you’ll probably enjoy this video as much as I did.

Amanda is generous with her work, so it should be no surprise that she has a robust YouTube channel that includes music, spoken word performance, interviews, and more. I feel bad about sprinkling warnings throughout a post about an artist’s work, but because I want to be sensitive to my readers’ viewpoints, I need to be clear that Amanda is very frank about sex and sexuality. For example, in the discordantly cheery “Oasis” she plays a young woman who was raped and had an abortion. I found it thought-provoking; other people might be disturbed by her approach. I certainly wouldn’t advise anyone to sit down with their six-year-old and roam freely over the site. If you would rather not view what you would not share with your child, then Amanda’s work is probably not for you. And that’s okay. But if you are intrigued by what I’ve shared with you, check out more of her work, and consider joining me as a patron.