More Hirarious Videos!

-In this video, a Japanese television show seeks to find the most beautiful girl in Italy by taking a random girl, asking her who her most beautiful friend is, then asking that girl who her most beautiful friend is, and by the 12th girl, according to the hypothesis, you should have the most beautiful girl in Italy (I personally think girl #2 was the best looking, but what do I know). The best part is the host who apparently has never seen B-cups in his life because he goes ape-shit for every bella ragazza italiana.

-This video set black people back at least a decade.

-This one reaffirmed every stereotype I ever had of Vietnamese college students.

-This video proves that Hillary’s account of what transpired in Bosnia WAS accurate.

-And, finally, there is nothing funnier than pranks on unsuspecting Japanese people, especially when they involve car-sized snow balls and water-shooting microphones

The Top 10 Most Depressing Music Videos

For those who are intimately familiar with my tastes in music, they’re in fact not confined to bubblegum pop;actually, I adore depressing music. This probably stems from the fact that because in eighth grade the least cool thing ever could be to love life, and since I had pretty much an ideal childhood with loving parents and siblings (that’s not sarcasm either), I couldn’t exactly extract any despair from that; so I just relied on other people’s traumatic experiences to quench my thirst for misery. And, well, the habit stuck. I can hardly relate to the music, but I empathize with their pain and I find listening to songs (and their accompanying videos which serve to accentuate the plight depicted in the song) like these to be almost cathartic.

I obviously excluded anything with Puffy or Nickleback or anyone else whose videos teem with pageantry as well as others that lacked sincerity or true torment. Bands like Simple Plan and Blink-182 whose attempt to portray heartbreak is almost amusing in its dearth of authenticity were  definitely not included (Note: it’s a ‘shame’ Stabbing Westward videos categorically suck because they would’ve been ideal candidates for this contest). Here we go: 

-Pearl Jam: Off of Pearl Jam’s epic album “Ten,” mega-single “Jeremy” caused a stir because of its disturbing music video, which eerily foreshadows the Colombine and other school shootings

-Corneille: “Seul au monde.” This Quebec-based hip-hop artist was raised in Rwanda and was the only member of his family to survive the genocide. He frequently sings about his trials and triumphs dealing with this tragedy and this song is no exception; “Alone in the World” depicts his life in a world eons away from his childhood friends and family.

-Johnny Cash: Originally composed by Trent Reznor, “Hurt” is supposedly about Cash’s deceased wife. A powerfully mournful ballad: I admit, I cried when I heard it.

-Jay Chou: The first song on “November’s Chopin,” Ye Qu (meaning “Nocturnes”) tragically tells the tale of love loss. Even though it’s in Chinese, it doesn’t take a minor in the language to understand his pain.

-Elliot Smith: “Needle in the Hay.” Gaining notoriety after the release of the movie “Royal Tenenbaums,” this song was an integral part of the most heart-wrenching scene in the film, when Luke Wilson attempts to commit both suicide and alopecia. Elliot Smith, after writing this album, would later commit suicide.

-Kyo: The title of “Je saigne encore” translates to “I Still Bleed” and discusses in alarmingly precise detail the pains of witnessing the one you love in love with another.

-Bloc Party: Though I don’t believe this is the real “Positive Tension” music video, this representation of the devastating effect of heroine abuse is extremely poignant.

-Ben Folds: I don’t care if you call me a fag, “Brick” is an emotionally exhausting song, chronicling a young couple’s decision to have an abortion and then confronting their parents with this information.

-The Cranberries: “Zombie,” a song illustrating the horrors of the “Terrors,” as the Northern Irish struggle for independence is colloquially known, serves as a grounding for people who like to conceive the war in more idyllic terms (though I do take exception to some of the idolatry in the video).

 

-Placebo’s cover of “Running Up That Hill” is pretty much the opposite side of the spectrum from the Kate Bush original. The band allowed fans to send in their own videos, spliced them, and created the official music video. Though some folks are obviously just trying to get on camera, the anguish in the eyes of others jumps through the computer screen, and you know they understand.

(This Was Not An Empty Threat)

this video, courtesy of Zilbert, almost made me piss myself. Also, it receives perfect marks on the “Bollywood Authenticity Checklist.” 1) All Western clothing is from the Eighties? Check. 2) At least four costume changes? Check. 3) At least one shot in the Himalayas? Check. 4) No sign of poverty or overpopulation? Check. 5) At least twenty of your closest friends necessary to declare your love? Check.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZA1NoOOoaNw&feature=related

-this video, courtesy of Gree, is almost as funny.

Embrace Your Inner 14-year Old Girl!

Also, as alluded to previously, I have a soft spot for Fall Out Boy. And even if you don’t, these videos are pretty funny.

Reasons To Live: #764 Bloc Party

In an attempt to regain some musical face, I will reveal to you the largest contributor to my top 25 list: Bloc Party! (which I insist on saying in a delightfully dreadful /borderline unintelligible Cockney accent) Bloc Party has seven entries on mah prayrist. (And in second place, of course, is Moroccan hip-hop sensation Amine with 3 ½ songs. How’d you know?!) If you’ve yet to give Bloc Party a try, I highly recommend it (be warned: there are some anti-American undertones and a lot of drug references, though they’re mostly critical of the East London drug scene). It’s a diverse band, consisting of a Nigerian front man (no gratuitous racism, that’s my new year’s resolution), a half Chinese drummer, and a pair of Brits on the geetar. A couple of recommendations you say? Try “Flux,” (think of rock music attempting to employ club beats, and, it actually works!) “Helicopter,” (my ringtone, NBD),“Hunting for Witches,” (a brilliant criticism of media-induced paranoia), “Positive Tension Blackbox Remix, (heroine=bad)” and “Kreuzberg.” (A thought-provoking love ballad set in the heart of this traditionally communist/increasingly homosexual Berlin neighborhood). Why am I waxing on about Bloc Party you ask? Well, one of the most consistent criticisms of Bloc Party is that Kele Okereke’s thick, partially Liverpuldian/semi- Essex accent is impossible to understand. And there is definitely some validity to this assessment as is evident by these two hirarious videos of the misheard lyrics to “Banquet” and “Helicopter.”

HIRARIOUS VIDEOS!

This could be the funniest video i’ve seen in a long time. It’s a shame too, the Chinese original is a classic. But this English version would send Simon Cowell into convulsions.

-Also, if any of you are fans of “The Wire” (arguably the greatest show in the history of awesome), this clip of The Wire with a laugh track is some funny shizzle. If you don’t watch the show, you’ll think we’re retarded. Whateva, your loss.