| Offspring---The Kids Aren't Alright | Chemical Brothers---Let Forever Be |
| Fatboy Slim ---Praise You | Alice In Chains---Get Born Again |
---Reviewed by John Kane
A special
effects freakshow, this Offspring video gets by on pure energy and exciting
visuals. Regrettably the song is rather lackluster, in fact the Who reference
of the title is the cleverest thing about it. Fortunately the video has
cleverness to spare. Theme of the song is the sorrow of the dead-end lives
too many kids wind up with these days. Instead of being preachy about that
the video revels in the wasted lives, morphing one screwed up kid into another
so fast you'll get an adrenaline high. In the space of seconds there's an
overeating fat girl, a fighting married couple, a pill vomiting girl, a
stripper dancing with an old man who quickly transforms into a dancer's
pole, an overdoser in a bodybag, and on and on... I could give you more
of a description but there wouldn't be much of a point. This is one of those
videos you have to see to appreciate, so be sure and check it out. 
---Reviewed by John Kane
Easily the best video of the year. In opposition to all the high tech, Wallpaper
stylized, big budget videos currently dominating the video scene, Fatboy
Slim went simple and it paid off big. Outside of a Hollywood movie theater,
as patrons wait in line, a dance troupe appears, plays the Fatboy Slim song
on a boombox, and starts busting out the moves. From the thrift store reject
clothes to the ineptly synchronized dance moves the dancers inspire the
most benevolent laughter. It’s not that you’re laughing at them, it’s that
you’re getting off on the sheer fun they’re having, and watching the pleasantly
stunned people in line react to them just adds to the charm.---Reviewed by John Kane
Song’s great, but what dazzles about the video is the special effects. Storywise,
it’s a glimpse into the day-in-the-life of a club-going young lady in the
big city. In an ever morphing world she goes from Macy’s store clerk to
Busby Berkeley dance girl in the space of a second. Before the video’s over
we’ll see her head swell to giant size, her body split into four different
mirror images, get menaced by a bearded drummer (a Chemical Brother?), and
do her best to block out the giant clock signaling her time is running out.
In an odd way this video says more about the dislocation and doomed lifestyle
of a club girl then any of the hundreds of novels on the subject. ---Reviewed by John Kane
Remember Headbanger's Ball back when MTV was still worth watching? Well,
I sure do. Back then it wasn't about appreciating the quality of the song
or the artfulness of the video. It was about drinking six packs and smoking
dope and wanting to see something cool, like this Alice in Chains video.
So here's what's cool about it: first off, it takes place in one of those
super grim Dark City/Blade Runner futures and those are always neat, and
then there's this creepy, wrinkled old guy villain for the gross out factor,
a requisite babe in tight clothing but with varicose vein breasts to make
things more interesting, a weird x-ray of a baby to get your skin crawling,
property getting smashed, faces crumbling into dust---like I said, cool
stuff. Song's perfectly fine too, loud guitars, fierce vocals, full of rage.
This video's just right for making the sign of the devil and shaking your
hair up and down. And don't we all need to do that some of the time?