One of my eternal favorite videos is Jonathan Demme's deceivingly simple "The Perfect Kiss" by New Order. Without concept, actors or trickery, Demme captures the stoic magic of New Order by doing nothing more than filming the band performing in a studio. Holding each shot for several seconds, Demme plays with the viewer's expectations for quick and flashy cuts. This editing style brilliantly pulls back a curtain of mystery, allowing the viewer to witness without pomp the machinations of a band pulling together a song. Of course it helps that said song itself is the quintessence of genius.
"One of my favourite things in watching any performance on film is when there isn't a lot of cutting going on and when you get a chance to become really absorbed in the artist in hand. The same way we do, hopefully, at a concert, when we get a chance to really trip in to something that's happening on stage. Whether the singer's singing, or one of the other musicians is playing, we sort of stay there instead of cutting round with our eyes a lot."
- Storefront Demme has an incomplete list of music videos directed by Demme.
Dinosaur L "#5 (Go Bang)" "#7 (Recorded Live at the Kitchen, 1979)"
Not that it takes much, but the trailer for the upcoming Arthur Russelldocumentary got me onto an AR kick the other day, and I headed for Dinosaur L's 24-24 Music. 24-24 is thought by some to be the gem of Russell's dancier material, and it'll hopefully be reissued soon. The Francois K remix of its masterstroke "#5 (Go Bang)" kicks off 2004's The World of Arthur Russell compilation, but I actually prefer the 24-24 original (MP3). When I first heard 24-24, though, the standout for me was far more fleeting. The two-minute "#7 (Recorded Live at the Kitchen, 1979)" (MP3) is a tantalizingly short slice of a session I hope is sitting in full in a vault somewhere. Russell's cello anchors a percussive horn-guitar groove that quickly recalls (or, I should say, previews) !!! and others. And, like much of Russell's music, I love it not only for its sound but also for the era of NYC it instantly evokes.
