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I should have been writing, but I put this together instead. Here are some of my favourite music videos. Seen any of these?

1. Come to Daddy by Aphex Twin, directed by Chris Cunningham. A sinister horror video to accompany a frankly frightening piece of ‘drill ‘n’ bass’ techno. The Aphex Twin stars as a group of young girls, a homunculus and a young male victim. This video has won numerous awards, and established the Aphex Twin’s reputation. Plays with gender identities in an unsettling way.

2. Sing For Absolution by Muse, directed by Ark. A gentle science fiction twist on the ‘Planet of the Apes’ premise. Here the band are escaping a world about to be destroyed by an ice age. Superb graphics and production values enhance a passionately sung song. Won Kerrang’s 2004 video of the year award.

3. Once In A Lifetime by Talking Heads, directed by Jonathon Demme. Brilliant and not dated, this 25 year old video was the first music video to be exhibited in an art gallery. Perfect showcase for the zany David Byrne, Talking Heads’ frontman, a sort of musical John Cleese.

4. Around The World by Daft Punk, directed by Michel Gondry. This catchy bass-driven techno piece has a brilliantly choreographed video which emphasises the mechanic/organic mix in Daft Punk’s music. Delightful fun. Gondry went on to direct The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind.

5. Walkietalkieman by Steriogram, directed by Michel Gondry. New Zealand punk/rock group given the Gondry treatment. The song (but not the video) was used in an iPod commercial. The video features knitting, yes knitting, and lots of New Zealand’s most famous product. I especially enjoy the bit when the giant rips the lead singer in half, only for him to be sewn back together.

6. All Is Full Of Love by Bjork, directed by Chris Cunningham. Cunningham is a master of the medium; I love everything he’s done. And the elfin Icelandic wailer appears in a beautiful shimmery ballad, as eccentric and controversial as one would expect from the two main protagonists. Hugely influential, this video of one robot creating her lover paved the way for I, Robot among other special effects.

7. Itsu by Plaid, directed by Pleix. An unsettling spin on the ‘meat is murder’ theme; the title says it all. No gratuitous violence, but it does get its point across amongst the blips and beats of Plaid’s austere electronic rhythms. Not well known but a real gem.

8. Windowlicker by Aphex Twin, directed by Chris Cunningham. If you are easily offended don’t watch this. A long clip, it allows Richard James (a.k.a Aphex Twin) to parody the ‘white men can’t dance’ notion. After two minutes of offensive language as a pair of black men try to chat up two black women, Aphex Twin arrives to steal the scene. The trademark head-substitution and unsettling gender blurring. The music is a parody of smooth hip-hop. Fun, but I warned you about being offended …

9. Nice Weather For Ducks by Lemon Jelly, directed by Lemon Jelly. The Jelly run their own graphic arts company, Airside, so do their own videos. And this is a treat. A gentle, naïve Dutch children’s tune is turned into a rollicking salsa number as cartoon animals dance with the wise wizard. Totally psychedelic bliss-out fun.

10. I Wish I Had An Angel by Nightwish, directed by unknown. Nightwish are a Scandinavian goth-metal group with a slew of spectacular is slightly juvenile videos, and this is the best of them. Love the insane bassist. Interspersed with footage of some movie or other.

11. The Barry Williams Show by Peter Gabriel, directed by Sean Penn. Yes, that Sean Penn. Gabriel had really pushed the boundaries of the video form, from Sledgehammer in the 1980s through to today. This, off his most recent album, is a parody of a certain talkshow host that unfolds interestingly enough until a spine-chilling twist halfway through. Superb.

12. Televators by The Mars Volta, directed by The Saline Project. Like everything The Mars Volta do, the Televators video doesn’t make straightforward sense. It is gorgeous, however, an animation about a city man and a jungle animal. I can’t work out much more than that!

All these videos can be found on the internet, most on youtube.

What are some of your favourites?

I can honestly say: I've never heard of 'em *grin*

Well, you and I are of different generations. However, most of these videos were released in the last ten years. So what do you listen to?

Mostly recent stuff...
Some "oldish" sorta music i listen to are stuff like:
Jessie's Girl
Khe Sahn
Working Class Man
The Gambler
I would walk 500 miles
There's more but i can't remember - all along those lines, but usually i listen to stuff that's come out in the last...five? years...and i lyk any sort of music except classical...from the top of my head.

Tom Petty song, he's cutting up Alice in Wonderland as a cake. Don't come around here no more? Is that it? Waaaaaay out there.

Also, Robert Palmer whacko one with muppety things.

Isn't that helpful?

I dont really listen to any of theat music.
my favs are as follows.
K.I.N.G - Satyricon
Du Reichst So Gut '98 - Rammstein
Nemesis - Arch Enemy
Through The Fire and the Flames - Dragonforce
Mein Teil - Rammstein
Any Live Performance (video, as I have not seen them live) of Rammstein, as they have an amazing show, easily the most intrugeing and exciting Live perfomances on the earth
So yeh

Interesting, Chris. The only Rammstein track I've heard is Feuer Frei, which I liked. Is the rest of their stuff like that?

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