Sometimes I think back to how Something About Mary came out in late '97 or '98... and even at the time the whole '80s mock worked like a charm. In 1998, it seemed ridiculous that in 1985 people didn't know what CD players were and Blue Monday was a dancefloor filler, and the whole late '80s concept of fashion... well, yeah.
The movie, as far as I recall, was set in 1985, but I suspect only so it could pinch cultural aspects of the entire decade from either side without hardly anyone remembering exactly when each was from...
Thing is, we're now in 2006 - only a year and a half, or two, from when a potential 'Something About Mary' for the 1990s could come out. A movie satirising/parodying the decade I spent aged 9-19. I'm at a loss as to what it would be like. Seriously. Looking back, the '80s was asking to be pilloried like it has been, but the '90s? Bah. I'm probably biased.
Reason I bring this up? I just saw a music video on J2 - Shania Twain, Up. I have never, to the best of my knowledge, seen this video, nor heard this song... but it immediately struck me as THE definitive crap song of the late 1990s, and it made me wonder, would this be how current/future generations of kids see the late 1990s?
It was synthesized shiny pop pop, she was dressed COMPLETELY in skin-tight white, working the camera without shame, her voice was cut up a little, it had a vague 'country' influence (as in how many pop singles of the era had a vague 'something' angle going on), her hair was huge without being curly...
I suppose you had to be there. I mean, there now, watching the video, or there then, in 1999, when she was unavoidable when it came to music vids. Watching J2 a bit, I've actually seen a whole heap of videos from the late '90s, usually the crap that was on the radio at the time and then died. It's not hard to laugh at some of the videos, but to parody the entire decade, like the 80s have been, would be difficult. Blink 182 may have scored a point against boy band videos at the time, and oddly enough their attempt has become something of a video standard now in the mid 2000 and somethings, but the point is, that was at the time, and it targeted an obvous, er, target, and scored; and it still works now.
The Chilis' latest video (Dani California) goes through many phases/fads of pop music, cleverly apropriating the style of many bands/fads, until they hit the 1990s. It seems the preceding 4 decades are ripe for piss-taking; then when it comes to the last decade of the millenium, they appear to wouss out and just do an obvious Nirvana set-piece, before ignoring the next 12 years of musical progression/style (Oasis? Limp Bizkit? The Strokes?). First time I saw it, I was attempting to place bets with my (also slightly tipsy) coworkers as to what band would come after Nirvana. Futile, huh... It's as if nothing important ever happened after Kurt shot himself.
In short, I can't wait till someone makes a properly shit comedy set in the 1990s (for no apparent reason of course, apart from starting some stupid trend, and/raising awareness of cargo pants). When it happens, I'll buy the soundtrack, and listen to nothing else from the decade for years. Not. Actually, I'll be hanging out at gigs/libraries/schools telling people that the guys who did that 'Macarena' song actually released some really good albums, but no one bought them. Including me...
The movie, as far as I recall, was set in 1985, but I suspect only so it could pinch cultural aspects of the entire decade from either side without hardly anyone remembering exactly when each was from...
Thing is, we're now in 2006 - only a year and a half, or two, from when a potential 'Something About Mary' for the 1990s could come out. A movie satirising/parodying the decade I spent aged 9-19. I'm at a loss as to what it would be like. Seriously. Looking back, the '80s was asking to be pilloried like it has been, but the '90s? Bah. I'm probably biased.
Reason I bring this up? I just saw a music video on J2 - Shania Twain, Up. I have never, to the best of my knowledge, seen this video, nor heard this song... but it immediately struck me as THE definitive crap song of the late 1990s, and it made me wonder, would this be how current/future generations of kids see the late 1990s?
It was synthesized shiny pop pop, she was dressed COMPLETELY in skin-tight white, working the camera without shame, her voice was cut up a little, it had a vague 'country' influence (as in how many pop singles of the era had a vague 'something' angle going on), her hair was huge without being curly...
I suppose you had to be there. I mean, there now, watching the video, or there then, in 1999, when she was unavoidable when it came to music vids. Watching J2 a bit, I've actually seen a whole heap of videos from the late '90s, usually the crap that was on the radio at the time and then died. It's not hard to laugh at some of the videos, but to parody the entire decade, like the 80s have been, would be difficult. Blink 182 may have scored a point against boy band videos at the time, and oddly enough their attempt has become something of a video standard now in the mid 2000 and somethings, but the point is, that was at the time, and it targeted an obvous, er, target, and scored; and it still works now.
The Chilis' latest video (Dani California) goes through many phases/fads of pop music, cleverly apropriating the style of many bands/fads, until they hit the 1990s. It seems the preceding 4 decades are ripe for piss-taking; then when it comes to the last decade of the millenium, they appear to wouss out and just do an obvious Nirvana set-piece, before ignoring the next 12 years of musical progression/style (Oasis? Limp Bizkit? The Strokes?). First time I saw it, I was attempting to place bets with my (also slightly tipsy) coworkers as to what band would come after Nirvana. Futile, huh... It's as if nothing important ever happened after Kurt shot himself.
In short, I can't wait till someone makes a properly shit comedy set in the 1990s (for no apparent reason of course, apart from starting some stupid trend, and/raising awareness of cargo pants). When it happens, I'll buy the soundtrack, and listen to nothing else from the decade for years. Not. Actually, I'll be hanging out at gigs/libraries/schools telling people that the guys who did that 'Macarena' song actually released some really good albums, but no one bought them. Including me...
Current Mood: like it's far too late
Current Music: world cup commentary
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