Politically-relevant music lives

If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d encourage readers to check out Green Day’s new music video in support of “Wake Me Up When September Comes.” It’s available on Green Day’s site (under “videos”) and the band was kind enough to allow C&L to host it also.

If you’re at the office, you might want to wait until you get home to watch. Let’s put it this way: it’s not exactly a recruiting video for the military.

I have to say, it’s encouraging to see some politically-relevant music/videos make an impact again. The Green Day video isn’t in any way similar, but seeing it reminded me a bit of Eminem’s “Mosh” from last fall. I’m not a fan of his, but Eminem put together a powerful piece of work that captures the idea of voting as an act of rage.

I’d been hoping for some time that current events would start shaping the entertainment culture beyond just Fahrenheit 9/11. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with Michael Moore, it’s that the significance of the times should permeate more than just one successful documentary.

Let’s hope Green Day’s statement and the Rolling Stones’ Sweet Neo Con are not only seen and heard, but are also part of a trend.

I love Green Day’s American Idiot.

  • Artistically though, the love scenes are a rip-off of Air’s “All I Need” video, directed by Mike Mills (yes, of REM). It’s a very good video, see it at clipland.com.

  • Like many music videos, it bears only a passing relationship with its song. This is a simple song of grief, so the story-line of young love is, at best, a prequel. If you can make it past the painfully tedious introduction, there are touching visions of young love, betrayal, sacrifice, and terror. Taking a page from Michael Moore, the crux of the story lies in the tension between economic failure and the only alternative for some: enlistment in the armed forces. In the end, there is no patriotic sacrifice, only a grim and bloody reality.

    N.B. Don’t bother going to clipland.com, Air’s “All I Need” video is inaccessible.

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