Friday, March 5, 2010
YOUTUBE: Concrete Blonde "Jonestown" (1993)
Most people don't even remember the Concrete Blonde song "Jonestown", let alone the fact that there was a music video made for it. And let's face it: as Concrete Blonde singles go, this one was probably the least compelling. Taken from the 1993 album "Mexican Moon", the song was issued as a single on limited edition 10" vinyl and marketed to college radio most likely in an attempt to get some hipster cred back after the Top 40 success of 1990's "Joey". Not surprisingly, the single tanked at radio, with the video, a creepy and well-crafted piece of work directed by Thomas Mignone that has singer Johnette Napolitano going full-on Skeletor in it, probably meriting one appearance on MTV's 120 Minutes before being filed away in that big warehouse of never to be seen again video clips MTV has leased somewhere in New Jersey or Encino. Spoooky.
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Hey there,
ReplyDeleteAlthough that was a pretty damning wrap on this song/single, I agree with you that this was an amazing clip. I only ever did see it once on TV, and spent so long looking for it again and... Ta-da!
Johnette once said this video or her appearance in this video, was inspired by the catacombs in Paris which house millions of old skeletons arranged in neat rows and piles and she said; "We're asking the wrong questions... Getting so caught up in each other's differences when at the end of the day (or when you're just bones), you're indistinguishable from all the other dudes anyway." I thought it was a great statement.
As far as the song being 'uncompelling', maybe it's just me, but I never get tired of hearing it! I only wish it had've been mixed a little better so that Johnette's vocal wasn't so weak in the verses. Anyway, I think it holds its own in that nobody's writes songs about death cults and religious fanaticism anymore. Shame.