Toronto breeds weird twisted ideas. It’s a great place for music and political entertainment, but too much of that stuff will force you to stay indoors and dig through the internet looking for fucked up shit to watch, and weird music to listen to. If these 5 videos were to have any sort of theme or cohesiveness, I suppose it would be “Wake and Bake.” Reason being, I know I've watched every one of these videos right after a wake and bake on a Tuesday morning. I would smoke a huge joint and watch a Skull Moth take its first flight or realize that you only really need 2 bass strings to play Jesus and Mary Chain songs.
(JMC Interview) I've been watching this video since I was a teenager, I love the fans yelling into the microphone “They're NOISY” when asked what they like about the Jesus and Mary Chain. Going between live video and interview footage, you get suckered into what they're saying about themselves, “Because we're so good.” The live footage is some of my favorite of all time, fans rioting while the band has fucked off into the crowd to land a few shots. I feel bad for Ed the soundman. This video taught me that tuning is bullshit. (Jude)
(World Destruction-Afrika Bambaataa feat John Lydon) John Lydon can do a lot of wrong, but who the fuck cares about that? This video and song are some of my favorites. Both Lydon and Bambaataa look amazing, Lydon with his face covered in ketchup, and Bambaataa rolling around in a Limo with some 80's future get-up on. The song has one of the best beats I’ve heard, you can't help but break out into dance in a ritualistic underground lair. Everyone should know this song, not just the people who got to season 3 of The Sopranos. (Jude)
(Death's-Head Hawk Moth) The process of actually watching this video all the way through is an emotional trip. You might get a stomach ache. It's impossibly sensual. This guy fucking nurses a newborn skull moth until its “maiden flight” around his apartment. If you can't make it through, check out 2:50 where he blows on its wings as they dry, 7:12 when it squeaks all over his face, or 7:56 for some ear tickling and a lead in to the true awakening. Also, a great lyrical source. (Anna)
(Divorce Under A Bridge) This is a video of Divorce from Glasgow, Scotland playing under some bridge. They had a van with a generator in the back and all their gear set up so they could just pull up somewhere plug in and unleash brutal noise. Some people get away with this kind of shit in Toronto if you find a remote enough place late at night but cops would definitely slap you with a huge fine if they caught you. Divorce's sound was pretty rooted in sludgy noise-punk but it comes off so fucking loud and heavy at times it verges on metal. The bass guitar has some of the most distorted, pummeling lines you'll ever hear and their singer's voice comes off like a little girl throwing a tantrum at first but then quickly explodes into full blown demonic possession. They broke up recently which bummed us out because while they toured Europe pretty extensively I don't think they ever did make it to North America so we never got to see them live. (Link)
(Laibach-Der Staat) Jude: I was shown this video by a friend of mine, and since that day this has pretty much been my favorite thing on YouTube. This video combines early industrial music with ballet, and it does a good fucking job. The way they're drummer pounds on the snare without moving a single muscle other than his arm. The song is enough to get by, but the video takes it to next level. The one thing about Laibach is how much better their videos are than any of the trash that’s coming out today, I suppose being part of a Slovenian art collective in the 80s will breed some awesome ideas. (Jude)
HSY's self-titled will be available September 17 from Buzz Records.
