Friday Night Videos

Remember when David Lee Roth was a thing? This video for "A Lil Ain't Enough" will show you why he quit being a thing quite abruptly. The song is pretty much the embodiment of 80s hair band cliches, lyrically as well as musically (the album, which I have, isn't bad. This song, not so much). The video, though... wow. Not only does it bring Diamond Dave's antics and womanizing and 80s cliches in to the 1990s in a way that doesn't translate and feels painfully dated, but it throws a bunch of bizarreness onto the screen that simply baffles. This entire video is a four-minute representation of a career imploding. It's one of those things that makes you rub your eyes in disbelief.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Jill Sobule.

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Friday Night Videos

David Lee Roth was so gloriously crass back in the day, yet there was such a good-natured, effortless air about him that it was easy to tolerate his excess. Later on... not so much. But with his early solo efforts, he had a flawless instinct for picking the perfect songs to fit his oversized ego. Case in point: "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody," Roth's cover of Louis Prima's 1956 hit. If you've ever heard Prima's original, you'll know how closely Roth stuck to the original, but his over-the-top Dave persona cranks the action up to 11. And the video... wow. What is there to say about this video other than it couldn't possibly have come into existence for any artist other than Roth during the very heart of 1980s MTv pop culture. It makes me smile every time I see it.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Parliament Funkadelic.

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