Friday Night Videos

So, David Bowie died three weeks ago now. The week of his death I got swamped and didn't get around to posting a Friday Night Video. The following week, Glenn Frey died, so obviously I had to salute Mr. Frey. Which brings us to today, with Bowie's brain-twistingly weird "Lazarus" video. This is a man who clearly sees the Reaper at the door and is determined to go out on his own terms. Kind of amazing. Now, I've never been a huge Bowie fan. I find him interesting as an artist and like some of his music well enough, but his work's never struck that primal chord in me that it has in so many others. That's fine--many people don't get my fascination with Ray Davies and the Kinks. Regardless, this song and video amount to the ultimate mic drop. It's packed with so many eyeball kicks that it borders on sensory overload, and fans will be analyzing and arguing over the symbolism for decades to come.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Eagles.

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Friday Night Videos

Someone asked last week if David Bowie's feature film, "The Man Who Fell to Earth," made any kind of sense at all. The correct answer, of course, is "Not much." You've got to hand it to Bowie for his consistency--despite a career that spans four decades with countless hits and a tremendous influence on popular culture, he has resisted the impulse to make sense at pretty much every turn. Case in point, the video for "Day In Day Out" off his Never Let Me Down album. It kinda sorta has a coherent narrative if you squint hard when listening to the lyrics, but the video tosses that all out the window. Good angels! Bad angels! Roller skates! Conveyor belts! Bad hair! Yes, this one has it all.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Dan Baird.

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Friday Night Videos

I was in college when MTV started playing this "Little Drummer Boy" duet between Bing Crosby and David Bowie. It was an incongruous pairing, and strange to see Bowie looking so young, but the arrangement was quite inventive and the two singers paired very well together. Would that all one-off celebrity Christmas specials produce such memorable music. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you and yours!



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Fleetwood Mac.

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Friday Night Videos

How about some Bowie and Queen? The video's a bit odd, but you can't top "Under Pressure." Fantastic tune.



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Lindsay Buckingham.

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