Mad Music Miscellany
During a recent visit with two friends who are currently attending college, my husband and I, and this other couple, began taking turns looking up music videos as a way of introducing each other to artists we might not have heard previously, and sharing new or obscure discoveries. Some of these were the work of personal favorites who’ve sincerely touched us, others showcased wild concepts and creativity, many were just plain fun — and a few came from the “you have to see it to believe it” category.
From that experience was born the idea to widen the circle of friends involved in this experience by presenting a new audio track or video once or twice per month as part of the madness of “artist insane.” Of course, since insanity is, by definition, characterized by unpredictable behavior, the proposed schedule for new entries may change as time goes on . In any case, I hope to update this page as regularly as possible, and I hope as well, it proves a positive experience for all.
In terms of those categories listed in the opening paragraph, the first video I’m sharing might be characterized as “all of the above.” Once upon a time, when MTV actually meant “music television” — i.e. the channel played videos 24/7, I (always and forever the night owl) spent many of the wee hours watching the avant garde fare which had apparently amassed a sufficient cult following to receive airplay, but nothing close to the popularity of the mainstream staples rotating during the day. One night a singer appeared who was clearly not a member of the mainstream — visually or vocally. And, unique (i.e strange, bizarre — indeed, insane) as this video experience was, I found myself hoping it might be repeated the next night…and it was, at approximatley 2AM. What’s more, I must not have been the only one fascinated by it, as it kept returning at about the same time each night over the next few weeks.
But enough from me. I’ll let the video speak for itself. Besides, once you’ve seen it, I think you’ll agree, it defies description. And, yes, I must be insane — because I’ll freely confess that for the humor of its over-the-top melodrama, its Macbeth worthy gothic setting — and Gregory Darling’s genuinely interesting vocal ability…I still love it.
Darling Cruel, “Everything’s Over”
