Tuesday 9 July 2013

Two good things

1. This woman is just amazingly strong. Watch at least as far as from about 0:19 to 0:35 as she reinvents the push-up/pull-up in the scariest way possible. Also the music is good -- it's Running, by Paranoid Breaks.


2. I also really like this song and its Raeburn-influenced video. It's generally pleasant to watch and near the end there are ponies.


Sunday 7 July 2013

80s pop video tropes

Because I was a kid in the 80s they seemed pretty normal to me. Recently two (2) pop videos have reminded me of them. Robin Thicke's Blurred Lines involves the eponymous blue-eyed pop star interacting with ladies' bodies with all the raw sexuality of an early George Michael video. It's quite possible that this is because he actually likes women. It's weird to watch a pop video which simultaneously makes you like the pop star a lot less for being in it, and a bit more for being clearly so uncomfortable. Pharrell on the other hand is obviously fine with all that "I'm gonna split your ass in two" stuff.

Feminism by the way is in big trouble. Actually let's not even use the word feminism here, it means different things to different people. Gender relations, and consequently the possibility of people having healthy relationships with those around them, are in big trouble. Things may actually have got worse since the 80s in this regard -- I've been getting involved with trying to encourage girls to program, which I'll blog about at another time, but I keep coming across seriously depressing statistics.

On the other hand John Newman, of Rudimental fame, is clearly the Rick Astley de nos jours. He looks like a fresh-faced under-nourished sixteen-year-old and sings like a man who has encountered all the troubles in the world. It's a good song. I remember people claiming that little Rick Astley couldn't possibly be the source of that deep voice but I haven't heard anyone say that about John Newman so maybe some things improve in this world.