Scott Pilgrim never used a Ukulele for a reason
May 20, 2013 7:27 AM Subscribe
looked like fun to make but at 2:48 it felt about 2:38 too long.
posted by ecourbanist at 8:33 AM on May 20, 2013
posted by ecourbanist at 8:33 AM on May 20, 2013
Why didn't they just ride the eagles to Mordor in the first place?
posted by humboldt32 at 9:37 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by humboldt32 at 9:37 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Previously from FreddieW. Also check out Video Game High School.
posted by mfu at 9:42 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by mfu at 9:42 AM on May 20, 2013 [1 favorite]
Man, ukulele haters gonna ukulele hate, I guess.
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:39 AM on May 20, 2013
posted by GenjiandProust at 10:39 AM on May 20, 2013
So, it's "Beelzeboss" from Tenacious D, but more twee?
Also, is it just me or was the sound mix really strange? The voices were too clean...not environmental at all.
posted by moviehawk at 11:27 AM on May 20, 2013
Also, is it just me or was the sound mix really strange? The voices were too clean...not environmental at all.
posted by moviehawk at 11:27 AM on May 20, 2013
If you ever wondered why music is a bit a of a boy's club, look no further than this video.
It doesn't intend to be overtly sexist but wow - it could be worse but not much worse. The basic idea that women aren't really welcome among musicians couldn't be underlined more strongly. The fact that that is completely not on purpose and totally aside from the main point of the thing makes it worse.
This is not a ukulele gag.
This is why women don't feel welcome among musicians.
posted by motty at 1:17 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
It doesn't intend to be overtly sexist but wow - it could be worse but not much worse. The basic idea that women aren't really welcome among musicians couldn't be underlined more strongly. The fact that that is completely not on purpose and totally aside from the main point of the thing makes it worse.
This is not a ukulele gag.
This is why women don't feel welcome among musicians.
posted by motty at 1:17 PM on May 20, 2013 [6 favorites]
Man, ukulele haters gonna ukulele hate, I guess.
True
posted by yoHighness at 1:40 PM on May 20, 2013
True
posted by yoHighness at 1:40 PM on May 20, 2013
or perhaps these folks just hadn't yet heard of Roy Smeck, James Hill, or Jake Shimabukuro. it's not that any specific instrument is weak so much as how much power and talent the person playing brings to it!
posted by cristinacristinacristina at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by cristinacristinacristina at 1:42 PM on May 20, 2013
It doesn't intend to be overtly sexist but wow - it could be worse but not much worse. The basic idea that women aren't really welcome among musicians couldn't be underlined more strongly. The fact that that is completely not on purpose and totally aside from the main point of the thing makes it worse.
This is not a ukulele gag.
This is why women don't feel welcome among musicians.
I feel you, and several of my closest friends are female musicians and I've seen the way they're treated even when they just go to buy strings. However, there really are a million shitty "girl with ukulele" acts, and I figured that's what this was parodying. It's not sexist to say something sucks when it sucks.
posted by DecemberBoy at 2:07 PM on May 20, 2013
This is not a ukulele gag.
This is why women don't feel welcome among musicians.
I feel you, and several of my closest friends are female musicians and I've seen the way they're treated even when they just go to buy strings. However, there really are a million shitty "girl with ukulele" acts, and I figured that's what this was parodying. It's not sexist to say something sucks when it sucks.
posted by DecemberBoy at 2:07 PM on May 20, 2013
In fact when the girl took out the ukulele, I wondered if they might be from Austin.
posted by DecemberBoy at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2013
posted by DecemberBoy at 2:08 PM on May 20, 2013
Let's all complain about dudes singing sad songs with acoustic guitars instead.
posted by wayland at 2:27 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by wayland at 2:27 PM on May 20, 2013 [3 favorites]
However, there really are a million shitty "girl with ukulele" acts, and I figured that's what this was parodying. It's not sexist to say something sucks when it sucks.
I agree that that is what this is attempting to parody. I don't think it remotely succeeded. I also don't think it was the right choice. The 'dudes singing sad songs with acoustic guitars' - of which there are also a million shitty examples for every shitty ukulele thing - would have been a far worthier target. Satire should punch up, not down.
In a context where any woman playing anything - especially anything other than Allowed Girl Instruments like piano, flute, cello, violin or vocals - in any non-classical context* must constantly struggle uphill against being permanently patronised, being given the 'good for a girl' thing, and being more or less unconsciously belittled by everyone else at every stage, whether she's buying strings or working in a paid band or whatever - in that context, I think 'shitty girl uke player' parody is problematic.
Incidentally, uke is *hard* to make sound good. Try it. It might be an Allowed Girl Instrument, but it's hard.
Every female musician I've ever worked with has stories and stories and stories to tell about this. Every one of them. Without exception. And it's horrible and wrong. Meanwhile, most of the musicians I work with are men, just as it always was. It's not hard to see why when you see how the women get treated, all the time, by everyone, including, probably, from time to time, by me, much as I try very hard not to.
Incidentally, seemed the woman in the video clearly knew what she was doing with the instrument, to the small extent that we got to hear her.
* I don't know if the sexism is as rife in the classical context. But jazz, rock, pop and folk? Rife.
posted by motty at 3:44 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
I agree that that is what this is attempting to parody. I don't think it remotely succeeded. I also don't think it was the right choice. The 'dudes singing sad songs with acoustic guitars' - of which there are also a million shitty examples for every shitty ukulele thing - would have been a far worthier target. Satire should punch up, not down.
In a context where any woman playing anything - especially anything other than Allowed Girl Instruments like piano, flute, cello, violin or vocals - in any non-classical context* must constantly struggle uphill against being permanently patronised, being given the 'good for a girl' thing, and being more or less unconsciously belittled by everyone else at every stage, whether she's buying strings or working in a paid band or whatever - in that context, I think 'shitty girl uke player' parody is problematic.
Incidentally, uke is *hard* to make sound good. Try it. It might be an Allowed Girl Instrument, but it's hard.
Every female musician I've ever worked with has stories and stories and stories to tell about this. Every one of them. Without exception. And it's horrible and wrong. Meanwhile, most of the musicians I work with are men, just as it always was. It's not hard to see why when you see how the women get treated, all the time, by everyone, including, probably, from time to time, by me, much as I try very hard not to.
Incidentally, seemed the woman in the video clearly knew what she was doing with the instrument, to the small extent that we got to hear her.
* I don't know if the sexism is as rife in the classical context. But jazz, rock, pop and folk? Rife.
posted by motty at 3:44 PM on May 20, 2013 [2 favorites]
I agree that that is what this is attempting to parody. I don't think it remotely succeeded. I also don't think it was the right choice. The 'dudes singing sad songs with acoustic guitars' - of which there are also a million shitty examples for every shitty ukulele thing - would have been a far worthier target. Satire should punch up, not down.
Except there are a million uke covers on the Internet, there's a uke orchestra in Australia, I've got a friend who ordered at McDonalds with a uke... it's an epidemic.
Also, EVERYTHING should involve lasers and magic shooting out of instruments. Thats how I concieve power and magic and fighting. Scott Pilgrim, Wild Zero, etc.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:36 PM on May 20, 2013
I mean this is force, might, magic, pure power... special effects, what I see when I see people playing rock and roll. Sure there are some sexist assumptions, but annoying guys with ukes are annoying, too.
I wonder if I should post the photo of 6 of them all playing together last week.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:37 PM on May 20, 2013
I wonder if I should post the photo of 6 of them all playing together last week.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 5:37 PM on May 20, 2013
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posted by Decani at 7:41 AM on May 20, 2013