Nothing's Shocking.
May 1, 2009 3:50 AM Subscribe
Video for Matt and Kim's "Lessons Learned" [NSFW]
No context or anything provided? I mean, I watching the video, and I've really no clue who Matt and Kim are, or why I should care about their generic indie-pop stylings and censored bodies...
posted by Dysk at 4:26 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Dysk at 4:26 AM on May 1, 2009
Hipster Runoff review of the video:
I think that nudity represents ‘freeing urself’ and ‘not conforming to society’s expectations’ for ppl to wear clothes. Think that getting naked in Times Square means that ur ‘free spirited’ since it is so consumery there.
posted by Locative at 4:30 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
I think that nudity represents ‘freeing urself’ and ‘not conforming to society’s expectations’ for ppl to wear clothes. Think that getting naked in Times Square means that ur ‘free spirited’ since it is so consumery there.
posted by Locative at 4:30 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
Why do they pixelate the one guy's chest but not the other?
posted by sexymofo at 4:39 AM on May 1, 2009 [19 favorites]
posted by sexymofo at 4:39 AM on May 1, 2009 [19 favorites]
That 'Hipster Runoff' 'analysis' is 'incredibly stupid.'
posted by ghastlyfop at 4:40 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by ghastlyfop at 4:40 AM on May 1, 2009
...who ARE these people?
posted by livingdots at 4:44 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by livingdots at 4:44 AM on May 1, 2009
I'm getting tired of the "OMG BUS" joke.
posted by thanotopsis at 4:50 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by thanotopsis at 4:50 AM on May 1, 2009
That was dumb.
posted by starvingartist at 4:53 AM on May 1, 2009
Badly written Wikipedia article, for those who care:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_&_Kim
I'd recommend listening to this Matt Johnson instead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Johnson_(singer)
posted by effbot at 4:54 AM on May 1, 2009
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_&_Kim
I'd recommend listening to this Matt Johnson instead:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Johnson_(singer)
posted by effbot at 4:54 AM on May 1, 2009
I thought it was a good video, but I confess to not quite hearing the song. Nice ending. I wonder if they ended up getting arrested in the end.
A good streak takes planning.
posted by Catblack at 4:58 AM on May 1, 2009
A good streak takes planning.
posted by Catblack at 4:58 AM on May 1, 2009
I thought it was a neat video, but then again, I did watch with the sound off. I don't think those cops were real at all, IRL those kids would be immediately down on the ground with a knee in their chest, and then into a van and spirited off to the tombs.
posted by Mach5 at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Mach5 at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
No, they didn't get arrested. Context for the video and other surrounding details can be found here.
posted by King Bee at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by King Bee at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009
Friday Flash Fun, eh? Getit? Getit?
Also, that one Unisex Person Unit's hips were...well, I don't know if it's art but I liked it. (And fuck you, pixelating killjoy, whoever you are.)
posted by Glee at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009
Also, that one Unisex Person Unit's hips were...well, I don't know if it's art but I liked it. (And fuck you, pixelating killjoy, whoever you are.)
posted by Glee at 5:07 AM on May 1, 2009
"Hope that I meet some1 2 start a band with while at my liberal arts/Ivy League/design school university. Not sure if I will get a ‘creative job’ in this economie." Wow, that hipster runoff review linked above is like watching the video all over again through a moron's eyes. Is hipster runoff an actual site or some sort of parody site?
That's a rhetorical question, fellow mefites. To quote Robert Anton Wilson: "As my mahatma guru J.R. "Bob" Dobbs says, "You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, mathematically, by definition, half of them are even dumber than that."
posted by Catblack at 5:14 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
That's a rhetorical question, fellow mefites. To quote Robert Anton Wilson: "As my mahatma guru J.R. "Bob" Dobbs says, "You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, mathematically, by definition, half of them are even dumber than that."
posted by Catblack at 5:14 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
Little-known indie band makes shocking video of mediocre song in the hopes of getting internet recognition on music and community blogs; people still saps.
posted by billysumday at 5:19 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by billysumday at 5:19 AM on May 1, 2009
I think that nudity represents ‘freeing urself’ and ‘not conforming to society’s expectations’ for ppl to wear clothes.
So what does pixelated nekkidness say about conformity?
posted by Pollomacho at 5:20 AM on May 1, 2009
So what does pixelated nekkidness say about conformity?
posted by Pollomacho at 5:20 AM on May 1, 2009
Look at these fucking hipsters!
posted by cazoo at 5:23 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
posted by cazoo at 5:23 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
The ending was really trite. But then again so was the rest of the video. This is like something out of the movie Jackass except larded up with so much pretense you can't see the humor.
posted by delmoi at 5:30 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by delmoi at 5:30 AM on May 1, 2009
It was a good video up until the OMG bus moment. By the by, the song that gained Matt & Kim a following is Yea Yeah (video also features them taking their tops off but is, on the whole, funnier). Here's a rather charming live clip of Matt & Kim playing Yea Yeah on Roosevelt Island.
posted by Kattullus at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Kattullus at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2009
It's not a particularly good song. And it's not exactly as provocative a video as it seems to be presented as. But, you know, everybody's got different tastes. So be it.
posted by grubi at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by grubi at 5:32 AM on May 1, 2009
Pixellation was lame conceptually apart from anything else.
posted by unSane at 5:33 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by unSane at 5:33 AM on May 1, 2009
MEHLOLZNUDIEBUSNYC
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:34 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Lipstick Thespian at 5:34 AM on May 1, 2009
two punk rock people streaking? C- They would have got a B but they blocked out the good stuff.
posted by Mastercheddaar at 5:36 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Mastercheddaar at 5:36 AM on May 1, 2009
You know how dumb the average guy is? Well, mathematically, by definition, half of them are even dumber than that.
I love this quote because it immediately tells me which "half" the speaker is in.
posted by DU at 5:46 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
I love this quote because it immediately tells me which "half" the speaker is in.
posted by DU at 5:46 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
Well, they completely nailed the "I am a tourist in Times Square" faces... only moreso.
posted by rokusan at 5:47 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by rokusan at 5:47 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I was hoping for something more like:
Tay-tay-tay-tay-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-Tay-Tay
Take or leave us
Only please believe us,
We ain't never gonna be respectable.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:50 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Tay-tay-tay-tay-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-Tay-Tay
Take or leave us
Only please believe us,
We ain't never gonna be respectable.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 5:50 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
The interview is funny.
The pitch for the permit was like: "Tourists walk through Times Square inappropriately dressed for the weather."
After the take, one cop was genuinely concerned. He was like, "Did I mess up the shot?"
So much for post-9/11 gestapo cops.
posted by rokusan at 5:52 AM on May 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
The pitch for the permit was like: "Tourists walk through Times Square inappropriately dressed for the weather."
After the take, one cop was genuinely concerned. He was like, "Did I mess up the shot?"
So much for post-9/11 gestapo cops.
posted by rokusan at 5:52 AM on May 1, 2009 [2 favorites]
The ending ruined it because after you saw it you knew it was fake. If they had left people guessing it would have been much better.
posted by afu at 5:59 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by afu at 5:59 AM on May 1, 2009
after you saw it you knew it was fake
... but hoped it was real.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:05 AM on May 1, 2009
... but hoped it was real.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:05 AM on May 1, 2009
My friend did the same thing in Times Sq. without being filmed, she also got arrested. Cops love nekkid people, can't keep their hands of them.
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:27 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Liquidwolf at 6:27 AM on May 1, 2009
The crowd reaction is best part, like the old ladies whipping out their phone cameras.
posted by stbalbach at 6:36 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by stbalbach at 6:36 AM on May 1, 2009
Why did they pixelate her back? Really bad tattoo or fear of side-boob?
posted by Mister_A at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Mister_A at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2009
I like it and the bus (SPOILAR) moment is a very appropriate ending to a pretty decent metaphor.
They are renowned for their upbeat, positive attitudes about music making and life. They genuinely are trying as hard as they can to keep their integrity in line with the hardcore scene they grew up in, but success is making that impossible. They might escape the cops (critics?) but eventually their bubble of 2Kids In Love Touring the Country in a Van For the Fans is going to burst, and they know it and their rapidly-maturing music shows it.
The best happy pop music has loss at its core: cf, Jonathan Richman, TMBG, Phil Spector, early 90s pop-punk, and so on. Matt and Kim are moving into that territory rapidly, along with certain of their compatriots in the future shock/ synthpunk movement. Good luck to them I hope it's a few more years before they get smush'd.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
They are renowned for their upbeat, positive attitudes about music making and life. They genuinely are trying as hard as they can to keep their integrity in line with the hardcore scene they grew up in, but success is making that impossible. They might escape the cops (critics?) but eventually their bubble of 2Kids In Love Touring the Country in a Van For the Fans is going to burst, and they know it and their rapidly-maturing music shows it.
The best happy pop music has loss at its core: cf, Jonathan Richman, TMBG, Phil Spector, early 90s pop-punk, and so on. Matt and Kim are moving into that territory rapidly, along with certain of their compatriots in the future shock/ synthpunk movement. Good luck to them I hope it's a few more years before they get smush'd.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 6:48 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Sorry, metafilter, you're I'm-too-cool-to-care hipster-haterade won't work on Matt & Kim. They're adorable.
posted by fungible at 6:50 AM on May 1, 2009 [8 favorites]
posted by fungible at 6:50 AM on May 1, 2009 [8 favorites]
Needs more awkward boners.
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:52 AM on May 1, 2009 [6 favorites]
posted by WolfDaddy at 6:52 AM on May 1, 2009 [6 favorites]
Great video. Getting naked in the Maw of America is a pretty sublime maneuver.
posted by bedlam at 6:55 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by bedlam at 6:55 AM on May 1, 2009
I liked it - but couldn't escape the feeling that I really wanted to see their genitals.
posted by Jofus at 6:56 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Jofus at 6:56 AM on May 1, 2009
Why did they pixelate her back?
I thought it was a joke.
Or, for hipsters: I thought it was a pomo sociolinguistic comment on the arbitrary iconography of the human form.
posted by rokusan at 7:01 AM on May 1, 2009
I thought it was a joke.
Or, for hipsters: I thought it was a pomo sociolinguistic comment on the arbitrary iconography of the human form.
posted by rokusan at 7:01 AM on May 1, 2009
Getting naked in the Maw of America is a pretty sublime maneuver.
I got naked in the Maw of America once. You may have seen me on Minnesota's Most Wanted.
(They shouldn't have served me so many frozen Mawawitas.)
posted by rokusan at 7:02 AM on May 1, 2009 [3 favorites]
I got naked in the Maw of America once. You may have seen me on Minnesota's Most Wanted.
(They shouldn't have served me so many frozen Mawawitas.)
posted by rokusan at 7:02 AM on May 1, 2009 [3 favorites]
Joke, eh? I hadn't thought of that. Could indeed be a joke.
PS I did not hate the song or the video!
posted by Mister_A at 7:07 AM on May 1, 2009
PS I did not hate the song or the video!
posted by Mister_A at 7:07 AM on May 1, 2009
Someday I may actually care enough to figure out what all the "hipster this" and "hipster that" bullshit is about.
posted by P.o.B. at 7:09 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by P.o.B. at 7:09 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
They're adorable.
I think the correct term is "too precious by half".
posted by Ratio at 7:17 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think the correct term is "too precious by half".
posted by Ratio at 7:17 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
What fungible said.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:22 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 7:22 AM on May 1, 2009
"I think the correct term is 'too precious by half'."
I thought that was "twee". Does that mean twee means adorable?
Damn now I'm confused.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2009
I thought that was "twee". Does that mean twee means adorable?
Damn now I'm confused.
posted by caution live frogs at 7:35 AM on May 1, 2009
"They are renowned for their upbeat, positive attitudes about music making and life."
I think someone wrote that in my high school yearbook.
posted by krinklyfig at 7:39 AM on May 1, 2009
I think someone wrote that in my high school yearbook.
posted by krinklyfig at 7:39 AM on May 1, 2009
I'm not like these New Yorkers. I don't need clothes to keep me warm. All I need is the music! These people clearly don't have the music in them that I do. I'm taking this shit off and am just gonna throw it on the ground and keep walkin. Only a brainwashed consumer would care about leaving a thrift store scarf behind. It cost me $125. But whatever! Shit I hope that boil on my ass is gone. The music should have cleared it up by now. I hope everyone can see my tattoos OK. They were inspired by the music. I think I just stepped in vomit.
posted by Brocktoon at 7:46 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Brocktoon at 7:46 AM on May 1, 2009
"matt and kim? what did they do?"
"hmm - i can't think of any melody"
"neither can i ..."
"oh, wait, didn't they do a video where they tore off their clothes in times square?"
"that was them? yeah i guess it was"
"how did that song go?
"beats me"
posted by pyramid termite at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
"hmm - i can't think of any melody"
"neither can i ..."
"oh, wait, didn't they do a video where they tore off their clothes in times square?"
"that was them? yeah i guess it was"
"how did that song go?
"beats me"
posted by pyramid termite at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2009 [5 favorites]
The opposite of what fungible said.
posted by ghastlyfop at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by ghastlyfop at 7:49 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I think I just stepped in vomit.
Perhaps! But that vomit has a catchy, dancy, retro-80s-analogue sound.
posted by Ratio at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2009
Perhaps! But that vomit has a catchy, dancy, retro-80s-analogue sound.
posted by Ratio at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2009
The Carpenters didn't need to take their clothes off in public to draw attention to their music. But I guess it was a different time.
posted by Joe Beese at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by Joe Beese at 8:01 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
The Carpenters didn't need to take their clothes off in public to draw attention to their music. But I guess it was a different time.
Yeah, but they had all those fucking birds showing up every time Karen stepped outside.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:14 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah, but they had all those fucking birds showing up every time Karen stepped outside.
posted by Pollomacho at 8:14 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
cool video bro
posted by Byun-o-matic at 8:24 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Byun-o-matic at 8:24 AM on May 1, 2009
Count me in on the "eh, it was so-so" crowd. The music was fine, and while the walk-around-naked trick has been done before, it still has appeal. But the pixilation kind of ruined it for me -- if you are going to be naked, be naked. And sure, you probably need a pixilated version for network TV... but go ahead and release the real version online.
Or, if you don't want to show your bits, do something fun and jokey like has been done in other sort-of-naked videos I've seen -- black bars, text, hats, etc.
posted by Forktine at 8:26 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
Or, if you don't want to show your bits, do something fun and jokey like has been done in other sort-of-naked videos I've seen -- black bars, text, hats, etc.
posted by Forktine at 8:26 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
I love Matt & Kim. I first learned about them from Tod Seelie.
posted by psylosyren at 8:31 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by psylosyren at 8:31 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
If they had been wearing fewer layers, the song could have been shorter.
posted by goatdog at 8:45 AM on May 1, 2009 [3 favorites]
posted by goatdog at 8:45 AM on May 1, 2009 [3 favorites]
Should be noted being topless in NYC is quite legal, and not particularly rare to see, so I would think the locals would just shrug and move on.
Course, it's new york. Pretty hard to make them do anything BUT shrug and move on*.
(*occasional Air Force One hijinks aside)
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:02 AM on May 1, 2009
Course, it's new york. Pretty hard to make them do anything BUT shrug and move on*.
(*occasional Air Force One hijinks aside)
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:02 AM on May 1, 2009
if matt & kim would even simulate taking as many chances with their music as they simulate taking chances with the law, their music would be a simulation of something other than what it really is: mediocre indie.
posted by the aloha at 10:00 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
posted by the aloha at 10:00 AM on May 1, 2009 [4 favorites]
What the aloha said, twice over with extra sauce.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:04 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by eyeballkid at 10:04 AM on May 1, 2009
That 'Hipster Runoff' 'analysis' is 'incredibly stupid.'
wish you would see how correct carles is. should i bother explaining why to someone who doesn't 'get it'?
<3 u
posted by the aloha at 10:07 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
wish you would see how correct carles is. should i bother explaining why to someone who doesn't 'get it'?
<3 u
posted by the aloha at 10:07 AM on May 1, 2009 [1 favorite]
OMG that's Matt Johnson, The The Matt Johnson? Well, I worship the man, enough that I chased down the original EP of "Uncertain Smile" while I was in Japan. He could take a crap on the sidewalk in Times Square and I would applaud. The rest of you haters can...well, have a nice day but don't be so negative.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 10:31 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Turtles all the way down at 10:31 AM on May 1, 2009
omg thier naked!
Why did they blur the one guy's chest?
posted by Eideteker at 10:43 AM on May 1, 2009
Why did they blur the one guy's chest?
posted by Eideteker at 10:43 AM on May 1, 2009
I liked the video, thanks for sharing it but youre kinda doing metafilter wrong.
posted by ElmerFishpaw at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by ElmerFishpaw at 10:49 AM on May 1, 2009
That was great. I like the surprise ending to the video Kattullus linked to better, but still, great great great.
posted by gwint at 10:50 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by gwint at 10:50 AM on May 1, 2009
OMG that's Matt Johnson, The The Matt Johnson?
Uh. No.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:56 AM on May 1, 2009
Uh. No.
posted by eyeballkid at 10:56 AM on May 1, 2009
Her back is pixelated because our liberated heroine is wearing a bra or some kind of nipple-covering device.
posted by Saddo at 11:31 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by Saddo at 11:31 AM on May 1, 2009
WTF
posted by hermitosis at 11:56 AM on May 1, 2009
posted by hermitosis at 11:56 AM on May 1, 2009
His singing voice reminds me of Eddie Murphy imitating Richard Simmons in The Nutty Professor.
posted by Joe Beese at 12:05 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by Joe Beese at 12:05 PM on May 1, 2009
I dunno, the more I see, the more I like. This looked like a fun time: Silver Tiles (live). For those wishing bodily harm on Matt & Kim (and their fans), you might enjoy their video for '5K'.
posted by gwint at 12:07 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by gwint at 12:07 PM on May 1, 2009
I loved it.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:27 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 12:27 PM on May 1, 2009
The Dresden Dolls did the drums and keyboard duo thing better and feature Amanda Palmer.
Now you'll have to excuse me as something, um, awkward has come up.
posted by tommasz at 1:05 PM on May 1, 2009
Now you'll have to excuse me as something, um, awkward has come up.
posted by tommasz at 1:05 PM on May 1, 2009
I would say "meh" but then John Hodgman would hate me.
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:12 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by Halloween Jack at 1:12 PM on May 1, 2009
Mod note: comments removed - no idea wtf is wrong with people but take that to METATALK or email pronto
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:00 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 2:00 PM on May 1, 2009
I bet Pete Wentz gets mistaken for Kim all the time.
posted by hermitosis at 2:09 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by hermitosis at 2:09 PM on May 1, 2009
So I still don't know if they're shaved...
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:00 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:00 PM on May 1, 2009
If they had just asked for directions to Show World that tragedy could have been averted.
posted by oneironaut at 3:19 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by oneironaut at 3:19 PM on May 1, 2009
Look, don't bother me here I'm shooting a mayonnaise commercial.
posted by GuyZero at 4:37 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by GuyZero at 4:37 PM on May 1, 2009
Yes. I am too old.
posted by ghastlyfop at 5:04 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by ghastlyfop at 5:04 PM on May 1, 2009
The police, or security, or figures of authority whatever, gave up too easy, threatening the contrast between stark reality and staged fiction. If this is, like, NYC, I can believe the sullen disinterest, but this was also deflated by people picking up clothes--no one in that city would do that. You could, like, be knifed with blood spurting out of your throat and people will still make the subway. Also, "she" did not pique my interest as her chest was not prominent to the degree that I wanted to see it un-blurred. The bus was a throwaway. The tune had that "ditty" thing going for it, which I'm hearing in lo-fi-ish Brooklyn Bushwick Williamsburg kind of acts backed by various dropouts, part-time students, and friends of friends of someone who had something someone heard somewhere and made an impression once, and was, like, ok. I'm not sure there are deep questions here. I'm done now.
posted by wallstreet1929 at 6:15 PM on May 1, 2009
posted by wallstreet1929 at 6:15 PM on May 1, 2009
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posted by stavrogin at 4:21 AM on May 1, 2009