Repulsive

Cheeky

Controversial.

Tantalize

abstract

inappropriate

Hilarious

Tasteless.

quote:

Originally posted by AuntyLynnex:
Hilarious

I'm with you Aunty.

I've done my share of waitressing and dating, and just being a woman who's been pinched and winked at and treated like a piece of fluff. How many times have women imagined slapping the face off of some jerk who acted that way? When the woman in that video slapped Play-doh Paolo and half his face came off, I nearly spit out a mouthful of coffee laughing my arse off.

And I thought little green nakie play-doh Paolo (eep! I'm nakie!) was hilarious.

Sick

Surprising

Not wishing to interrupt the flow of the one-word game, (BTW Jelly has already said TWO words, is that allowed?) but … some really interesting points being made here and a few that merit further debate.

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:
Sambista, I agree. I think this video has been analyzed to death,

A good example of “analyzing to death”, would be the famous Bob Dylan press conference of 1965. It's in 6 parts on YouTube, but all you need to do is just listen to the very first question, about the cover of Bob's album “Highway 61 Revisited”. It would be like us trying to squeeze some meaning out of the choice of yellow and black for the girls' outfits, or the size and positioning of the bows. As far as I can see, the discussion on this video so far has been on a fairly superficial level.

quote:

and it's being taken much too seriously.

Very true, and I have questioned the degree of my own reaction to it. All I can say is that it makes me very uncomfortable and completely takes my attention away from the music. The opposite of what a music video should do, I think? Unless the video makers were hoping to deliver some kind of shock, which IMHO is self-serving and disrespectful to the artist.

quote:

Corin Hardy: “My aim with this video was to set up a situation where a clay Paolo would live in a real world and behave just like a real person. Once the viewer has accepted that I then wanted to break the rules I had devised for myself and see what goes on when a clay Paolo just pushes it a bit too far. The animation schedule was brutal, we had 3 weeks to animate and I pretty much moved into Clapham Rd studios. Due to the animation needing to be composited into live-action, it had to be 25 frames a second which gives the movement a beautiful rich feel.”

Typical! Exactly as “Won't be Hasty” said, a vanity project and this person has so much admiration for himself, doesn't he? But why did he want Plastic Paolo “to push it a bit too far”? And where is the connection with the song? Yes, the title is charmingly cheeky, but the whole song is about being exuberantly content with life and delighted to have a terrific girlfriend … Mr. Hardy managed to completely miss all that and waste the happy mood of the song!!! BTW, smart of you Theresa Mae to find this!

quote:

The discord between the song and the video is that one line in the song, sung repeatedly, is "Best of all, I've got my baby" which suggests someone in a happy relationship and not a breast-peeping pervert.

Exactly!!!

quote:

Rainbows, I'm sorry, but I strongly disagree. For one thing, I don't think we fans are eligible to speculate about what Paolo and his entourage thought about the video. We don't know what they thought, so let's not put words into their mouths.

Don't be sorry Jelly … we can't always see eye-to-eye! However, I claim my right to speculate on anything I want. By using the terms “I sense”, “I am convinced” and “I suspect” I intended to express my own thoughts, not someone else's. I apologize if this was not clear. It would be very interesting to know what “they” think, though!

quote:

To read into it that this video is payback for the executive and political struggles Paolo's gone through to stick to the integrity of his vision for the album is WAY too over analytical. I sincerely doubt that one has aything to do with the other. Mostly because it's not the same suits that make the videos.

Having seen who made the video, it was certainly not a “suit”, more like a left-over from last year's Halloween.

quote:

Also because I'm pretty sure that any executive outrage was put to rest when the album shot straight to number one.

I wish life were that simple! However, you are allowed to speculate just as much as I am.

quote:

So, I can understand if Paolo, his management, and record label feel that they need to make a video that might not appeal directly to his fans, but attracts some new fans from a different demographic.

“Any publicity is good publicity”? It has worked in some cases. But perhaps the kinds of fans this video would attract might not last very long once they discover that Paolo is not really like that! I think with so much talent and quality in the music, there is no need to dumb it down to appeal to a questionable niche market.

quote:

Plus, I think that some fans might have this image of Paolo being a sweet innocent little angel.

I doubt it. Anyone who has lived in London on his own for 3 years would have grown up by now! Anyway the fact that he loves and respects his parents and his girlfriend (and is not afraid to say so) does not make him a wimp, or naïve. Quite the opposite, it shows a certain strength of character!

More than enough from me, I fear! Sorry if I got carried away, it's just a question of taste. I will take bibliomanic's advice and avoid watching the video (difficult to do, as it comes up all the time on Paolo's website - I'll just have to stop going there, I guess!). Incidentally, have you noticed that most of his upcoming gigs are SOLD OUT? Now that's something to celebrate!!! They really should have done something more in Australia, though, at the very least Brisbane and Perth once they had committed to the long trip! And now I'll put a sock in it. Enjoy your day!

quote:

quote:
So, I can understand if Paolo, his management, and record label feel that they need to make a video that might not appeal directly to his fans, but attracts some new fans from a different demographic.

“Any publicity is good publicity”? It has worked in some cases. But perhaps the kinds of fans this video would attract might not last very long once they discover that Paolo is not really like that! I think with so much talent and quality in the music, there is no need to dumb it down to appeal to a questionable niche market.

If I had meant that "any publicity is good publicity" then I would have stated it just that way. The video must compete, not only with the visual effects of thousands of other videos, but hundreds of channels as people are channel surfing. It is possible that the visual attraction of the girls might make some people stop and watch, then while watching, their ears might latch onto the catchy tune playing in the background and they might want to hear more - girls or no girls.

It's not about publicity. It's about getting a person's attention and keeping it. Music is a form of art and as with all art it's hit or miss when it comes to people liking it. I've never talked about how I discovered Paolo's music. However, I'll say that it took a considerable amount of work by a friend of mine and the better part of a year to get me to even listen to "These Streets" and I still wasn't impressed. It took ONE song, just one, to make me take serious notice of him - and it wasn't even one of his own songs; it was a cover. Now, like those who you claim will dismiss Paolo's music once they find out he's not all about the scantily clad females, I could have loved just that one song and that could have been the end of it, but that's now how it turned out. The least you can do is give the video a chance to draw in more fans. As with any new fans, only time will tell if they'll stay or not.

From the way many of us talk about the guys on this board, I can't bring myself to be a hypocrite and say Paolo can't have a video featuring some eye candy for his male fans. You can argue all you like that with us it's about the music first, but I still see it as hypocritical.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bibliomaniac,

quote:

Originally posted by bibliomaniac:

quote:

quote:
So, I can understand if Paolo, his management, and record label feel that they need to make a video that might not appeal directly to his fans, but attracts some new fans from a different demographic.

“Any publicity is good publicity”? It has worked in some cases. But perhaps the kinds of fans this video would attract might not last very long once they discover that Paolo is not really like that! I think with so much talent and quality in the music, there is no need to dumb it down to appeal to a questionable niche market.

If I had meant that "any publicity is good publicity" then I would have stated it just that way. The video must compete, not only with the visual effects of thousands of other videos, but hundreds of channels as people are channel surfing. It is possible that the visual attraction of the girls might make some people stop and watch, then while watching, their ears might latch onto the catchy tune playing in the background and they might want to hear more - girls or no girls.

It's not about publicity. It's about getting a person's attention and keeping it. Music is a form of art and as with all art it's hit or miss when it comes to people liking it. I've never talked about how I discovered Paolo's music. However, I'll say that it took a considerable amount of work by a friend of mine and the better part of a year to get me to even listen to "These Streets" and I still wasn't impressed. It took ONE song, just one, to make me take serious notice of him - and it wasn't even one of his own songs; it was a cover. Now, like those who you claim will dismiss Paolo's music once they find out he's not all about the scantily clad females, I could have loved just that one song and that could have been the end of it, but that's now how it turned out. The least you can do is give the video a chance to draw in more fans. As with any new fans, only time will tell if they'll stay or not.

From the way many of us talk about the guys on this board, I can't bring myself to be a hypocrite and say Paolo can't have a video featuring some eye candy for his male fans. You can argue all you like that with us it's about the music first, but I still see it as hypocritical.

You make a valid point and I certainly hope that many new fans will be intrigued by the “intended” humour of the video and its “different” visual presentation. OTOH, it is equally possible that many potential fans will be turned off. We will never know.

I do think the aggressive tone in your post is uncalled for.

Oh, sorry I forgot. It's not the “eye candy” (the girls) I object to. It's what Plastic Paolo is made to do with them. I recently had another look at the Robert Palmer video for “Addicted to Love” which is a possible inspiration for this concept. To me it is very sexy and very classy. There is a difference.