hope

still makes me wanna be a great writer.

more than a woman

a true icon, a beautiful angel. the first time i knew what "goodbye" really meant.

elizabethan dope

tis nobler to wear shades.

strum

going electric.

shapeshifter

you free your mind with your androgyny.

all merely players

the world is yours.

fast as you can

my ni66a.

spinal tap

watch your back.

industrial

gee whiz.

bee

one person you don't wanna fuck with.

images

i've made a short list of what i think are the best pop videos of the year so far. this is no order, are no categories, no qualifications, except the ability to be stunning, fresh, and in some way, brilliant. over the past decade, videos rarely made a dent in their impressive aesthetics, but over the past few years, the pop stars du jour who grew up on excellent imagery have managed to star in their own cinematic wonderlands, proving once again that music videos are an art form to be reckoned with.

last friday night (t.g.i.f.) - katy perry



retro high school fantasy about a geeky girl who incidentally throws a party that gets a little out of hand. internet starlet rebecca black makes an appearance as the best friend who gives the rockin makeover, debbie gibson and corey feldman are the parents, and even kenny g. shows up to blow his saxophone against the decidedly shermer, illinois-eseque backdrop of keggers, make-out sessions, and horny jocks. this is one of the rare examples of how a clip can elevate an otherwise boring tune.

the lazy song - bruno mars



a bittersweet testament to the advent of the information age. a camera is adjusted in the corner of a guy's bedroom while a shaded cool cat croons about not wanting to do shit but chill in his drawers and maybe hook-up. with charmingly comedic choreography done by ape-masked buddies in marvelous rhythm and a wry sex appeal that seems both simple and understated, bruno mars has forged himself an iconic marking in the world of pop music, forcing us to witness the makings of something potentially great.

judas - lady gaga



mary magdaelene rides on the back of a cornrowed jesus's motorbike with the rest of the apostles surrounding them like hell's angels. as they congregate to preach to the community, the art-metal-pop chords break out and we are transferred into a make-believe world of biblical postmodernism where the decor resembles of mexican western, floridan motels, and college bacchanalia. a grungy judas kisses jesus's plump cheeks, mary writhes at their feet while judas pours beer on her ass, toward the end mary is stoned in a white couture gown, almost stunned by what she expected to come. it's messy and sloppy, but absolutely fantastic.

yonkers - tyler the creator



never try to eat a beetle. tyler did and puked all over the floor and then decided to hang himself after rhyming about violence and bitches. there is a lush simplicity about the whole production, with only a stool and a white background, the artist taking center stage without frills or pyrotechnics. black contacts don't count. it is something of a coded call to arms for all rebels and assholes to come out and wreak havoc because, well, someone's got to.

run the world (girls) - beyonce



a futuristic goddess lords over a post-apocalyptic amazonian world that only uses men as perhaps fodder and more than likely, food. even though the song is all kinds of misdirected, the striking imagery of egyptian-style ritual, high-heeled prowess, and sheer mythical escapism allows you to bask in a maddening ancient(?) civilization and hangs them up to broadway proportions. the quick cut of queen b. giving the finger and the image of an exploding car are straight from hollywood action films, the lacquer slightly shinier than usual. and that of the siren gripping the leash of two hyenas only perpetuates the legend of her as african mistress to the world.

super bass - nicki minaj



bright candy-coated swirls and icy desserts make for a deliciously indulgent romp. here is a girl who is flirty and fun and is not trying to take herself too seriously while at the same time playing with a type of innocence that never crosses over into absurdity. with its snow globe motif and blinding colors, it could very well be a skittles commercial had it not been for its coherence and utter cuteness. but at the end, the pink barbie convertible and dripping igloo says it all: this is can be your fantasy as long as you allow it to be.

man down - rihanna



fresh-faced island girl saunters around town encountering friends and acquaintances before meeting her ultimate fate of being sexually-assaulted and then shooting down the man who did it. rihanna has never looked more free and laidback, sexy and joyful. there is such a vulnerability about the tropical settings, raw and untamed, spreading about the camera as if asking for mercy. it is all so-of-the-moment, so-yesterday, so-today, so-now. wish it was longer.

posh tribal ghetto symphony

my current obsession.

1967's greatest: reflections in a golden eye

yes, bonnie and clyde came out the same year and is probably generally considered the very best that year had to offer, but as the counterculture was finding its cinematic voice, the old guard of hollywood was discovering its release. here you have the typically he-man brando as a bumbling, repressed army captain falling for a pre-hippie young private (robert foster), who begins to lust after the captain's shrill philandering army-brat wife played by liz taylor. along with julie harris as the tortured wife of liz's latest conquest, the film sets itself as a classically-structured story of lust, obsession, and madness, while adding on a layer of perversion and subversion that delights in the presence of such giants while simultaneously smacking those very giants in their glamorous faces. in a way, it is very depressing, moody, and upsetting, but it's also extremely beautiful, makes you think of the human spirit and condition, and reveals how amazingly blind we can be to the crashing of clouds booming around us.