Disturbing Music Videos

WARNING: THIS POST IS CONSIDERED NSFW (Not Safe For Work). IT CONTAINS SOME OF THE MOST DISTURBING MUSIC VIDEOS CREATED. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Some music videos stand out because they are monumental on their own merit such as Michael Jackson's Thriller; which made a massive impact on December 2, 1983 because it was 13 minutes long and the budget was $1,000,000.

But some music videos make an impact because they are purely disturbing; whether graphically or on a more subconscious level. This 'top ten' list is by no means the definitive list of weird music videos; but it does highlight the very genre of disturbing music videos. Some may say that some are even tasteless.

10. South Central - Day I Die





The video, directed by Steve Glashier, sees the duo known as South Central walking through a parking lot. As they walk through, like some weird version of grim reapers, people all around them are being shot. The video is shown through the eyes of a sniper shooting the people, actually it is shown through the crosshairs of the scope of the sniper.

Blood Factor: 7/10

09. Twizted - Hahahahahaha





Twiztid, the duo of Jamie Madrox and Monoxide Child, part of the juggalo family have never shied away from the dark side of hip-hop; and a few of their videos could have made the list. Hahahahahaha opens with Monoxide dressing ready to go preach the good word. But once people let him in their house he kills them. Then it goes to Madrox  who is killing people who turn up at his house. At the end Monoxide knocks at Madrox's door and that is where the video ends. The actual track comes from the 2009 album W.I.C.K.E.D. (Wish I Could Kill Every Day)

Blood Factor: 9/10

08. Metallica - One





The obligatory heavy metal band shots spliced with scenes from the 1971 film "Johnny Got His Gun". Not that scary on the surface of it all; but the story beneath is. The song's theme and lyrics are based on Dalton Trumbo's 1939 novel Johnny Got His Gun, telling the tale of a soldier whose body is severely damaged by a mortar shell. His arms, legs, eyes, mouth, nose and ears are gone and he is unable to see, speak, smell, or hear. His mind functions perfectly, however, leaving him trapped inside his own body.

Blood Factor: 1/10

07. Insane Clown Posse - The Tower




Insane Clown Posse, also known as Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, part of the juggalo family released The Tower in 2007. The video sees Violent J, as an ex war veteran climb a tower of a building and start shooting at people with a sniper rifle. Shaggy 2 Dope also appears in the video as part of the SWAT team that go up the tower.  The video itself is ICP with certain sections from the infamous 1966 'tower massacre' in Austin, Texas by Charles Whitman.

Blood Factor: 4/10

06. Mushroomhead - Sun Doesn't Rise




I don't know where to start. A living scarecrow is torn to pieces and then some little girl puts him back together; and he goes for revenge by killing the crows. No blood in it at all but weird as hell.

Blood Factor: 0/10

05. Boondox - Inbred Evil




Yet another juggalo. Thinking the label "Psychopathic" might be a give away that they'd end up on these lists. In the music video 3 friends, in a car, run out of gas in the middle of nowhere. Boondox, as a serial killer, then kills all three with flashbacks to the serial killer's past showing how he got to that point in time; including killing his parents.

Blood Factor: 9/10

04. Robbie Williams - Rock DJ




Robbie Williams, from the boy band Take That, went on to have a successful career as a solo artist. In the Summer of 2000 Robbie released Rock DJ as a single; from the album Sing When You're Winning. The music video, directed by Vaughan Arnell, was surrounded by controversy because of its explicit content. The video begins with Williams dancing on a roller disco with girls skating around him. He wants to get the attention of the female DJ (played by Lauren Gold) standing above the stage, so he begins stripping off his clothes. After this does not get her attention, he starts stripping his skin, muscles and organs, too, until the only thing that is left from him are his bones. In the end, he achieves the DJ's attention and dances with her as a skeleton.

Blood Factor: 5/10

03. Unkle - Rabbit In Your Headlights




Unkle, a British electronic duo, released this track in 1998. The video went on to win many awards; including MVPA's Best International Video of the Year in 2006. It stars Denis Lavant as a man wearing a heavy parka and walking along the middle of the road in a busy car tunnel. He appears to be out of his mind, mumbling and shouting incoherences, only occasionally including intelligible words such as "Cristo" and "shimmer!" Some of the cars honk at him and swerve out of his way. All of a sudden a car hits him from the side, and he is left on the ground. The car continues its course without stopping or slowing down. After a while, the man stands up and starts walking again as if nothing had happened. Then another car hits him; this time the hit occurs straight on and sends him flying a couple of feet. A passing motorist watches with contempt as the man rolls in the street. The man gets up again. A car swerves by and slows down alongside the man. The driver and passengers try to talk to him, asking where is he going. The man pays no attention and continues walking and talking to himself. The driver soon tires of this and drives away while one of the passengers calls out, "Nice coat!" Another car hits the man, and he gets up almost instantly. The madness which this man is apparently suffering from gets more acute as he grabs his face and moves erratically. More accidents occur, some cars honk, some cars swerve out of the way — but none stop. The man removes his parka and throws it on the ground. He is shirtless underneath, and we see his chest covered with bruises and cuts. Then, as the song's beat stops, leaving just a piano playing, the man stops as well. He smiles and opens his arms in a crucifix-like position. A car is coming his way and makes no intention of stopping. The car hits the man, but this time he stands unmoved, and the car destroys itself on impact.

Blood Factor: 1/10

02. The Prodigy - Smack My Bitch Up




Smack My Bitch Up was the thirteenth single released by The Prodigy in 1997. The song was highly controversial because its lyrics, title and music video were believed to promote violence against women. The lyrics "Change my pitch up / Smack my bitch up" are repeated through the whole song. The video, directed by Swede Jonas Åkerlund, was as controversial and popular as the song itself. The film depicts a night out in the city filmed from a first-person perspective, portraying drinking and driving, snorting cocaine, violence, vandalism, nudity and sex. The unedited version also includes a scene of heroin use and a hit and run incident. The protagonist takes a stripper (played by model Teresa May) home and has sex with her. As the stripper leaves with her stuff, the protagonist glances in the mirror, is revealed to be a woman, and passes out on the bed.

Blood Factor: 1/10

01. Dawn Of Ashes - Torture Device




Dawn of Ashes is an American melodic black metal band with horror based lyrical themes. The video starts off with the band covered in blood and some guy on an operating table. Why? I just don't know but I'm guessing the title of "Torture Device" plays a part. Think of Saw meets Hostel and you have the whole basis of the video.

Blood Factor: 10/10

Like I said this list is by no means the definitive list of weird/strange/disturbing music videos; and I'm sure others will have opinions on what should have been on the list.

Music Is International

The reason for this post is the fact I was on Youtube and wanted to watch the great and classic Chemical Brothers track - "Hey Boy, Hey Girl". Typed it in, first result was from EMI, the music publisher of said track, with the official video. Clicked it and the little message came up saying:

"The user has blocked the content in your country."

No, I don't live in Outer Mongolia. No I don't live in a country like China with high Internet censorship. I live in the U.S. And EMI didn't bother blocking it from MTV in the U.S. And one result down was the official Chemical Brothers channel which did allow the track to be played.

Youtube is possibly the biggest video sharing site on the Internet. It is used for a whole host of reasons. But music videos on Youtube are put there by record companies, or the artists themselves, purely as a promotion; in the hope that people seeing the video will go and buy the CD or follow the Youtube link to iTunes and download the official MP3.

So why the fuck do some companies (read as businesses) feel the need to block something on Youtube which is a marketing opportunity to sell something? And let us be honest here just because someone lives in one part of the world does not mean they only listen to music from that part of the world. I hate Country music - something the U.S. id famous for holding on to.

And what are Youtube, who are owned by Google, doing about this? Absolutely nothing. Google keeps going on about being open and global in all their services and products. So why don't they say if someone wants to make content area specific only it will not be allowed on Youtube as their 'Openess ethos' does not allow geographic censorship unless enforced by a country's government.

Since acquiring Youtube Google has given us VEVO, which censors music videos all the time, which may indeed be against the 1st Amendment rights of the U.S. Constitution, seems Google is based in the U.s. And in an attempt to get broadcasters backing behind other Google products they allow these promotional videos, which have already been plastered on U.S. TV to be blocked.

Music is international. Time and time again artists that are known all around the world have proven this. Youtube/Google not only do a great dishonor to the millions of Internet users that have made it what it is; but hey have also done a great disservice to the artists around the world that have been blocked in certain areas.

But it doesn't just rest with Youtube. It rests with the artists as well. Artists can go to their publishers and say "Hey fuckers why can't a fan in Russia see my video. Remember you work for us. Without artists your publishing company would be nothing. Sort it out now!"

If you get a video blocked, email the artists website and let them know that as a fan of their music you feel it unfair. Because if enough people complain eventually something will be done.

Sony Release New Jackson CD

Today at a somewhat small press conference Sony released a new CD from the Jackson family. It was not the unreleased tracks of Michael or another dire offering from Jermaine - it was a compilation CD that was compiled by the patriarch Joe. The CD simply entitled "Selected By Joe Jackson" goes on sale early July 2010.

Sony Spokeswoman, Lisa Davis, said at the launch: "We spent a long time going through the tracks that Mr Jackson had selected. Originally he had chosen over 100 tracks. We couldn't get the go ahead on some and some were just tunes Mr Jackson had heard in his head. But we got it down to a single CD and we at Sony, and Mr Jackson are happy with the final result. I would like to point out at this time that there are no hoax clues hidden within the CD, there is no significance of track 7, and if played backwards it means nothing."

Joe Jackson, always on hand, sat and went through the track listing and explained why each track was on the CD.

1. Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
"This track is an inside joke that the family will get. When I used to beat the kids I used to tell them - Yo mama told me to beat your ass so don't go crying to her or you'll get more."

2. It's All About The Benjamins - Puff Daddy
"I've always admired P. Diddy, and this track kind of explains my actions. I never meant to hurt the kids I did it for the kids. They wouldn't be where they are today if it wasn't for me beating them. Hell, those ungrateful bastards should be thanking me for beating them."

3. I Fought The Law - Bobby Fuller
"This one is close to my heart, it is what I am going through now. I am fighting the law. Michael never meant for me not to be provided for. Yeah we had some problems, and I know he didn't trust me, and yes I beat him but that is in the past. I don't hold any grudges towards my golden egg, I mean Michael, and I'm sure he doesn't hold any against me. So I'm just doing what a brother got to do and fighting for what is mine."

4. Dirty Deeds - ACDC
"Oh come on I don't have to explain this one. Hell, everything I have done in my life has been a dirty deed one way or another. I remember when I first met Katherine and we pulled over on this little back road, I turned the engine off, reached over and damn the woman hands me a watchtower to read."

5. Parents Just Don't Understand - DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"Jermaine used to always be playing this. I'd hear it and go running up those stairs and beat his ass and shout - Understand this you little punk. Oh those were happy days. But now when it comes on Jermaine just shudders and hides; go figure."

6. Dirty Cash - Adventures Of Stevie V
"Practically all the money I have ever made is dirty cash. I remember back in the days being on the corner with 3 cups and taking money. You got to do what you got to do."

7. I Want You Back - Jackson 5
"You know how many times I have heard this from Katherine. Damn, no matter what I do the woman just wants me. Brother got it going on in the bedroom if you know what I mean.

8. I Just Don't Give A Fuck - Eminem
"I knew when I put this one on the CD it was going to be controversial but damn the white boy got some lyrics. It kind of says a lot of how I live my life - I live for me and as for everyone else I just don't give a fuck."

9. Please Mr Jailer - Rachel Sweet
"I remember first hearing this back in 1990 and I thought it was OK and then when those bastards arrested Michael back in 2004 it was on the radio as I was leaving Hooters to go home. I got a call from Katherine telling me to get my ass down to Santa Barbara and sort shit out. It has kind of stuck with me ever since."

10. Teletubbies Say Eh Oh - Teletubbies
"I always thought if we got rid of Jermaine the boys could have done this job. Damn Jackie would of made the best Lala you'd of ever seen."

The CD will be released on iTunes on July 7 with an international release to still be announced.


Peace.

Legal Notice: Lisa Davis, who does really work for Sony, and Joe Jackson had nothing to do with this. Actually Sony had nothing to do with this either. But that was kind of obvious.