The Strokes, "12:51"

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This might be my favorite video of the year. The band didn't really have to do anything; all the work was put in by the director + minions to make everything look blandly futuristic without shoving the concept in our faces. And the boys getting deleted at the end just made the whole thing more creepy and alien.

― Raymond Cummings (Raymond Cummings), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:55 (twenty-one years ago)

So yr not meaning the one where they're in their practise room?

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

They don't show enough of Julian looking hotttttttttttttttttt.

Or his ass.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:58 (twenty-one years ago)

is it up in quicktime anywhere?

― geeta (geeta), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

(Is there a difference, because I've only ever seen the Tron one.)

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 7 November 2003 12:59 (twenty-one years ago)

They all look hotter in the practise room one, and I need to see "Tron".

― Andrew Thames (Andrew Thames), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:01 (twenty-one years ago)

directed by Roman Coppola. i SO need to see this.

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:17 (twenty-one years ago)

the strokes are so NOT HOT (except the drummer).

― jed (jed_e_3), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

We've debated this already. It's all about Julian and Nick.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 7 November 2003 13:27 (twenty-one years ago)

I can't believe the word TRON has not yet come up in this thread.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

Is that post supposed to be ironic?

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:21 (twenty-one years ago)

uninteresting fact: Tron was already pastiched in music video via Timo Maas's excellent 'Ubik'

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 7 November 2003 15:33 (twenty-one years ago)

Tron is one of the coolest films of my childhood. My mother so hated the way me and my bros robbed the lids from her Tupperware collection to use as attack frisbees.

― mick hall (mick hall), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, it's too bad the Strokes aren't as cool as Tron. Sigh.

― Citizen Kate (kate), Friday, 7 November 2003 16:49 (twenty-one years ago)

this seems like the same unusual aesthetic juxtaposition i get a kick out of when watching White Stripes videos

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

From SFJ:

"Roman Coppola’s video for “12:51” captures the Strokes’ uptight gestalt. Using effects from the 80s sci-fi movie Tron, Coppola presents the band performing in a state of high boredom. Casablancas looks like the Valium is kicking in--only guitarist Albert Hammond seems to know the camera's on. Bits of the space age set glow, as do the microphone and various instruments. As the song sinks in, you want more little flashes of light. When Casablancas, still phoning it from Ennuihawken, windmills his microphone and leaves a thick trail of light, it’s kinda thrilling. The restraint has become sexy, and the whole gameplan makes sense."

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I wasn't too enamoured with "12:51" until I saw the video, at which point I realized that the band's rockstars-acting-disinterested schtick worked best once you removed them from any sort of trad-rockstar setting. Now I kind of think they have potential to become the aloof Waldos of the guitar world: "Oh, now they're in the Indian Market, checking their watches..."

― mark p (Mark P), Friday, 7 November 2003 17:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, it's too bad the Strokes aren't as cool as Tron. Sigh.

Way, truth, light.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 7 November 2003 18:14 (twenty-one years ago)

that's funny Ned, Radio Birdman sez the pop's the way, the truth and the light

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Friday, 7 November 2003 18:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Your lips move, but I can't hear what you're saying.

― Dave Gilmour (Ned), Friday, 7 November 2003 18:50 (twenty-one years ago)

pft

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Friday, 7 November 2003 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

i cut this video and was at the shoot. Assablancas was high as a kite, a slurring, mumbling asshole. RC attempted to have them perform live, and while the rest of the guys knocked it out with Tron-like precision for 10+ takes, Julian was having extreme difficulty remembering any of the words. We ended up having Fab play to a click track just to finish the fucking thing.

― charlito, Friday, 7 November 2003 20:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Taking drugs to make videos to take drugs to.

― Chris Ott (Chris Ott), Friday, 7 November 2003 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Quicktyyyme. http://www.usounds.com/mt/archives/000184.html

― Mark B (Mark B), Friday, 7 November 2003 23:04 (twenty-one years ago)

schweet. Definitely one of those "looks like it sounds" videos, and serves as a good reminder of what great '80s Nintendo music their songs would make.

― nate detritus (natedetritus), Friday, 7 November 2003 23:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I love how Casablancas acts in this. It reminds me of the "Happy When It Rains" video where Jim Reid is looking similarly unstable and grabs William's guitar neck mocking the video itself. And don't forget Ian Brown's inability to hold the mic to his mouth whilst syncing.

― Spencer Chow (spencermfi), Friday, 7 November 2003 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

They look out of place. I think it's because they look so bored. Usually I like how they look so bored, but they look out of place here. I don't think the world of TRON is dirty enough for them.

― Sonny A. (Keiko), Saturday, 8 November 2003 00:08 (twenty-one years ago)

i was disappointed by this video. i can't decide if the band's inanimateness within an animated environment is clever or stupid. more annoying is that they don't hurl discs at each other (the discs could've been records) or battle each other in a 5 way lightcycle battle. if you're gonna pastiche something like this you'd better go the whole hog. bit of a waste of an opportunity but still a nice video for a cool track.

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 8 November 2003 13:30 (twenty-one years ago)

ennuihawken!!

― Annouschka (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 November 2003 17:20 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah i thought that was funny too

i like r. coppola's videos because their central weirdness isn't necessarily in the slightly wearying retro-trendy designer look, it's in these odd contrasts where you can't quite get at what level the whole thing is pitched, whether it's played for humor and if so what kind of humor exactly.

― amateur!st (amateurist), Sunday, 9 November 2003 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't know whether to be impressed or disturbed by the level to which Julian is Malkmusing it bigtime.

Actually nevermind, Pavement videos seem like the most outlandish Monty Python sketches in comparison to this.

My theory that the Strokes are just a nameless peg-leg pirate recording indie rock in his bedroom fronted publically by a five-piece boy band with a boredom shtick still stands.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 9 November 2003 20:28 (twenty-one years ago)

that's was everyone's theory for pavement once too

― cinniblount (James Blount), Sunday, 9 November 2003 20:30 (twenty-one years ago)

the slightly wearying retro-trendy designer look

I like how Roman Coppola's sense of retro is just a little off -- it's not splashy and cutely campy, it's actually kinda mundane and dreary (e.g. the cheap stock/ephemeral footage that made up the "Hard to Explain" video).

(This theory holds water if you pretend CQ never existed, btw.)

― Annouschka (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 9 November 2003 21:09 (twenty-one years ago)

did he direct spirit of 76? or were his fingerprints just all over it?

― cinniblount (James Blount), Sunday, 9 November 2003 21:22 (twenty-one years ago)

See, the Strokes video would have been VASTLY improved if Redd Kross had made a cameo in it.

― donut bitch (donut), Sunday, 9 November 2003 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

which stroke are you?

Congratulations! You are most like Julian Casablancas!

You are the band's obsessive, driven, secretive mastermind. For you, life is too short for fripperies and nonsense, you have an empire to build, a legend to create and a whole lot more songs to write. If you weren't in The Strokes you'd be making a lot more money working on Wall Street.

(I disagree btw -- I don't see how I could be anyone other than Albert Hammond Jr.)

― Annouschka (Jody Beth Rosen), Monday, 10 November 2003 00:13 (twenty-one years ago)

I like how Roman Coppola's sense of retro is just a little off -- it's not splashy and cutely campy, it's actually kinda mundane and dreary (e.g. the cheap stock/ephemeral footage that made up the "Hard to Explain" video).

yes precisely that is what i wanted to say but couldn't find the words!! thanks

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 10 November 2003 10:10 (twenty-one years ago)

so to tie in your comment and mine its like the line b/t super-professional-looking footage and something that looks like a botched take is blurred... even the collected gestures of the band members seem pitched on diff't levels sometimes, one persion has Serious Video Face and another person is falling all over themselves

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 10 November 2003 10:11 (twenty-one years ago)

oh yeah and forget CQ definitely

― amateur!st (amateurist), Monday, 10 November 2003 10:12 (twenty-one years ago)

i saw this properly on TV and i like it more - esp. the bit where you can see they are in the tank rolling across the grid. it's SO fleeting it must be deliberate, as if Coppola just wants to tease you with the fact that they're in the Tron World so yeh of course they'll be racing each other in lightcycles and stuff but we're not dealing with that right now (maybe 'Reptilia' would be a better soundtrack to that?) - and it would be too obvious i spose. i still wish the band would move around more sometimes.

― stevem (blueski), Friday, 14 November 2003 17:41 (twenty-one years ago)

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The Strokes, "12:51" - the video