Unneccessary Characters in Classic Videos

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1.) Guy in clown mask, wearing dress - Meat Puppets, "Backwater"

2.) Carnival hot dog vendor - Porno For Pyros, "Pets"

3.) Ed Grimley lookin' guy - REO Speedwagon, "I Don't Wanna Know"

4.) Shirtless Old Man - Metallica, "Unforgiven"

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Friday, 14 April 2006 16:45 (twenty years ago)

Morrisey vid with fat chick

― Washable School Paste (sexyDancer), Friday, 14 April 2006 16:52 (twenty years ago)

The chicks in this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLup8wjbSIo&search=%26quot%3Bvillage%20people%26quot%3B

― dr lulu (dr lulu), Friday, 14 April 2006 17:52 (twenty years ago)

Hot for Teacher pwnz (Melvin)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Friday, 14 April 2006 17:54 (twenty years ago)

Chevy Chase in "You Can Call Me Al".

― Chin Tee (quipu), Monday, 17 April 2006 09:53 (twenty years ago)

The janitor in "Smells Like Teen Spirit."

― joseph cotten (joseph cotten), Monday, 17 April 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

I'm not sure what version of "unnecessary" you guys are using exactly... WOULD THERE BE a "You Can Call Me Al?" video without Chevy Chase wandering around and pretending to be a musician?

― Doctor Casino (Doctor Casino), Monday, 17 April 2006 17:49 (twenty years ago)

"pretending to be a musician"

original drummer for Steely Dan, yo.

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 17 April 2006 17:50 (twenty years ago)

My defination of "Unnecessary" would be skew more toward the janitor in "Teen Spirit". Watching Classic VH1 the other night, I realized just how many videos in the nineties had these weird looking dudes whose only purpose was to make a face and be weird.

Like, here's your typical 90s video scene:

Grungesters playing their instruments. Primary colors flash behind them.

JUMP TO: Shirtless old milkman, holding headless Barbie doll, makes furrowed expression of frustration.

JUMP BACK: to band for rest of the video, with quick shot of milkman one last time as clip fades to end.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:24 (twenty years ago)

Hooded figure with spikes for Eyelides in Alice in Chains "Man with a Box."

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:47 (twenty years ago)

eye-lids

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Monday, 17 April 2006 18:48 (twenty years ago)

Exactly.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:05 (twenty years ago)

The janitor had a purpose for being there, which got lost. The original premise for the "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video was teenagers at a high school pep rally rioting and burning the school down (a homage to the movie Over the Edge). At some point that idea was reduced to "teen pep rally." But the janitor was left in. Watch closely and you'll see another "weird guy" at the very end of the video, wearing a dunce cap. That guy was supposed to be the high school principal.

― James, Monday, 17 April 2006 19:10 (twenty years ago)

Who was Melvin in the video? I only remember Waldo (the kid).

― musically (musically), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:37 (twenty years ago)

old superdude in that 'kryptonite' (bad non-atl one) video

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:38 (twenty years ago)

Many of these characters can be classified as "Square old guy who isn't hip to what our cool, rockin' heroes are up to."

― Rick Massimo (Rick Massimo), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:47 (twenty years ago)

mostly Eric Roberts these days

― Washable School Paste (sexyDancer), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:48 (twenty years ago)

surely they are meant to represent the cruelty of the modern condition!

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:48 (twenty years ago)

haha did this trend start with quentin crisp in that fucking sting video?

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:49 (twenty years ago)

argh yeah Waldo not Melvin (I am prone to these kinds of errors)

― Shakey Mo Collier (Shakey Mo Collier), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:49 (twenty years ago)

waldo was clearly a melvin though

― j blount (papa la bas), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:51 (twenty years ago)

Every character in Soundgarden's Black Hole Sun video.

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:55 (twenty years ago)

Including the band.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:55 (twenty years ago)

But without them, I guess there'd be no video!

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:55 (twenty years ago)

I fail to see this being a problem.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 April 2006 19:57 (twenty years ago)

Wait, are these characters supposed to be problems?
I guess I was connecting "unneccessary" with "not making sense", I like these characters that don't make any sense.

I don't know if you were talking about black hole sun or the waldo/melvin thing.
I was talking about black hole sun.

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Monday, 17 April 2006 20:20 (twenty years ago)

Won't you come and wash my brain away.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 17 April 2006 20:24 (twenty years ago)

Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan in every single Milli Vanilli video
Andrew Rigdeley in every single Wham! video

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 13:48 (twenty years ago)

Vincent Gallo is always unnecessary

― snowballing (snowballing), Tuesday, 18 April 2006 14:00 (twenty years ago)

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