Each month Q rounds up the best music-related video the web has to offer. Here’s our pick for June ...
Russell Brand as rock star Aldous Snow Brand’s cameo as rock star Aldous Snow in US romantic comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall has a whiff of genius about it – and nowhere more so than in the “promo video” for his band Infant Sorrow’s save-the-world epic, We’ve Got To Do Something. Accosting passers-by, Aldous explains how he’d “govern things much more differently-er.” Thom Yorke beware…
Stipe meets Springsteen, embarrassing behaviour ensues
Before the US presidential elections in 2004, R.E.M. joined Bruce Springsteen as part of the Vote For Change tour. Backstage footage of rehearsals reveals an overwhelmed Stipe nervously meeting his hero, before dancing geekily around him during a performance of Because The Night. Trust us, you’ll be cringing for him.
Radiohead do it for the kids
A team-up with MTV, Radiohead's powerful video for the In Rainbows track, All I Need, highlights the issue of child exploitation in Asian sweatshops. Yorke explains that MTV’s lawyers insisted they couldn’t show any white trainers in the promo, but that “the implication is still there”.
Last Shadow Puppets perform
The Last Shadow Puppets’ Alex Turner and Miles Kane perform five tracks from the group’s debut album live in a New York studio, including debut single The Age Of The Understatement. The footage, posted on their website, includes some charmingly shy pre-song banter and a warts’n’all false start to Only The Start.
Verve at Coachella
The Verve’s barnstorming Friday night appearance at the Coachella festival was gilded with the performance of new track Sit And Wonder. "We're going to play a new song,” declared Richard Ashcroft. “Most bands when they reform don't make new music, but that's all this band's about, so we made some new music.”
Stephanie Dosen away with fairies
Stephanie Dosen has charmed many with her wistful, gothic songs inhabited by noctural woodland creatures and Pan-like spirits. But more evidence that she may be joyously one badger short of a set comes with this German interview, in which she rattles on barkingly for two minutes about forests, moss and white mice.
Deborah Harry goes back to school
Who better to teach a bunch of kids about punk rock than Blondie’s increasingly schoolmarmish singer? Naturally, this online skit sees the kids primed with probing questions such as “Is it better to burn out or to fade away?” and “Is my life a total sham?”, but top marks go to the Iggy wannabe who smothers himself in peanut butter and declares, “I wanna be your dog, Blondie!”
Madonna does the housework
Madge does the shak-and-vac during the video shoot for her 4 Minutes single. “Everyone’s f***ed off and I’ve got to do all the cleaning myself,” she pouts. It is thought unlikely she has since berated Guy to "move your feet love, I'm Hoovering". The spoof by comedian Nadya Ginsburg is worth seeing too.
He’s Turned Emo, Lego version
A Lego rendition of the enchantingly silly track by the comedy jug-band The Lancashire Hotpots, relating the sorry tale of their mate Geoff, who’s experienced an Emo epiphany and begun wearing eyeliner. “He used to like listening to Simply Red, now he’s listening to Fall Out Boy instead,” they rue, in chewy Manc tones.
Nick Cave’s poker face
You may be forgiven for thinking that Nick Cave’s poker face isn’t dramatically different to his ordinary face (ie moody), and in this clip of rock stars presenting their best stonewalling visage he does pretty well. Certainly better than Kaiser Chiefs, whose drummer Nick Hodgson simply goofs, “I’ll never win anything with these…”
