CLIPS

CLIPS

This month�s Clips were written by Martin Dio and Dave DiMartino

JERRY LEE LEWIS The Killer Performance (Passport Music Video)

If I knew nothing of this guy�s personal life, I�d still think he reeked of bad vibes after watching this 1983 performance. There�s no comparing the early �60s, black & white �Whole Lotta Shakin� Goin� On� introduction with the rest of the stuff Lewis wheels out here; early on he looks possessed by demons, in �83 he looks like a demon personified. The camera barely moves—we see Lewis mumbling, bumbling, making oafish comments to the obviously uneasy audience. He whips out �Trouble In Mind,� �Move It On Down The Line,� and a messy version of �Me And Bobby McGee� wherein he improvises near chorus time �me and Janis Joplin and Bobby McGee.� Tell you the truth: if this was the Killer�s last performance in that movie they�re supposed to be making, I�d say they made the whole thing too melodramatic. I was in Memphis the week that this guy drove into the gates of Graceland and it would�ve made a better film. Somebody out there unleash the real Jerry Lee archives. D.D.

DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS �Knowledge Of Beauty� & �What�s She Like�

(PolyGram promotional video) This non-commercial video stuff doesn�t belong here, but let�s face facts: MTV didn�t dare play it. It�s just too weird. These two clips �highlight� what must be one of the oddest albums ever made, Dexys� Don�t Stand Me Down, and both tracks— about 12 total minutes of music —are either unbelieveably abominable or enormously fascinating, depending on your taste for excess. I would tell you the videos� storylines if I could—I can�t—but let�s just say Kevin Rowland�s blown here whatever American inroads he made with �Come On Eileen.� Though the album was incomprehensible, these videos make it look like Sesame Street by comparison— we�re talking Van Morrison not

only telling us he can hear the fireworks, but how fireworks in general are made, and of the coming WaMI inevitable financial

I crunch and its effect on the fireworks, and how, since you asked, he�s I sexually attracted to the fireworks themselves, ^ and would you like it if he made a video explaining his explanation, in Latin, of course, and...You get the idea—or more probably you don�t, which is also the idea. I have played these videos many more times than once, in admiration of Rowland�s complete and utter descent into self-righteous dorkdom. D.D.

SCORPIONS World Wide Live (RCA/Columbia Pictures Video) Hey, I know this has been out for a few months. Checked it out for a weekend with the Marinein-law who digs Accept & Priest and hadn�t seen it. Verdict: once you get past the Scorps being relative boobs mit English, you�ll have the certified time-o�-yourlife watching charismatic Krauts reaping the Heavy Metal fun they strive for. The key, of course, comes midway during the concert/world tour extravaganza, when a bandmember lets a Japanese fan in on the secret of HM success: �Let your hair grow and try to

play the big guy.� That�s all these guys do, see, and they look like they�re having some big fun doing it. Musically they fit the bill just fine—into minor chords, precise guitar leads, melodic vocals, etc. Never underestimate the influence of Uriah Heep on the non-English-speaking peoples of this wacky world. All told, it�s the one metal tape I�d play for non-fans. Lots of girls taking their shirts off, too! M.D.

VARIOUS ARTISTS Private Music (Private Music)

Want ambience? Here�s three videos� worth—a compilation of �New Age� clips by Sanford Ponder, former Flock & Mahavishnite Jerry Goodman and Missing Person Patrick O� Hearn to deaden up these lively days. Beautiful cinematography here, perfectly synchronized with dreamy synthesizer textures, sort of like The Secret Life Of Plants without the harmonica. With the hot-stuff Hi-Fi soundtrack, you couldn�t ask for a better tape to demonstrate current state-of-the-art vid possibilities. If you�re interested, write to Private Music, 220 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010. Better yet, get your Walkman and go walk in the woods. D.D.

THE FOOLS World Dance Party (Passport Music Video)

This Boston band did a parody of Talking Heads� �Psycho Killer� called �Psycho Chicken,� if you�ll remember, that overlooked the fact that parodies of parodies aren�t very funny. This is a half-hour program that reeks of a typical Hee Haw rerun: the band dressed as old-timers recalling the good ol� days, with videos interspersed. �Life Sucks...And Then You Die� is the opener, and it�s about as innovative as its title. A dull version of �Doo Wah Diddy� follows, and soon comes the Fools� best song, �World Dance Party,� which isn�t especially funny but�s got a cool �60s motif. Too bad that whoever did the visuals can�t spell Great Britain or New Delhi. Coming to Local Access unless something on the Weather Channel preempts. M.D.