AudioShocker

The writer’s strike has begun to affect more than just TV. I haven’t seen a decent music video premier is over a month. Much like late night TV, I have resorted to re-runs of classic videos from my youth. Do you remember the days when the Real World didn’t come on in 10 hour blocks and Busta Rhymes was making all those wild videos? No? Well, with the magic of YouTube I present: Neal’s Video Throwback. I hope these decade old morsels are fresh enough to sate your thirst during this ridiculous drought.

10. Basketcase - Green Day - 6th grade was a crazy time full of self-loathing and the noxious whiff of puberty. Sound familiar?

9. No Diggity - Blackstreet -This may have been one my first experience with booty dancers. It looks like they jacked Boyz II Men’s wardrobe for this video, but at least they weren’t sporting shiny suits.

8. Du Hast - Rammstein - Years before assclowns like SlipKnot were getting airplay, there was Rammstein. Tell me this doesen’t make you want to run into the street and slap a fat kid.

7. Glycerine - Bush - I feel like I could have put ANY Bush track from the first album here. The video might be ’simple’ by today’s standards, but this used to pass for a decent video 10 years ago.

6. Wonderwall - Oasis - Joke all you want, but I know you own this CD. I used to listen to this on gray rainy days. Seeing as how I grew up in Pittsburgh - you can imagine how often that was. This video went straight from MTV to VH1’s Pop-up Video. If that isn’t indicative of its massive popularity, I am not sure what is.

5. Where It’s At - Beck - It does not mean much out of context, but ‘I got two turn tables and a microphone‘ was like a warcry in 1996 at my middle school. I was really straightedge at the time, so I imagined that this was what getting high was like: a bunch of poorly lit unrelated vignettes.

4. Virtual Insanity - Jamiroquai - OK, maybe you saw this one coming - but god damn was this a cool video. Admit it, you wish you had thought of this. It also won the 1997 MTV video awards for ‘Breakthrough Video’ and ‘Video of the Year’.

3. Criminal - Fiona Apple - I didn’t understand this one when it came out, but then again, I didn’t know what the term “strung out” meant either. The video is rich with color, and except for Fiona’s high-waisted duds could easily be confused with something more recent.

2. Who Sucked Out The Feeling - Superdrag - FUCK I love this song. Back when ‘Buzzworthy’ meant something on MTV. This video requires no additional justification.

1. Ride Wit Me - Nelly - While it came out in 2001 and is not  strictly speaking a throwback- this is an amazing video and Nelly’s finest work ever. Country Grammar and E.I. were also heavy hitters - but they had nothing on this. Fast whip? Check. Video hos? Check? Posse? Check. This video has it all. This was the standard by which I judged all other videos for at least five years.

Think you’ve got a better list? Leave us a comment below and maybe we’ll talk about it on the next podcast!