“If you give away an idea, you still own that idea. In fact, giving it away strengthens it.”
Idea/Concept #1: Tribute music video for Beastie Boys‘ “B-Boy Boulllabaisse”
Paul’s Boutique is one of my all time favorite albums, of any genre, and it has inspired me as a fan, writer, artist, and producer. I always wished the group would have made a full-length video for the 13-minute masterpiece, since at times I’ve imagined certain things I would love to see if put in a visual setting. The group have allowed others to portray themselves, so while it would’ve been great to see the group see what I’m about to describe, it’s hard to look like you’re from 1989 when we’re 22 years into the future. Here’s my concept:
I’d like to see an executive producer/director take on a project of creating a short film that is essentially a full-length music video for the entire “B-Boy Bouillabaisse”. If there is someone overseeing the project, it would be cool if someone was able to select directors/filmmakers who were responsible for each part in the song, for a total of 9 short films to create one short film. The final 13 minute film would be premiered in various theaters across North America and the world for a limited time, and then released to the public as downloadable content or streamable on YouTube or Vimeo.
I want the short film to have a bit of continuity, so that however one part of the song ends, the director chosen for the next song has to start that video with whatever was seen/done in the previous song. For example, “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” begins with “59 Chrystie Street”. The video for this can be sexy, seedy, and sleazy since the lyrics hint at guys looking at a girl with long brown hair who has a matress thrown in her face, before seeing something that’s “wick wick wack”. Maybe the last shot can be of a woman laughing as she looks out the window. Then “”Get on the Mic” can begin, and maybe in the background it shows a woman looking out of a window from a distance. It then continues like that throughout the short film. It can be real live action, animated, whatever someone wants to do, they can.
As for me, I’ve always had ideas for what I’d like to see if there were videos for “A Year And A Day” and “Hello Brooklyn”, so if a project like this was done, I’d love to direct these two songs. As soon as “A Year And A Day” begins, I’d like to see someone lip-sync to the song as they make their way into a subway station. He’s rapping the song, but in time the crowd in the subway station continues to increase. He’s trying to get to his train, but is constantly being pulled back. By the time the song reaches the part about going by the name of Disco Dave, we see a massive crowd taking the guy up the stairs, and it appears as if he is getting lost in the crowd. The song moves on, and then click: HELLOOOOOOO, BROOKLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYN!!! The guy is now outside, meeting up with his friends on an empty street in Brooklyn at 2:45am/3am. As the line goes “New York, New York, it’s a hell of a town”, we see an ice cream truck drive past them out of nowhere, just like the random sound in the song. Why is an ice cream truck moving slowly in the distance at 3am? It doesn’t matter. The song goes on, and it leads to the discovery of a man in black, in honor of the Johnny Cash sample. It then cuts to “Dropping Names”, and someone else can do their part of the film, beginning with a man in black, or black clothing, or making some connection with how I ended “Hello Brooklyn”. Maybe someone can be standing on a street corner marked Desolation Street, in honor of the Sweet album of the same name and the sample that is about to be heard in “B-Boy Bouillabaisse” at that point in the film.
2014 will be the 25th anniversary of the album, and I feel it is a song worth honoring, taken from an album worth talking about, created by one of the best groups, produced by some of the best producers around. If a project like this were to happen, have it created for the 25th anniversary. It would coincide with Adam Yauch turning 50, and as he says on the album, “24 is my age, and .22 is my gauge”, and it would be a way to honor him, and the other members will be in their late 40′s by the time a project like this would happen in 2014.
In addition, while YouTube, the internet, and Netflix-like streaming will be the way we consume any level of music videos these days, I’d also like to see more artists create videos for movie theaters. It’s not a regular practice, but it had been done. In fact, Art Of Noise made a video for “Close (To The Edit)” that was created specifically to be shown in theaters only. Videos these days can be made with little to no budget,so why not make the effort to put a few in a theater setting, as part of a showcase?
Thoughts?