Alt Rock Continues Fine Tradition of Being Male-Dominated Country Club

So the Flaming Lips newest music video is a massive disappointment. And it's NSFW.

Yeah, the Flaming Lips have always been the type to think they're being really arty and profound when in reality they're just stoned as all hell. Now, don't get me wrong, I think they can be a lot of fun and hella catchy, and Wayne Coyne has always had some of the most fabulous hair, but in retrospect I guess I shouldn't be as disappointed as I am.

As for the video itself, man, if the Flaming Lips wanted to be tasteless and exploitative why weren't they the ones rolling around naked in a bathtub of menstrual jizz (or whatever)? Seriously. Is there anyone worth shocking who is really shocked by a naked woman in a music video (if shocking is what they were going for)? I'm pretty sure Madonna took care of that. And Flaming Lips apologists can wave their hands all they want and say they were making an "artistic statement" all they want, but the whole "naked woman rolling around in nameless goo" has been done to death. It's in almost every arthouse movie, and every musician that has ever been described as "alternative" or any of it's derivatives has probably done it at least once (I know that describes every Marilyn Manson music video). Call me cynical, but at this point it doesn't seem so much about "art" as about titillation.

And I think that's why this video really gets under my skin (aside from pretentiousness). There is a glut of women-naked-as-fap-material-artistic-statement, but why not men? The fact is that "alternative" music still widely adheres to the objectifying, boys-club culture of "mainstream" music, no matter how much the bands and fans like to pretend otherwise.

TL;DR: The new Flaming Lips videos is stupidly pretentious and sexist. If you're going to objectify people at least do so equally.

Also, apparently the Flaming Lips redid the video with Amanda Palmer (Erykah Badu wasn't too fond of the end result), but she's still rolling around in a tub naked. Just with water instead of colored corn-syrup.

The video isn't the worst thing about what I just sat through.

I mean, yeah, there was nothing good about the video team. But that "song" was so fucking bad it's hard to wrap my head around it.

I agree, we need more men rolling around naked in colored goo in our music videos.

I know that sounded sarcastic but I am being completely sincere.



But they had better be good looking.

well david fonseca aint bad lookin

Who pays enough attention to this effeminate falsetto genre to hammer out a whiny gender analysis? Also, how dare you slut shame this brave woman who chose to be filmed naked in goo?