Video killed the radio star

[remi_bz]

TV rocks on

EVERY musician - even those who live to rock out on stage - occasionally puts down their instrument and finds themselves sitting in front of the television.

That downtime has been turned into an exhibition, Video Killed the Radio Star, with eight of Melbourne's finest singers "curating" TVs that show off some of the world's most influential video clips.

David Bridie, Rebecca Barnard and Dan Sultan are among the artists chosen to share five of their favourite clips at Footscray Community Arts Centre, an event that coincides with the sold-out St Jerome's Laneway Festival on Saturday.

Guitarist and songwriter Scott Wilson chose the Sex Pistols' Anarchy in the UK, Otis Redding's Shake and Beck's Devil's Haircut in his selection. Watching Kick Out the Jams by MC5, he couldn't stop praising guitarist Wayne Kramer and recalling the few gigs he'd been lucky enough to attend.

"Best guitarist I've ever seen," he said, warmly recalling the wild shows.

But his favourite clip remained a black-and-white video from legendary 1970s rockers Daddy Cool. "Eagle Rock," he said, shaking his head slowly and laughing. "How Australian is that? They're in an FJ Holden and go to get fish and chips. It's the film clip for me. You get the whole band in a car and take them to a shop."

That might not sound particularly inspirational, until you find that Wilson bought his first electric guitar from the band's lead guitarist, Ross Hannaford. He still has it.

The band's journey to the shops is interspersed with footage of them dancing and Hannaford doing a handstand. "I'd love to see him do that now," Wilson said.

Curator Bernadette Fitzgerald said the clips had provided an early spark for many of the performers.

"I could have gone with a million (videos), but I had to tell them, 'No, I want five'," she said. "Now, in its essence, the artists are curating their own TV."

The exhibition screens until March 14, but will be packed on Saturday when 7500 punters fill the riverside grounds for the Laneway music event, which was relocated from the inner city after a calamitous outing last year.

The centre's director, Jennifer Barry, said organisers were clear about the failings of last year's overcrowded event.

"They're making a huge effort to give everyone a different, better and more enjoyable experience this year," she said. "It'll be a really great day for the punters. There's a great view back over the city; we're right on the Maribyrnong River - it's beautiful."

http://www.theage.com.au/national/melbo ... -myyf.html

[remi_bz]

David's chosen clips include:
Severed Heads, America is Waiting, from My life in the bush of ghosts
The Reels, Bad Moon Rising
Peter Gabriel, Sledgehammer
Lynne Hamilton's clip for Tender Trap