Nothing did more to further the cause of Alternative Nation-building than 120 Minutes, MTV’s Sunday-night video showcase of non-mainstream acts. For nearly two decades, the program spanned musical eras from ’80s college rock to ’00s indie, with grunge, Britpop, punk, industrial, electronica and more in between. MAGNET raids the vaults to resurrect our 120 favorite and unjustly forgotten videos from the show’s classic era.
#44: Dinosaur Jr “Feel The Pain”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQZmrdwK7YM
This writer has already been on the losing side of a Dinosaur Jr debate, so we won’t waste our time detailing the virtues of J Mascis’ long-running vehicle for neato guitar sounds. How’s that for faint praise? Enthusiasm for the video accompanying “Feel The Pain,” however, is unequivocal: 1994 was the golden year for Spike Jonze-directed music videos, among them the Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage” and Weezer’s “Buddy Holly.” It was a time when major-label budgets and sensibilities allowed just enough leeway for Jonze to create childlike fantasies—or, in the case of Dinosaur Jr, the fantasies of retired, golf-playing rich dudes. Ulterior motive time: If you’re into Dinosaur Jr, quit being prehistoric and check out Yuck, a London-based band whose debut album comes out today and sounds like a beautiful Green Mind.
