Assume any link is NSFW

January 26, 2018 6:56 PM

"There were the trade schools—construction, agricultural—and emergency services. Then there were the jockeys and the stable boys, the theatre troupe, the nurses, and the members of the Russian women’s biathlon team." The New Yorker tells the story of Satisfaction, a 2002 song from Italian d.j. Benny Benassi for which some cadets at an aviation academy made a parody of the video which caused a governmental uproar and a threatened investigation because of illegal homoerotic content. But then...

...the public began to show support by making their own versions. I'll link a few from the NY article here, but searching for more will yield a wealth of them. Construction Trade School [FB], Agricultural Trade School, Theater Troupe [FB], Retired Women In A Communal Apartment.

"The clips keep coming. They are so numerous, so exuberant, and come from such different corners of Russian society—from eighteen-year-old cadets to middle-aged middle-class sauna enthusiasts to the elderly communal-apartment dwellers—that they serve as the best proof yet that Russia is not nearly as conservative as the Kremlin has claimed in recent years."

posted by hippybear (20 comments total)

This is awesome! I never knew about the original story.

Also, does anyone else hear strong influence of this song in PSY's Gangam Style? It was like the first thing I noticed about it when I read about it here on Metafilter originally. Like 3 seconds in I was like "Hey that's Benny Benassi!!"
posted by some loser at 7:12 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I think both songs use a pretty similar genre styling of farty, distorted bass (it was really popular in 2006, and I think the Benassi song experienced a resurgence of popularity then - that's when I learned about it, anyway). Lots of Bloghouse used it: Larry Tee & Princess - Licky, Justice and Simian - We Are Your Friends, Bloody Beetroots & Steve Aoki - Bloody Beetroots.

Anyway, it's funny seeing all the different interpretations of the original video.
posted by codacorolla at 7:25 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

Also worth noting that Gangnam Style was a parody about materialism in the Bourgie parts of Korean culture, so giving it a somewhat outdated and (pretty well trod at that point) style sort of makes sense.
posted by codacorolla at 7:32 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I was about to comment on the prevalence of bootyshorts (shorty boxer briefs at least) in Russia and then realized I was about to comment on the underwear habits of teenagers. Uh, nyet.

Satisfaction was a video all my male gamer pals were talking about 14 yrs ago, so I waited like 12 minutes for it to download over dialup internet. It was pretty striking, to be honest, in a silly-sexy way. The song isn't bad - it pops up in some of my workout playlists even now.
posted by taterpie at 7:36 PM on January 26, 2018 [2 favorites]

Also I could watch those babushkas dance all DAY!!
posted by some loser at 7:36 PM on January 26, 2018 [4 favorites]

I swear I've seen something like this before and this was uploaded in 2015. I wonder what was the context the first time around.
posted by airmail at 7:46 PM on January 26, 2018

Ah I've found it - it was the British Army.
posted by airmail at 7:49 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

So uh, how do I become a retired woman in a communal apartment? I know i'm a bit young but I'm willing to quit to make this work.
posted by fshgrl at 8:33 PM on January 26, 2018 [14 favorites]

My favorite parody of the "Satisfaction" video is the video for "Skinny" by Lo-Rider with plus-sized models operating household devices. (This is the tamer version of the video - there's another version that is almost the same but that has some even more suggestive imagery near the end, but I can't easily find it with 30 seconds of searching)
posted by rmd1023 at 9:27 PM on January 26, 2018 [5 favorites]

Also, those retired women are rockin.
posted by rmd1023 at 9:29 PM on January 26, 2018 [1 favorite]

I loved that Skinny video! It was the first time I saw fat women as sensual. And then I promptly got in a fight with a friend for promoting unhealthy bodies.

I was trying to find it a few months ago, and had to use the term BBW to find it. Man has language changed a lot in 15 years.
posted by politikitty at 10:13 PM on January 26, 2018

Surely the definitive mix of We Are Your Friends.
posted by Damienmce at 3:50 AM on January 27, 2018

What struck me about the videos, other than the more immediately striking parts of the videos, was that those trade schools with residential programs seem like a great idea.
posted by MrVisible at 4:49 AM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

So a bunch of women dancing in underwear (in the original video) is fine (they're just performing for male audience of course) but a boys dancing in their underwear could only be homosexual (for a male audience only)? Sexism, you so basic.
posted by thefool at 4:51 AM on January 27, 2018 [5 favorites]

Well, the dancing also involves suggestively using phallic objects, so the dancers are at least strongly implying that they are male-oriented.
posted by Scattercat at 7:12 AM on January 27, 2018

I watched a bunch of the "parody" videos before watching the source video and ye gads that was jarring! More silly boys in underpants with their tidying up, please.
posted by amanda at 9:35 AM on January 27, 2018 [1 favorite]

but a boys dancing in their underwear could only be homosexual

Male gaze means it must be for male gays.
posted by RobotHero at 10:00 AM on January 27, 2018 [6 favorites]

The stable boy one was clearly directed by Tina Belcher.
posted by en forme de poire at 11:55 AM on January 27, 2018 [2 favorites]

This completely different video for satisfaction has always been a lot more fun for me.

These parodies are great, though.
posted by poe at 12:30 AM on January 28, 2018 [1 favorite]

Assume any link is NSFW

That is no way to live
posted by thelonius at 5:36 AM on January 29, 2018 [3 favorites]