November 14, 2001

10:01 AM

"Hell, I still love you New York." (WMA or RA) I've been seeing the video for Ryan Adams' "New York, New York" late at night on VH1. At a time when television censors are editing out images of the World Trade Center and words like "hijack" out of old movies, it is a welcome surprise. The video, filmed on Sept. 7th, has a pre-attack NY skyline with the WTC prominently featured. It's the best tribute to NY I've seen in the last couple of months.
posted by eyeballkid (20 comments total)

they've actualy been playing that on MTV for a while.

And yeh, it is nice, and a welcome change from the bullshit censorship stuff that's been going on.
posted by delmoi at 10:27 AM on November 14, 2001

eyeballkid, thanks for the link. I had not seen the video yet (do MTV & VH1 play any videos anymore?), but I really like it. Here's a Time.com story about songs about New York. Being a native New Yorker (from Westchester Co.), I've always had a soft spot for songs about my home. As a kid, I used to make a point of listening to Billy Joel's "New York State of Mind" as my flight approached the city.

My favorites: Well, I'd have to start with Frank Sinatra's classic, of course, and Billy Joel's "NY State of Mind", but among more recent songs, Sting's "Englishman in New York" and U2's "New York" both remind me of the city's fantastic 'melting pot' heritage.
posted by msacheson at 10:33 AM on November 14, 2001

Delmoi: You saw a *music video* on MTV? Yeah, right and penguins are flying outta my butt.
posted by m@ at 10:38 AM on November 14, 2001

A great song from a great album. Ryan decide to make the video a tribute to the victims. Ironically he is pictured on his album cover in front of an American flag. He said this was actually inspired by Springsteen's "Born in the USA" cover.

posted by chainring at 10:56 AM on November 14, 2001

.
posted by msacheson at 11:00 AM on November 14, 2001

But why is the flag upside-down? Is he in distress?
posted by msacheson at 11:02 AM on November 14, 2001

Looks more like he is in jeans, but I can understand your confusion about his attire.
posted by dwivian at 11:11 AM on November 14, 2001

Hey, I'm going to see Ryan Adams tonight at the Fillmore, with metafilter user 1425. GOLD is Ryan's best album to date, in my opinion.

On the subject of music, I played Neil Diamond's "America" song today, which got me all misty-eyed, but is perhaps too immigrant-friendly for today's "rally around the flag" times.
posted by bjennings at 11:14 AM on November 14, 2001

At a time when television censors are editing out images of the World Trade Center and words like "hijack" out of old movies

These days I'm living in France, so I'm a bit out of the loop, but is this really happening, and to what extent? I read about NBC pulling the Seinfeld episode where Susan dies because of licking stamps (which I think is ridiculous), but is the WTC really being edited out of films? When I see them in a move (even a movie as bad as AI), they stand as more of a tribute to the dead. Yes, they are a reminder of what happened, but are we supposed to forget. Are the French right? Are Americans afraid of their history? Do we feel we need to edit out the parts that we find difficult or disturbing? I hope not.
posted by jeffvc at 11:20 AM on November 14, 2001

Just last night I saw them (the WTC towers) again on TV, and took notice. The thought that always comes to mind is 'God - they were so big'. Suddenly it seems like they are everywhere - always taken for granted before. I saw them last night in a Limp Bizkit video (watched solely because I was too damn lazy to change the channel) - they actually performed on a helipad on top of one of them.

They really jumped out at me in a recent viewing of the Bob Hoskins vehicle "Super Mario Brothers" (yes, that movie). Some silly scene where a mafia boss threatens an anthropologist - in the background, the NYC skyline. My thoughts were taken completely away from the vivid storyline, and into the moment - what were the people in those buildings doing that day (the day of filming), were some of them there on Sep 11th? What did the view from that spot look like after the attack, etc.

These towers are going to be strong symbolic icons in the fabric of US History.
posted by kokogiak at 11:21 AM on November 14, 2001

bjennings and allaboutgeorge, I live in Oakland, also. Enjoy tonight's show. I'm seeing (the big-ticket sell-outs) tomorrow night at the Oakland Arena and looking forward to it.
posted by msacheson at 11:27 AM on November 14, 2001

jeffvc: yes. it is getting to be that way. there was talk for a while of digitizing out shots of the wtc from syndicated episodes of friends. the episode of seinfeld where george's fiance dies from licking too many envelopes with expired glue was pulled out of syndication because they thought it would be distasteful with the recent anthrax scares. it's getting out of hand.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:58 AM on November 14, 2001

There was a blurb about that video in Entertainment Weekly last week. Then I saw the video last week on MTV, late at night. Great video and I love the song. It made me really, really want to go back to NYC.
posted by SisterHavana at 12:55 PM on November 14, 2001

Ryan decide to make the video a tribute to the victims.

Call me a MeFi cynic, but I don't think he really had a choice. The towers are featured in almost every shot of the video, so cutting them out would have meant reshooting the entire thing: Not really an option for a non-established artist. Dedicating the video to them is a way to calm the "don't excite the audience" record execs. I'm sure there were some tense days right after the attack when no one was sure if they video would air.

Having said that, I'm glad it did get a chance to air. I think it's a great video. I stop and watch it every time i surf past.
posted by jpoulos at 1:41 PM on November 14, 2001

a few days after Sept. 11, I had gone into the local Salvation Army thrift store to check out the stuff....I picked out an old record album i used to own over 20 years ago, paid a dollar for it and left.....and then I happened to look at the cover a little more closely....

It was a copy of Supertramp's "Breakfast in America"....for those of you too young to remember, the front was a "parody" of the New York City skyline, constructed with whited out diner items....with a plump and perky diner waitress past her prime posing as the Statue of Liberty, jauntily holding up a glass of orange juice for a torch.....as seen thru an airplane window.....right behind the juice can be seen their conception of the Two Towers-i assume made from mini cereal boxes........
I have never even BEEN to New York yet I still look at this and weep....
posted by bunnyfire at 1:52 PM on November 14, 2001

msacheson -- yes I think he is in distress. The album is mostly songs about his break up with a girl he lived with in NY. He moved out to LA afterwards and started dating Winona Ryder (good coping strategy!). I may have all this wrong, gossip is not my strong suit.

I thought Gold full of good imitations of other artists, none particularly inventive the way "Amy" or "Come Pick Me Up" were from Heartbreaker.
posted by luser at 1:55 PM on November 14, 2001

I read about NBC pulling the Seinfeld episode where Susan dies because of licking stamps (which I think is ridiculous), but is the WTC really being edited out of films?

On the forthcoming movie version of comics hero Spider-Man, they got forced to cut a whole scene where a giant spider web appears between the Twin Towers.

And also I have noticed that the NY skyline must be the most filmed ever in the whole world, for most every movie includes at last a glance of it, WTC included... there's a tough job ahead for the censors.
posted by betobeto at 2:07 PM on November 14, 2001

I'd agree with the above comments-- "Gold" is a really good album of Ryan Adams sounding like other artists (ever since someone compared "New York" to "Tangled Up in Blue," I can't help but hear both at the same time). "Heartbreaker" was just a great album, start to finish.

Also, I'd like to congratulate myself for seeing this all coming.

While "Heartbreaker" and "Faithless Street" are two incredible discs, Ryan Adams still isn't Rhett Miller. And it kills him.
posted by yerfatma at 2:18 PM on November 14, 2001

Are Americans afraid of their history?

Only until it has been examined, interpreted, sanitized, brought in line with prevailing moral and patriotic notions, repurposed and repackaged. Then it's fine (few will pay it any attention anyway, until the blockbuster film is made).
posted by rushmc at 3:44 PM on November 14, 2001

i've always really liked the cheezy TMBG cover of "new york city"
posted by palegirl at 3:58 PM on November 14, 2001