Music Videos Without Music

July 23, 2013 2:47 PM

What happens when you strip out all the music from Miley Cyrus' " We Can't Stop" music video and dub in new sound effects?
posted by The Whelk (66 comments total)

Previously...
posted by schmod at 2:48 PM on July 23, 2013

I now need therapy.
posted by kiltedtaco at 2:53 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Weirdly, this just popped up under "News" when I googled the word dystopia.
posted by maryr at 2:55 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

somewhere, the ghost of Luis Bunuel is smiling
posted by philip-random at 2:55 PM on July 23, 2013 [8 favorites]

What happens when you strip out all the music from Miley Cyrus' " We Can't Stop" music video and dub in new sound effects?

THE BEAST IS SUMMONED
posted by louche mustachio at 2:56 PM on July 23, 2013 [13 favorites]

Pure Genius.
posted by 6am at 2:59 PM on July 23, 2013

To be fair, this version isn't appreciably more disturbing than the original.
posted by janey47 at 3:00 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

i'm tellin your dad
posted by louche mustachio at 3:01 PM on July 23, 2013

I remain fond of Backstreet Warlocks.
posted by Drastic at 3:07 PM on July 23, 2013 [11 favorites]

This is pretty much Fiona Apple's Criminal video but without a sense of narrative or self-reflection.
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:10 PM on July 23, 2013 [9 favorites]

This reminded me of Spring Breakers.
I did not need to be reminded of Spring Breakers.
Tell me Harmony Korine did not direct or produce this.
I did not ask for this
help me i cant ... criticker ruined... erything ruined... cant splep anmore... y u no edit movei like pipel... james franco james franco james franco james francoo jamse jamci framces franco *sobs*
posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:15 PM on July 23, 2013 [10 favorites]

That original Miley videos surprises me because so much of the imagery has clearly been taken from contemporary art galleries or at least could be in an art gallery. I mean melting marshmallows on a candlestick, skull made of fries, this general feel, fake fingers being cut with pink paint spilling everywhere and goat in hall of mirrors I'm not crazy in thinking there's a certain contemporary art gallery feel to all this right?

Don't know if this is showing the art aesthetic so long seen as incoherent and incomprehensible finally filtering into the mainstream, or showing how easily co-optable that kind of imagery is. Probably both.
posted by litleozy at 3:18 PM on July 23, 2013 [12 favorites]

They did this with Thrift Shop, too.
posted by dobbs at 3:25 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Eventually Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber will become the same person.

I give it four more months, tops.
posted by Sys Rq at 3:26 PM on July 23, 2013 [5 favorites]

That original Miley videos surprises me because so much of the imagery has clearly been taken from contemporary art galleries or at least could be in an art gallery. I mean melting marshmallows on a candlestick, skull made of fries, this general feel, fake fingers being cut with pink paint spilling everywhere and goat in hall of mirrors I'm not crazy in thinking there's a certain contemporary art gallery feel to all this right?

Don't tell my art. My ach[needle scratch]
posted by hal9k at 3:32 PM on July 23, 2013 [7 favorites]

Yeah, I mentioned to someone before that it whole video feels like a breakdown at the LACMA or something.
posted by The Whelk at 3:38 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

The video was directed by Diane Martel who we were just talking about yesterday.

litleozy, you'll be very interested in this video, where Martel does a treatment for We Can't Stop. You can see the direct references you're talking about.
posted by gwint at 3:52 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

I give it four more months, tops.

It would definitely have to be before Black Friday with enough lead time for household purchasing agents to become aware of the new entity, formulate an entity merchandise comparison chart based on popularity and price, conclude that a purchase of certain entity merchandise would make for a Christmas success with possible subsequent popularity bump in local teenage mating circles.

So no later than the first week of November. Current naming candidates are Cybieb, Mileyber, JustCy and Chet. I'll schedule a stakeholder meeting for next week.
posted by jsavimbi at 3:53 PM on July 23, 2013 [2 favorites]

Looks like they take requests via YouTube comments:

Jany Blanchard 4 weeks ago
Make one of We Can't Stop by Miley Cyrus!!:)
posted by sideshow at 3:54 PM on July 23, 2013

Its not just Bieber who will turn into Cyrus. In the near future, we will all be Miley.
posted by Joey Michaels at 3:55 PM on July 23, 2013

This makes me want to cry on a variety of levels.

Loving the background puking noises though.
posted by billiebee at 3:58 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thanks gwint that was brilliant! Really interesting to see the progression from that to the final cut and as you say to see the direct references. Really interesting.
posted by litleozy at 3:59 PM on July 23, 2013

A while ago I put "Party in the USA" Up against the video for David Lynch's "Crazy Clown Time" in the youtube doubler, and I found them interchangeable.
posted by hellojed at 3:59 PM on July 23, 2013

I didn't think it was possible for the official music video to be that empty.

The funny version had to be a bunch of extra random scenes inserted, I thought. I was wrong, I learned.
posted by surplus at 4:02 PM on July 23, 2013

Gozer the Gozerian- good evening. As a duly designated representative of the City, County and State of New York, I order you to cease any and all supernatural activity and return forthwith to your place of origin or to the nearest convenient parallel dimension.
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 4:07 PM on July 23, 2013 [8 favorites]

Current naming candidates are Cybieb, Mileyber, JustCy and Chet.

Musty Cyber
posted by Sys Rq at 4:09 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

Musty Cyber

People have the worst names for their cyberpunk characters.
posted by curious nu at 4:19 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

It suddenly feels like a Die Antwoord video.
posted by 4ster at 4:33 PM on July 23, 2013 [6 favorites]

The music in the orig sounds so grindey and tired. Like they're just about to stop.
posted by telstar at 4:36 PM on July 23, 2013 [3 favorites]

That original Miley videos surprises me because so much of the imagery has clearly been taken from contemporary art galleries or at least could be in an art gallery.

That's nothing new. Nine Inch Nails videos borrowed a lot from Joel Peter Witkin's photography.
posted by jonp72 at 4:44 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

There's a comparison that everyone's fans can appreciate.
posted by box at 4:49 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

This video appears to have been directed by Jurgen Haabermaaster.

"Heh, heh. So playful."
posted by Pecinpah at 4:51 PM on July 23, 2013

I generally watch Miley Cyrus videos with the sound off.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 4:52 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I mean perviness aside that's the best way to watch music videos, since the worst music usually has the best videos.
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 4:53 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Ain't never seen no Miley Cyrus video before. Can't rightly say I heard any Miley Cyrus music neither. So this is my only experience of the fellow. Or if she ain't no fellow, then fellowette.

But I must ask this. Donkey Rhubarb?
posted by Devonian at 4:54 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Poor Miley, she can't ever stop and she knows it. Cuz like the man said:

Feds still lurking
They see I'm still putting work in
Cause somewhere in America
Miley Cyrus is still twerkin'
posted by Ad hominem at 5:01 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Yeah, I mentioned to someone before that it whole video feels like a breakdown at the LACMA or something.

I have missed the PRODUCT PLACEMENT at the art gallery.

I hope she got paid for all the ads she stuck in that video.
posted by winna at 5:30 PM on July 23, 2013

the Cremaster Cyrus. lol. i love it.
posted by octobersurprise at 5:36 PM on July 23, 2013 [4 favorites]

The bastard child of David Lynch and Paris Hilton.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 5:39 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Fun fact: Same director as Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines," discussed a few posts down. She also choreographed R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy People."
posted by Sys Rq at 5:52 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I guess the haircut wasn't enough.
posted by thorny at 6:14 PM on July 23, 2013

I mean perviness aside that's the best way to watch music videos, since the worst music usually has the best videos.

There's probably some Internet fame available to the first person to start re-editing the videos of terrible pop songs to have some better music.

Also, HOLY COW!!!!! is that a bad song.
posted by suetanvil at 6:23 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I feel the same way after watching this, as I did when I turned off Lynch's Inland Empire;

Really creeped out, and even more bored.
posted by furnace.heart at 7:05 PM on July 23, 2013

I saw this video. It was 'weird' but in a very predictable way... seems like these days pop music borrows from the avant garde pretty readily - see Gaga (who I guess people here do consider a serious artist), janelle monae (who is), etc. the baroque grabbiness of the music, which sucks in pretty much every style and spits it out as a mechanized mush, does the same thing for art in its videos
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 7:08 PM on July 23, 2013

see Gaga (who I guess people here do consider a serious artist

Here meaning where exactly
posted by sweetkid at 7:17 PM on July 23, 2013

I feel kinda bad that I think she's kinda hot. Though I think it's the workout outfit with the straps (in fact I know it is) but also the short hair thing I love that.

I doubt I'd like the music, and this is probably the only way you'd be able to get me to stick around for the video, but hey, it worked...

I saw the video.
I just didn't hear the audio (as Miley intended).
posted by symbioid at 7:18 PM on July 23, 2013

It's a weird song because it was written by Mike Will who pretty much does trap music. It's strange Miley is singing about doing drugs about being "bout that life".
posted by Ad hominem at 7:31 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter: Tell me Harmony Korine did not direct or produce this.

Thank you for reminding me of my favorite ever Harmony Korine shout-out.
posted by psoas at 7:57 PM on July 23, 2013

I was getting a lot of "Sexx Laws" flashbacks with that. Are we sure that isn't Beck in drag?
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 8:27 PM on July 23, 2013

I get a very Louis XVI of France type vibe off the original, and the same type vibe thing for so much of the re contextualization that goes on with this sort of dreck in the art world. Court of the Sun king indeed......
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 10:41 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Damnit.
posted by iamabot at 10:50 PM on July 23, 2013

It's weird, after watching the modified video, I went back to watch the original (I'd not heard the song nor seen the video before) and it's strange how important sound is to presentation: The sound effects make it jarring and notably bizarre, but watching the original video with the song over it, the very same images scan as generic music video filler imagery.
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 10:54 PM on July 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

I used to think that non-narrative art was the bee's knees. Now it makes
a prosaic Hallmark card seem like "Guernica" to me. ("Victims of war? Don't
be a bore. Happy Birthday!".)
posted by Chitownfats at 12:02 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Excellent. Reminded me of the Hell scene from Event Horizon.
posted by ZipRibbons at 1:57 AM on July 24, 2013 [5 favorites]

Cutting out all of the music allows the participant to concentrate more on the surprisingly huge number of leg-spready ass-grabby visuals.
posted by urbanwhaleshark at 2:14 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

Miley is living at the Overlook Hotel, now?

(So, I guess that's pretty cool. It's pretty cool.)
posted by Ursula Hitler at 2:38 AM on July 24, 2013

I went back to watch the original (I'd not heard the song nor seen the video before) and it's strange how important sound is to presentation:

reminds me of film school and the older guy in class (he was a refugee from eastern block Poland) who'd always argue that the soundtrack was the most important part of any film ... because it did the bulk of the narrative heavy lifting, and it tended to define the mood.

Nice visuals were just icing. The sound was the cake.

except for Kubrick, Welles and Hitchcock ... none of whom ever won a best movie or best director Oscar (a point he was always keen to make).
posted by philip-random at 6:38 AM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I think my favorite part is that when I go to Google the original in my browser bar it autocompletes to "we can't stop miley cyrus". So true auto complete. So true . . .
posted by Carillon at 6:58 AM on July 24, 2013 [3 favorites]

My favorite part was when John Goodman, backlit by flames, shouted "I will show you the life of the mind!"
posted by kinnakeet at 7:07 AM on July 24, 2013 [2 favorites]

I remain fond of Backstreet Warlocks.
posted by Drastic at 5:07 PM on July 23

It is SO HARD to quietly laugh uncontrollably, which I have to do because I'm at work. I hate you so much for posting this. (I love you for posting this.)
posted by jennaratrix at 8:50 AM on July 24, 2013

wow.
posted by ericbop at 9:37 AM on July 24, 2013

Fascinating. So now how do I unsee this? I don't think my eyes can take anymore bleach.
posted by homunculus at 4:37 PM on July 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Miley is living at the Overlook Hotel, now?

(So, I guess that's pretty cool. It's pretty cool.)

there's a 30 Seconds to Mars video that's a cool Shining tribute. another 'watch with the sound off' video
posted by Charlemagne In Sweatpants at 4:56 PM on July 24, 2013

Oh my God, I just realized what watching this feels like - remember the cursed video in The Ring?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:03 AM on July 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

Oh my God, I just realized what watching this feels like - remember the cursed video in The Ring?

Friday in Hell was on MeFi, wasn't it?
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:14 AM on August 10, 2013

I've recently realized which video I want them to do next in this series - Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines".
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:32 AM on August 10, 2013