Comments on: Michael Moore directs new video

Michael Moore directs new video

Postroad — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 09:42:13 -0800

The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" by Neil Young The new video for "Rockin' In The Free World" directed by filmmaker Michael Moore is now posted on the Warner Reprise site as reported by Baron on BNB. The video intercuts footage from the film Fahrenheit 9/11 and performance footage of Neil Young and Crazy Horse performing the song on the 2003/4 Greendale tour. Much of the audience footage appears to come from the May 18, 2002 broadcast of the Rockam Ring Festival in Nurburgring Racetrack, Eifel, Germany.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 09:51:54 -0800

Wow. I like Young and Moore but that was just lame. Seems like a spotlight grab for both of them rather than accomplishing anything. What was the point, exactly, not of your post, Postroad, but the video? A song we've heard a million times; images we've all seen. Two great tastes that taste great together? WTF?

By: Electric Jesus

Electric Jesus — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 09:58:15 -0800

Not that this matters AT ALL, but this isn't exactly "the new video for" Rockin' in the Free World, as the song is heavily edited and much shorter than the original. It's unlikely that you'll see this version of it played on MTV (not that anyone at Metafilter would ever watch MTV). Just sayin'...

By: ism

ism — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:05:48 -0800

He edited out the most apropos lyric: "Don't feel like Satan/ but I am to them/ so I try to forget it any way I can"

By: clubfoote

clubfoote — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:14:31 -0800

Gave me chills and made me tear up. but I'm a big mush.

By: anastasiav

anastasiav — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:16:25 -0800

What I find so odd is that with the removal of the Satan lyric you can really read the film two ways ... as the anti-war anthem I'm sure both Moore and Young intend it to be but also as a sort of rah-rah pro-war testosterone wash chest thumping pro "free world" anthem. It left me feeling kinda sick, actually.

By: onshi

onshi — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:16:44 -0800

What was the point, exactly, not of your post, Postroad, but the video? Surely most people who watch music video channels today are too young to be well-acquainted with Neil Young or to have heard that song more than a dozen times. The song has probably enjoyed a resurgence in popularity thanks to Moore, and so Warner wants to capitalize on that. As for the images, I don't think it would be possible to show or see them too many times....

By: onshi

onshi — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:18:25 -0800

Electric Jesus: Maybe not on MTV in the USA, but the worldwide MTV channels, plus locally-based equivalents, may well eat this up like pudding.

By: dobbs

dobbs — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 10:38:48 -0800

Surely most people who watch music video channels today are too young to be well-acquainted with Neil Young or to have heard that song more than a dozen times. Huh? I didn't think there were people too young to have heard of Neil (or the Stones or Dylan or the Beatles or Pink Floyd or the Eagles...). I shut off my radio a long time ago but I coulda swore just about every major city in North America has a station that plays this shit to death like it just came out last week. Are you telling me there are people who haven't heard Cinnamon Girl? I don't know whether to laugh at them or be jealous.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:15:41 -0800

If Neil Young is collaborating with Michael Moore, it seems oddly apropos to quote: "The Southern man don't need him around, anyhow."

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:34:34 -0800

The windows steaming link is all choppy on my machine. Anybody have a better version yet?

By: fungible

fungible — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:36:52 -0800

Didn't Neil Young make a song called "Let's Roll", based on what Jeremy Glick said - whoops, didn't actually say - on 9/11, and which eventually became a Bush power-slogan? Funny.

By: afx114

afx114 — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 11:58:29 -0800

That looked more like a commercial for Fahrenheit 9/11 than a music video.

By: Steve_at_Linnwood

Steve_at_Linnwood — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 12:15:19 -0800

Surly this new Moore opus will remove Bush from office!

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 12:23:42 -0800

hmmmm rust dust.

By: Space Coyote

Space Coyote — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 12:46:56 -0800

Surly this new Moore opus will remove Bush from office! ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz.....

By: chococat

chococat — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 13:02:20 -0800

i wish neil young would hurry up and die like the decade that spawned him. the 1940's?

By: Al_Truist

Al_Truist — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 13:25:06 -0800

Gawd...has Michael Moore ever even seen a music video? the editing on that - visually and aurally - sucked like an electrolux! a few rules for you Mike: 1) never cut to a talking head unless you can hear what the head is saying. 2) don't assume people know who the talking heads are. 3) don't start the video in the middle of the song... Young could have tried to remain relevant, and given this song a true update, by letting someone re-mix the song (I'd love to hear what a decent dip-hop artist would do with it...DJ Shadow, anyone?), and given the video chores to another group, like the cats at GNN who did Eminem's "Mosh" video. NOW THAT would have been interestng.

By: PrinceValium

PrinceValium — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 13:34:05 -0800

Hilarious. The original apologist for post-9/11 jingoism has returned to his late-80s Dukakisism. No one has the answers But one thing is true You got to turn on evil When it's comin' after you You got to face it down And when it tries to hide You got to go in after it And never be denied Time is runnin' out, let's roll Let's roll for freedom Let's roll for love Goin' after satan On the wings of a dove

By: cosmonaught

cosmonaught — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 13:53:22 -0800

I really hope that video was only "directed" by Michael Moore in so far as they used footage from a movie which was directed by him. It looks to me like it's something Warner marketing threw together to pump up Christmas sales of a DVD and a CD. I mean, I already have an incredibly low opinion of Moore, but I can't believe that even he we would be stupid enough to lead into a music video with a voice over that has another background track playing under it. (In addition to everything else mentioned above).

By: Satapher

Satapher — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:06:27 -0800

Six degrees of separation from Neil. Note how connected Neil is to Bob Dylan and The Beatles' John Lennon and Paul McCartney?! Whoa... what the fuck. that article is a lobotomy.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:24:40 -0800

> What was the point, exactly, not of your post, Postroad, but the video? ... Two great tastes that taste great together? BWAHAHAHAHAHA. Dash, speaking of answering your own question! You made not just my day but at least the next week. I smile broadly until Saturday.

By: jfuller

jfuller — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 16:29:03 -0800

> Surely most people who watch music video channels today are too young > to be well-acquainted with Neil Young You do not, I perceive, hang out much on rec.music.makers.guitar or alt.guitar. (But then I suppose folks who do would only watch music videos to try to see the fingering, and music videos are seldom very helpful there. Useless damn shit...)

By: Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III

Sir BoBoMonkey Pooflinger Esquire III — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 18:38:28 -0800

i wish neil young would hurry up and die like the decade that spawned him. posted by quonsar the 1940's? posted reply by Chococat Quonny, being that Neil was born in Nov. 45 and Bush in July 46, let's just say that my vote would be for the latter, which would be the only time I'd vote for that name. But as for the video itself, what does it really show: That both Neil Young and M. Moore are capitalist pigs exploiting their own art for financial gain? Probably not. Warner Reprise execs, probably more likely thinking along these routes. Egomaniacs in self-masturbatory excess? Debatably possible. Clinging desperately to their hopefilled ideals that they can make a difference in this nation seemingly on a downward slope of moral ignorance disguised/manipulated/confused as Patriotic fervor and self-defined good Christian Morality? Probably most likely, in my pathetic, tree-hugging opinion.

By: baphomet

baphomet — Sun, 28 Nov 2004 18:54:30 -0800

Moore should have done the Carcass cover: "Keep On Rotting in the Free World". That would have been way better.