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Information

• Member: Copycat_Revolver
• Title: Kiss the Ground
• Premiered: 2008-02-22
• Categories:
  • Fun
  • Sentimental
• Song:
  • REM Can't Get There From Here
• Anime:
  • Urusei Yatsura: Movie 2 (Beautiful Dreamer)
• Comments: An old anime and an old song.
  Here you can find the announcement thread complete with a SPECIAL BONUS VIDEO!
  
  And now, a rant about REM and how this video came to be...
  Let's get this straight right off the bat, I don't like REM. For those that aren't aware or who did not exist yet, REM became the posterboys for pretentious music in the eighties and early nineties. And nowhere else was it more evident than in their music videos.
  The band had their start right around the beginning of the music video era. Back in the early days when MTV was still just starting off, (and still playing music) REM wasted no time before using the new medium as a chance to be artsy and important-looking, throwing away any attempt at being entertaining.
  "Okay, for this video we're going to have the entire band sitting in a dark room looking tired and depressed [this was before the word"emo" existed] while we overlay poorly shot overexposed footage of trains. And that the *entire* video! What do you think?"
  Now I'm all for being artsy, but they took it too far. I believe that above all else, music should be enjoyable on some level. It shouldn't have to be some overly serious dirge for the sole purpose of showing off your 'creativity'.
  So imagine my joy when, for Christmas two years ago, I recieved a DVD compilation of REM's early years.
  It was many months later that I finally threw it on while cleaning the house and was reminded of all my sour opinions of them. But I was surprised to find, buried among the self-important nonsense, the video for this song, "Can't get there from here." It was the only video where the band stopped being pricks for a moment and almost seemed like they were having fun.
  I urge you to look up this video (see, Youtube's good for something at least). It is one of the most staggering pieces of film ever recorded. It looks like it was hastily pasted together from nothing but outtakes and bad ideas that didn't pan out. It's wonderful in a crappy sort of way. There are still a few obligatory REM-ism's (Michael Stipe holding the Earth, for instance), but for the most part they are kept in check. (Also, you'll understand the quote at the beginning of this video.)
  After seeing it, the song got stuck in my head and it wasn't long before an AMV idea was birthed.
  At first, I wasn't planning to make this an ode to the eighties, but the movie just seemed the best anime for the video I wanted to do.
  And if you haven't seen Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer, what the hell are you waiting for?
  
  ...
  Also since I'm so damn helpful, the lyrics: (although honestly most of them are gibberish)
  When the world is a monster
  Bad to swallow you whole
  Kick the clay that holds the teeth in
  Throw your trolls out the door
  If you're needing inspiration
  Philomath is where I go by dawn
  Lawyer Jeff he knows the lowdown
  He's mighty bad to visit home
  
  I've been there I know the way
  (Can't get there from here)
  
  When your hands are feeling empty
  Stick head jumpin off the ground, 'round
  Tris is sure to shirr the deers out
  Brother Ray can sing my song
  
  I've been there I know the way
  (Can't get there from here)
  
  Hands down, Calechee bound
  Landlocked kiss the ground
  Dirt of seven continents going round and round
  Go on ahead Mr. Citywide hypnotized, suit and tied
  Gentlemen, testify
  
  If your world is a monster
  Bad to swallow you whole
  Philomath they know the lowdown
  Throw your trolls out the door
  
  I've been there I know the way
  (Can't get there from here)
  
  Thank you, Ray.