Is Spike Jonze the Greatest Music Video Director of All Time?
The man has directed three great feature films–Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Where The Wild Things Are. That work alone makes him a directorial powerhouse. But there is perhaps no other director with such a long list of amazing music videos under his belt. Spike Jonze, who got started making skateboarding videos, is the Dean of the Music Video.
Sabotage, Praise You, and now Drunk Girls. It’s not even fair.
And the list goes on. Cannonball. If I Only Had a Brain. Buddy Holly. California. Da Funk. Sky’s The Limit. Weapon of Choice. It’s ridiculous, really. And on top of that, one of his very first music videos was for Norman’s own Chainsaw Kittens for their High in High School video.
Jonze’s music videos demonstrate a visual wizardry that’s unparalleled and often copied. These wonderful visuals that show up in his videos also manage to maintain a rough sheen to them. They’re just like big skateboarding videos. You sit there in awe of the amazing tricks being laid down and it doesn’t matter that they’re being captured with a lowly video camera. You are seeing magic. And someone has captured it for you. That is Spike Jonze. It’s what he does with music videos and what he has brought to his feature films.
Oh, and it just so happens that Spike Jonze is going to be in Oklahoma City. TONIGHT. At the deadCENTER Kick-Off. He’ll be here with the documentary he co-produced about Mat Hoffman, who will also be in attendance. The Birth of Big Air is an outdoor, free-for-everyone public screening on Broadway between 4th & 5th at around 9:30 p.m. Where else would you want to be?
In answer to your question, yes. He IS the greatest music video director of all time.
He changed my life with his movie, Adaptation.
(Adorable!)
I love you, Spike Jonze!!!