Song of the Moment: Mind Your Manners

[Lament]

I never even said the video was that bad, I just don't think there is really anything to analyze.

I don't know man. When they flash to Stone and he mouths along to "LIVING HELL!" do you think he's trying to communicate to us that at this point being in Pearl Jam is a living hell for him?

[EJ]

I never even said the video was that bad, I just don't think there is really anything to analyze.

I don't know man. When they flash to Stone and he mouths along to "LIVING HELL!" do you think he's trying to communicate to us that at this point being in Pearl Jam is a living hell for him?

Good post.

[B]

Isn't this video about Syria and Egypt?

[BurtReynolds]

Its a Worldwide Suicide.

[KurtLeon]

Lament is one of the most paranoid posters from RM. And I love it

[Tj]

Okay so we have a video. It is fine. The song is great. I kinda think stip might be really wrong or missed a big theme in the video, but I have to watch it alot more to figure it out. Two big questions has it been muted and play to world Wws or Marker or Brain Of J? Has it been played on loop to the entire Darkside of the Moon album? Has anyone played Nebraska while watching the video on a loop backwards? Does anybody think it is weird that the two credited writers of this song have new haircuts? Okay more than two questions, but we only 1 month and three weeks figure out that this video.

[injuddstree]

This video is shit.

[Kevin Davis]

What is the point of music videos is 2013?

[stip]

they buy harmless a good 4 days before he starts despairing again about the album build. That's no small thing!

[BurtReynolds]

What is the point of music videos is 2013?

they are pretty cool on Youtube, but they have to be creative and have some time put into them. QOTSA's recent stuff was great and probably helped sales.

the "just shit something out and put it on MTV" thing is long gone, but they arent known for getting with the times .

[Lament]

Does anybody think it is weird that the two credited writers of this song have new haircuts?

You may be on to something...

[Vic Cognac]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNSZ5OfpQbY

[spike]

eddie channeling faith era george michael or something... else

[harmless]

OK, so I was thinking, in all the big cartoony world-over, apocalyptic imagery, what's the big unifier? How does the religious fundamentalist's "Mind Your Manners" instruction fit in here? And then I remembered that with every world disaster, war, Sandy Hook, the roller coaster crash etc., someone like Pat Robertson is always there to blame it on the gays, and say homosexuality is destroying American family values. Tenuous links? Of course, but that's why they look so farcical and tenuous. Because religious fundamentalism is the vehicle through which the world-over message is being delivered this time. The message, if you need one, is that God isnt bringing on an apocalypse; we're bringing it on ourselves, and that fundamentalist path to destruction was paved when we became obsessed with the pursuit of "manners", behavioural etiquette, the stuff which absolutely kills any impetus towards social and political action, or social justice. Our Christian manner is that as long as me and my family are OK, and I use my gun for sport only, the outside world will take care of itself.

[LetMeSleep]

Dear Mr Stip and Mr Harmless,

After reading many a posting regarding the meaning of MYM the song and now a few regarding the meaning of MYM the video, can you please answer if your original thoughts of the song's meaning have altered or been confirmed?

For me, the original message has only further been diluted, has become murkier after seeing the video. There seems to be a lot of shadow boxing at indirect targets. And is Pearl Jam now a multimedia outfit where a video is needed to expound what a lyric cannot completely convey? Since when were videos necessary to carry a message? And does this indicate that the lyrics were not effective enough? Or maybe, once again, I am missing the point.

Of course, you cannot conclusively answer the above. Only the writer of the lyric and the concept designer of the video can truly answer that.

Sound regards,

LMS

Oddly, I am growing to not hate this track and I'm feeling that I will be able to stomach it within an album context.

Edit: I haven't read the entire thread response nor the LB thread response since the video hit. Apologies if this has been covered.

[harmless]

And when I saw the gun on the single artwork, I thought of Sandy Hook, not George Bush. And war, riot police and protest are all current issues (Israel/Palestine, Turkey). Plus the aforementioned rollercoaster crash during... Hurricane Sandy was it?

[harmless]

I cant quote on this phone, but short answer: why do videos have to be necessary if they're cool? Songs arent necessary. Your other question I've answered I think. The big unifier in all these huge murky issues is that line "mind your manners!" God forbid you insult a loving God by appealing to his (and our) responsibility to take action. Love and politeness are not enough.

[harmless]

Sorry that should've read "God forbid you insult... at the dinner table. So the family sitting round a table bookends the video because its the central image through which we understand what's being said here.

[harmless]

There are a lot of elephants in the room at conservative Christian family dinner table; unmentionables. A lot of them are in this video.

[LetMeSleep]

Sorry that should've read "God forbid you insult... at the dinner table. So the family sitting round a table bookends the video because its the central image through which we understand what's being said here.

Okay. Someone mentioned that if you love the song the video will support that love but if you're ambivalent then the video will strike you as the same. I don't happen to like the song nor feel that the message, any message is particularly strong (but we have already discussed this at length).

I'm glad that it all comes together for you, Harmless. After the Jeremy video and subsequent absence of videos, we have to assume that this product is exactly what Ed wanted to support/carry his lyric.