Guster's New Lightning Rod Music Video

Guster has just come out with another music video, folks! I watched it this morning and was a little mystified, to be honest. Chris VanGaalen, a singer/animator from Canada took on the project, and he did an admirable job. The animated sequences are really kinda trippy. It was like Guster on acid (I've heard it's better that way, but still). I'm not a big fan.

So, a couple of my observations on the music video (tell me if you agree):

1. This is the third Guster music video in 4 from the new album that doesn't feature the band. What is this trend all about? I'd like to see the band in my music videos, even if it is just for a second or two. This is a cool idea, but Guster needs a bit more creativity here. They're letting VanGaalen do all the work for them.

2. This video seemed a little less fitting for the song than the other GUOTS music videos. The digital-looking plush world really fit One Man Wrecking Machine, and Segway Scooter violence was rather funny for C'mon. This animation has a bit of the feel of the song, but it seems just a little too surreal.

3. What on earth is with some of the animation here? Who exactly was high? Guster or Chris VanGaalen? The scene with the naked guy swimming and turning into a frog and back at the end? The rapid transition of odd/distorted faces near the beginning? I liked the very beginning, with the mountain turning into a person of sorts. That had a bit of a Men in Black feel. I'm not so sure about the rest, though. I'm just confused.

Anyway, I've attached a YouTube embed of the video to this post. Enjoy. Let me know what you think, too. I'm interested to see if other Guster fans agree with me or not on this latest effort.

Scooter for a Day Contest Results

New news from the Guster road journal at guster.com

It's been a pretty tight competition on You Tube to become Scooter for a day. Scooter now signs just as many autographs as Ryan, and he's adored by people of all ages all over the country. Amazing what happens when people have a chance to become you for a day while on a cruise with Guster. I was quite impressed by the quality of a couple of these videos.

I have to congratulate Denise Cook, who posted a comment on my blog's initial "Scooter for a Day" post to show us her video entry. I was impressed with the effort--I'm glad to see she won at least some backstage passes and show tickets. I'm happy for her and jealous at the same time. Too bad it wasn't the big prize. She deserved it with all of those cardboard signs. Here's a direct quote from Guster.com's announcement:

After a couple months of watching homemade videos ooze their way onto the internet, we can finally declare a winner for the "Scooter For A Day" contest we held on YouTube. In a nutshell, the winner gets an all-expense paid trip for two on our January cruise to Turks & Caicos with Barenaked Ladies under the guise of taking over for Scooter as drum tech for a day.

I want you to know that the decision was not easy, and that we didn't take it lightly. We watched every single video. We laughed, we cried, and we were forced to listen to songs that we wrote 15 years ago. For instance, Joe asked me "what's that one old song I heard that had a great riff and a cool verse and then suddenly took a terrible emo turn at the chorus?" That song is "Love For Me," Joe -- and you're right. It was sounding great until everything fell apart at the chorus.

I need to stay on track. We took the decision seriously, even calling in legends from the past like "Pasty" to weigh in. And it was a close vote. So we're adding some runner-up prizes into the mix.

The 1st place winner will go on the cruise with a friend. In the event that the 1st place winner cannot fulfill his/her duties as Scooter for a day, the runner-up will be expected to step in, just like when Vanessa Williams posed for Playboy and relinquished her Miss America crown to someone else.

So here are the top 8, in reverse order. Everyone below will get free tickets and backstage passes to a show of their choice this spring. Thanks for all the effort, everyone. How about a round of applause for all our contestants!!

8th Place: Rena
7th Place: Alf
6th Place: Top Down 5
5th Place: Jane
4th Place: Bunnie
3rd Place: Andrew Deaver
2nd Place: Denise Cook
1st Place: Jeremy P.

Congratulations to all you winners in the Scooter for a Day Contest!

Guster is Non-Mainstream AND Good!

I had to laugh at this editorial that appeared today in the Chicago Maroon, the University of Chicago's student newspaper.

The author brings up some great points about people who like non-mainstream bands, most of them sounding almost exactly the same. Have you ever heard someone tell you, "I really like insert obscure band name here's music. You've probably never heard them, because they're not on the radio, but their songs just SPEAK to me. Blah, Blah Blah. "? I have a few times. What kind of joy do people get out of the fact that their bands are obscure? Most obscure bands are obscure for a reason: they're just NOT THAT GOOD!

I liked how this article used Guster as an example of an obscure band that actually has a good, unique, enjoyable sound. Certainly nothing else out there really compares, especially to some of the new ground the band has broken with Ganging Up on the Sun. I really don't think the band deserves its obscurity. I'm sure Guster would like to become a little more mainstream, earn a little bit more money, and sell out shows across the country. They certainly have the talent to do it, but I doubt they'll ever have the following of U2. Unfortunately, some things look like they'll never change.

It's a rare occasion, but I always smile when I hear Satellite or One Man Wrecking Machine on the radio. Maybe it's a good thing that the songs aren't killed by too much radio play, but I would like to hear a bit more Guster on my radio stations. What do you think about Guster's status as an obscure band? Please comment and let us all know.