Duranalysis: Is There Something I Should Know?

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Comments

Cheryl K said…
Well, all the fun parts of the song itself, one of my favorites, negate the silliness in this video.
I always liked the little boy and the ball, whoever he was meant to be. But about that baby's bare ass...considering Nick is the surprise star of this video, I'd rather see the baby's bare ass than Nick's!

I've concluded that since we can't call Andy a pixie, we can call him a wee Playmobil figure. Aren't some of them fashioned to look like they're wearing 19th century French military uniforms?
Morgan Richter said…
I've concluded that since we can't call Andy a pixie, we can call him a wee Playmobil figure. Aren't some of them fashioned to look like they're wearing 19th century French military uniforms?

Indeed they are. Yes, Andy is definitely much more Playmobil than pixie.

I'd rather see the baby's bare ass than Nick's!

Yeah, for as gorgeous as the boys all were during this time, most of them were better served by keeping their clothes on whenever there were cameras around (with the exception of Roger, who actually had, like, biceps and visible muscle definition). John was almost painfully bony (you can count his ribs when he's running around shirtless with his jacket open in "Hungry Like the Wolf"), and while baby Nick had finally hit the legal US drinking age by the time "Is There Something I Should Know?" was released, he still looked painfully young and fragile. So, yes: Nick is lovely, but I don't need to see his bare ass.
Anonymous said…
Funny, "Is There Something…" is/was one of my favorite Duran videos (the song just seemed to jibe so well with it!), but you're right: the strange visuals in it don't really make any sense!

In light of that, I think the Duran videos were the culmination of Nick's pixie powers. They were his opportunities to get his Bowie on — he loved unlikely juxtaposition, whether it was the music or visuals, so I can see him discussing the random-ry (not an actual word) with Russell. (We see Nick do this in the Sing Blue Silver documentary, sorting how to film the live concert that became "Arena.")

I still love the result, though.

I hope you make your Duranalysis makes it all the way to "Lonely In Your Nightmare." The Durans (except Simon, again) gets a beauty closeup at the end of the video. Everybody looks good in that one, even Andy! Well, also because he's finally in it too.

Did you notice that Andy's hair was much longer in his "highlight" closeup compared to the looking-up-to-the-light shots? Filmed at different times, perhaps?
Morgan Richter said…
I hope you make your Duranalysis makes it all the way to "Lonely In Your Nightmare."

Yup. I've got "Lonely In Your Nightmare," "The Chauffeur," "Planet Earth," and, of course, "Girls On Film" left to cover, and that'll be it for their Golden Age.

Did you notice that Andy's hair was much longer in his "highlight" closeup compared to the looking-up-to-the-light shots? Filmed at different times, perhaps?

Very strange! Andy's hair is like an entirely separate entity, with a mind and will of its own.
Cheryl K said…
"Andy's hair is like an entirely separate entity, with a mind and will of its own"

--At least it's not like that orange tuft growing out of John's shoulder! (haw haw!)
Morgan Richter said…
At least it's not like that orange tuft growing out of John's shoulder!

Hee. That burst of wild orange hair sprouting out of John's shoulder never fails to crack me up. It's my single favorite shot in the video.
Luindriel said…
Jumping into this convo 5 years late... I always thought this one was loosely based on A Wrinkle in Time, on Camazotz. Everyone the same... The one kid bouncing the ball out of beat with the town's rhythm... But don't ask me about all the other images!
I won't tell you how many hours I've spent today reading your blog and watching the videos... Lol.
Morgan Richter said…
Luindriel, holy crap, that's a great insight about Camazotz/Wrinkle in Time. That never even occurred to me, and yet it seems very, very plausible. Glad you've been enjoying the blog -- these videos are so much fun to watch and examine.
Valentine said…
Oh lord, this review is so old, yet gold~

It was really entertaining to see this review.
By the way, did you know the specific name of the clothes that they're wearing? Sure, they are wearing blue shirts, black pants and some black shoes too, but I've always wondered the specific name of them, especially the shirt.

I'm planning to wear those kind of clothes on a party~
Thank you!