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April 2, 2007

Video Hangover: ABC - "Poison Arrow"

Twice a week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, we break 'em down for you. Why Video Hangover? Because when you watch as many videos as we do, you're going to feel it afterwards.

"Poison Arrow"
ABC, 1982

A few things to consider while you're trying to figure out why the woman roofies herself...

Hint: it's not the guy in the gold lamé suit
Although ABC was hugely successful in their own right, it's hard not to watch this video and think of Martin Fry as the poor man's Simon LeBon. He had the hair, the chin, and the voice, but he lacked that ineffable toughness that made LeBon so compulsively watchable. Put it this way, if you were in a barfight, who would you rather have on your side: the guy who gets trapped under a martini glass, or the guy who can blow up a blimp with his walkman?

For the record, we also love the air timpani
The reason we love this video can be summed up in two words: dramatic pointing. Nothing says "you're a bitch" like four tuxedo-clad musicians pointing you out to a nightclub full of slow-dancing old folks.

Lower your sights, raise your aim, and get the hell out of the way
We don't know a whole lot about archery, but something seems amiss around the 2:40 mark. Isn't the arrow supposed to go above the hand? The director was apparently thinking the same thing, as the arrow is in the correct position in the next shot. Good thing, too. For a minute it looked like somebody was going to catch a poison arrow right in the foot.


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Posted at 1:23 PM in ,




5 Comments

"The Look of Love" was a better song and video. Aces.

Posted by: Michael at 04/02/07 2:25 PM | Reply
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killer mic in the nightclub scene, too.

Posted by: jim at 04/02/07 2:53 PM | Reply
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at first i thought this said "Broken Arrow," as in the Rod Stewart song, and I got very excited. thanks for the disappointment, stereojerk!

Posted by: boohoohoo at 04/02/07 7:01 PM | Reply
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That's a Robbie Robertson song. And a great song!

Posted by: scott at 04/02/07 7:49 PM | Reply
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Um...Martin Fry pwns joo, punks!!!

Posted by: nicole clark at 07/27/07 3:37 PM | Reply
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