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June 4, 2009

New MGMT Video - "Kids"

thumbnail icon: New MGMT Video - "Kids"

Between movie trailers and French presidential campaigns and your mom's iPod, "Kids" was pretty inescapable in 2008. And while Ray Tintori's just-released video for the Oracular Spectacular standout doesn't look like it would've taken eight months to complete, trippy things come to those who wait. We're basically getting three clips in one, starting with scenes of monsters terrifying a child, then a televised puppet show, and as the final segment a psychedelic cartoon. The band appears briefly in silver garb and facepaint (obvs). MGMT promise no children were harmed in the making of this video. I think the kid's therapist will have to confirm that in twenty years.

UPDATE: Yep, that's Joanna Newsom.

You can catch the band on drugs on tour:

06/09 Little Rock, AR @ The Village
06/11 Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
06/13 Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
07/01 Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park
07/21 Jersey City, NJ @ All Points West

Posted at 12:30 AM by Scott in ,
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157 Comments

I hate this band so much.

Posted by: Willie at 06/04/09 1:04 AM  | Reply
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Elaborate.

Posted by: Danielle profile link  in reply to Willie's comment at 06/04/09 1:55 AM  | Reply
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then why are you reading this article?...

Posted by: anthony  in reply to Willie's comment at 06/04/09 4:36 PM  | Reply
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Video sucks. MGMT sucks. Stereogum sucks.
IF U DONT LYK IT N CANT SAY SUMTHIN POSITIV THAN DONT COMENT. "SUX" IS NOT CONSCTRUCITV.
Anyone else who comments sucks.

Posted by: no at 06/04/09 1:13 AM  | Reply
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Let's leave the child-traumatizing to Chris Cunningham and the guys who did Wonder Showzen. BTW, the end cartoon looked like the work of a Wonder Showzen animator.

Posted by: Devin profile link at 06/04/09 1:14 AM  | Reply
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my name is Devin and I watch wonder showzen. I can not imagine any form of animation that could have predated wonder showzen.

OH NO MY WONDER SHOWZEN

Posted by: Ryan Crowe  in reply to Devin's comment at 06/08/09 4:22 PM  | Reply
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i am going to have the best nightmare ever.

Posted by: aisforaquabat profile link at 06/04/09 1:14 AM  | Reply
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pretty good video...for GWAR

Posted by: Micah profile link at 06/04/09 1:15 AM  | Reply
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Best part of the video? The quotes at the beginning, which are actually from Nietzsche, not Twain.

Muppets.

Posted by: pedantic redcoat at 06/04/09 1:27 AM  | Reply
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Yeah, I know I get Nietzsche and Twain mixed up all the time....or not. I mean, you'd think if someone was getting this ready for public consumption they would check their sources.

Posted by: quartertonality profile link  in reply to pedantic redcoat's comment at 06/04/09 2:57 AM  | Reply
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Maybe it was intentional? Like, tongue-in-cheek?

Posted by: danny  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/04/09 8:56 AM  | Reply
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I don't know.....I mean I guess it is possible, but I mean that is a pretty deep reference. I don't think it would really fit with the mood of the video or the song to be tongue in cheek. I suppose it is a possibility though. I, personally, don't think it is though. Who would understand it?

Posted by: quartertonality profile link  in reply to danny's comment at 06/04/09 12:18 PM  | Reply
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Kids who went to Wesleyan?

Posted by: danny  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/05/09 9:40 AM  | Reply
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Yeah.

Posted by: Greg B profile link  in reply to danny's comment at 06/05/09 3:18 PM  | Reply
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They also got some of the letters in "TWAIN" wrong, but it must be because I'm so smart OMG neatchee is so smrt! i rly lik him hes deeeeeeeep

Posted by: Ryan Crowe  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/08/09 4:29 PM  | Reply
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Actually... for all you quote experts who have done so well to enlighten the fuck out of us... it wasn't Nietzsche who wrote those words, it was Walter Kaufman, the poet, who translated Beyond Good and Evil from 19th century German in to English... and who also poeticized epigram number 146 in the process... which is the "quote" (not technically a quote in the first place) you see at the beginning of the video. MGMT and you guys probably get your quotes from similar websites... probably the same places people find "quotes" from Einstein saying something retarded like "yeah, I'm not Christian, but Jesus seems like God to me".

Advice: make sure you know your shit before you correct people.

Posted by: daebhid profile link  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/11/09 12:37 AM  | Reply
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So that's your defense? It's okay to incorrectly cite Mark Twain because this is the translation of Nietzsche? So for any translation you have to cite the translator INSTEAD of the writer? (Common practice is both in academic writing).

I own numerous translations of Nietzsche. And I admit, he sucked at poetry. Still, the idea is what matters, mate. I like MGMT's music, but they screwed up on this one. It's not a big deal, just something that bothers me as a fan of Nietzsche and philosophy in general. But you, trying to argue against giving proper credit, by pointing out it's a translation? It makes you look worse than the know-it-all fact checkers you're dissing.

And your argument fails. IT WAS NIETZSCHE-not Twain.
I dare say--in the grand scheme of things--Nietzsche has had and will have more fans than MGMT. I happen to be one of them.

Oh, and <3 to Twain as well. The clever bastard is probably the most-credited-for-cool-quotes he didn't create individual in history.

Posted by: Bailey  in reply to daebhid's comment at 06/11/09 5:59 AM  | Reply
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One who battles with windowlickers must be careful to not become a windowlicker himself, for staring at an empty headed twat for too long will cause the empty headed twat to stare back.

Anyway, I think there was something lost in translation between my original post and your response... so lets clarify... because obviously the ability to read English doesn't necessarily coincide with an ability to comprehend sentence-long statements...

I wasn't making a "defense", as I have nothing to defend. Yes, they misquoted Nietzsche... but I was playing the "devil's advocate"... because really, a translator is a second author, not a computer program that takes words and transliterates. Nothing translates verbatim. New word play, nuance, and restructuring need to occur if one is to get the "gist" of an original language text across to new readership from another language. I think my point, quite obviously, was to sound like a douche to those of you who sound like douches to me, namely, those of you who think its cool to have Nietzche quotes memorized.


Posted by: daebhid profile link  in reply to Bailey's comment at 06/11/09 2:51 PM  | Reply
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That was (by my count) 4 kinds of awesome.
Your avatar is scary.

Posted by: Yubal  in reply to daebhid's comment at 06/11/09 4:38 PM  | Reply
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"...a translator is a second author..."

That's highly contentious at best. When someone performs a cover of a song, the original songwriters still get credit regardless of the individual twists the new performing artists put into the recording. Likewise, a translator copies ideas and changes their form, but the ideas are not their own. By suggesting that this quote finds its actual source in Kaufmann, you're implicitly making the claim that EVERY English translation that has ever been attributed in quotation to Nietzsche should actually be attributed to Kaufmann or Hollingdale (most likely one of those two, anyway), and, frankly, that's preposterous.

Posted by: MRR  in reply to daebhid's comment at 06/19/09 2:50 AM  | Reply
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YOU WOULD ONLY KNOW THAT IF YOU READ A BOOK (WHICH WOULD PUT YOU IN DANGER OF GETTING AN AUTOGRAPH).

Posted by: kAnYe  in reply to pedantic redcoat's comment at 06/04/09 8:09 PM  | Reply
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Video is good, but the quote at the beginning is from Nietzsche, not Mark Twain. C'mon MGMT.

Posted by: mack at 06/04/09 1:29 AM  | Reply
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Jesus.. that's a horrible thing to put a child through. That was like watching an emotional snuff film.

Posted by: leighton at 06/04/09 1:30 AM  | Reply
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I know, I remember when I used to be scared of ham too.

Posted by: disgruntled hipster no. 416 profile link  in reply to leighton's comment at 06/04/09 2:43 AM  | Reply
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Agreed. Absolutely.

Posted by: quartertonality profile link  in reply to leighton's comment at 06/04/09 12:19 PM  | Reply
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Agreed. As a dad, I literally felt sick thinking of what that little boy was going through. MGMT might claim that the child wasn't "harmed in the making of this video" but those tears were real. Bad art is a terrible excuse for the exploitation of a child's emotions.

Posted by: Brian  in reply to leighton's comment at 06/04/09 6:06 PM  | Reply
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Dudes: I'm really thinking/hoping the monster hands, etc. were super-imposed. It's definitely possible and I think more than likely.

Posted by: NIck Rock  in reply to Brian's comment at 06/09/09 4:29 PM  | Reply
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I completely agree. I first watched this video at 5am, the only time when MTV actually plays music videos. It sickened me so badly from the very start that i wanted to cry. This child is in TEARS from the horror. Even if, which its unlikely that it is, but even if he isn't crying from the horrible experience he's having on the set of this video, he's still crying, meaning something is wrong and rather than nurture him, he's being exploited. I no longer have any respect for this band.

Posted by: Joseph  in reply to Brian's comment at 07/01/09 5:04 AM  | Reply
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Screw what you think about the band... this video is beyond awesome.

Posted by: EPIC ERIC profile link at 06/04/09 1:31 AM  | Reply
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So last year. Or two years ago. What's going on with Wavves? Is he putting out a remix album? "I'm soooooooooo-ber (woooooooooooooahhh)!"

Posted by: Ron Jenkins profile link at 06/04/09 1:33 AM  | Reply
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The song has some good synth sounds, but the vocals are kind of annoying and the video made me kind of angry. That poor kid!

Posted by: quartertonality profile link at 06/04/09 1:36 AM  | Reply
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Just a little to late.
http://www.allmylittlewordsonline.com/

Posted by: sdf at 06/04/09 1:37 AM  | Reply
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is this a joke?

Posted by: Boris Grushenko profile link at 06/04/09 1:50 AM  | Reply
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MGMT is indeed a joke.

Posted by: MF McNutt  in reply to Boris Grushenko's comment at 06/04/09 6:34 PM  | Reply
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Just seen this video thanks to Stereogum, must say i like it but it is weird. I guess it's what you should expect from MGMT really.

Posted by: Indiescreet at 06/04/09 1:50 AM  | Reply
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I think this is a great song. From my first listen of Oracular Spectacular, this was definitely a standout track. I think the lyrics lend themselves to a lot of interpretations and metaphors. Problem: videos like this simplify and overwhelm the audience's interpretation of the song. Luckily the song has been around long enough for people to have already developed a relationship with it. All in all, the video starts out promisingly but goes nowhere. Video FAIL

Posted by: Jazzhole at 06/04/09 1:55 AM  | Reply
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I liked the exploding food.

Posted by: no at 06/04/09 2:08 AM  | Reply
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FFFFFF Nietzsche NOT Twain FAGS

still dig the song though

Posted by: mattgcn profile link at 06/04/09 2:08 AM  | Reply
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Just in time for last summer!

Posted by: stublag at 06/04/09 2:17 AM  | Reply
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let's not forget eric wareheim's awesome video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EURZuzHyWb0

Posted by: chilibone at 06/04/09 2:18 AM  | Reply
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doing stuff like this to chidren is what makes the olsen twins do so much cocaine

Posted by: Silasgonewild profile link at 06/04/09 2:21 AM  | Reply
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Joanna Newsom's parenting skills kinda suck.

Posted by: ReaveJones profile link at 06/04/09 3:26 AM  | Reply
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First she dates Andy Samberg and now she's in a MGMT video?

Poor Joanna. The universe hates her.

Posted by: Paper Werewolf profile link  in reply to ReaveJones's comment at 06/04/09 4:38 AM  | Reply
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Replace "universe" with "agent".

Posted by: Jack  in reply to Paper Werewolf's comment at 06/04/09 9:21 AM  | Reply
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The video's funny even though this band is the worst thing ever to happen to Earth and music.

Posted by: zik at 06/04/09 3:40 AM  | Reply
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regardless of how incredibly overhyped this band was, (kids and electric feel were the ONLY halfway decent songs on that god-awful record they made) this was a cool fucking video. until they showed up in the fucking forest! these guys have so much style man! they take MUSHROOMS now!. their next album's gonna be like, crazy bro.

Posted by: faas at 06/04/09 3:42 AM  | Reply
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O.K. I used to like MGMT but after watching this I think they're trying to hard to be weird, traumatizing an impressionable child in the process. The video was painful to watch. I'm not anymore of MGMT's music. Disgusting video. Horrible video by a bunch of privileged snobs.

Posted by: Victor at 06/04/09 3:47 AM  | Reply
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Don't really like MGMT but think the video's pretty good. Feel sorry for the kid though. I think Teletubbies are scary as well. And what about the band playing in the forest? What drugs make you were those kinda outfits?

My Music Blog: http://www.ronaldsays.com
My Music Twitter: http://twitter.com/ronaldsays

Posted by: RonaldSays profile link at 06/04/09 4:19 AM  | Reply
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Gah! Stop the blatant self-promotion! It's why you get at least 25 downvotes every time you post something.

Posted by: Mr. Jones  in reply to RonaldSays's comment at 06/09/09 10:12 PM  | Reply
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the baby is adorable

Posted by: Mandy profile link at 06/04/09 4:44 AM  | Reply
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I wouldn't be surprised if human rights groups try to get this video pulled. And to be honest, I would probably support them. I found this really uncomfortable to watch. And I'm not sure what sort of parents would volunteer their kids for that sort of emotional fuck-up.

2:40 = pure terror!

Posted by: Stephen profile link at 06/04/09 5:22 AM  | Reply
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i think mgmt have managed to ruined 'where the wild things are' for the kid... which sucks.

Posted by: van at 06/04/09 5:36 AM  | Reply
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terrible band, terrible video. this is Fischer Spooner for the Animal Collective generation, and for kids that think Dazed and Confused is a music magazine.

Posted by: geoff travis at 06/04/09 5:54 AM  | Reply
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Come on. We all know why everyone here hates MGMT now. (hint: they became more mainstream)

Posted by: Webran61 profile link at 06/04/09 6:44 AM  | Reply
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Err, no. Just never liked these guys. I don't find the complete lack of live chops + the dated psychedelic posturing + sticky one-hook songs combination to be too appealing. They're like an American remake of The Mighty Boosh with no jokes and a target demographic of teenaged girls.

Posted by: Actually, though  in reply to Webran61's comment at 06/04/09 4:14 PM  | Reply
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No. I like Kids and Electric Feel. Time to Pretend along with the rest of the album bug the shit out of me.

Posted by: lceman16 profile link  in reply to Webran61's comment at 06/06/09 5:12 AM  | Reply
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youtube video > this video.

excusing the misattributed quote and the humanitarian concerns, that was just incredibly annoying to watch. mgmt apparently buy into the idea that irritating and then confusing people = some really deep shit, man.

Posted by: c. at 06/04/09 8:21 AM  | Reply
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story: in class i hear a kid dressed up in american eagle singing an MGMT song(probably this one), and felt that it was my responsibility as an "indie kid" to say, "MGMT?...nice!", he replies by saying, "you drop acid?", as if the only reason i would like or enjoy their music is if i took psychedelic drugs.
moral of the story: MGMT has become the band that bros smoke weed and drop acid to

Posted by: coopr at 06/04/09 10:08 AM  | Reply
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that may be true, but to not like a band simply because people who you don't think are as cool as you like it, is in turn very uncool.

Posted by: doyle profile link  in reply to coopr's comment at 06/04/09 2:40 PM  | Reply
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What's your point? You say that as if it's a bad thing.

Posted by: The Porcupine King  in reply to coopr's comment at 06/04/09 4:05 PM  | Reply
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wtf that's not twain, it's nietzche!!! good god

Posted by: gunnar at 06/04/09 10:17 AM  | Reply
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If I were to make a video for this song it would have a bunch of chimpanzees dressed up in funny clothes, like suits and ties. The chimps would be spinning around and clapping their hands together to the beat. One of the chimps would eat an insect off a plant, the others would still be spinning and clapping. It'd be pretty cool in my opinion.

Posted by: bigfoot FLOWs profile link at 06/04/09 12:01 PM  | Reply
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OH MY GOD!!! IT"S NOT TWAIN, IT"S NIETZCHE!!!!! HOW COME ABSOLUTELY NOBODY ELSE POINTED THIS OUT?!?!?!?!?

Really, though, I kind of enjoyed this video. I liked the idea of the little boy seeing everyone around him as monsters. But the dog-fondling and the nonsensical psychedelia ruined it a little bit.

Also, my God, those are horrifying monsters. I would wet myself if I saw those things walking down the street. The poor child.

Posted by: smiles profile link at 06/04/09 12:08 PM  | Reply
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Actually several of us pointed out that it's Nietzsche and not Twain.

Posted by: quartertonality profile link  in reply to smiles's comment at 06/04/09 12:21 PM  | Reply
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either you don't get sarcasm, or i don't get double-sarcasm.

Posted by: Mandy profile link  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/04/09 12:25 PM  | Reply
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Oops, sorry.

Posted by: quartertonality profile link  in reply to Mandy's comment at 06/05/09 4:41 PM  | Reply
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you are the worst poster

Posted by: Ryan Crowe  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/08/09 4:39 PM  | Reply
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you are the fucking worst.

Posted by: gah  in reply to quartertonality's comment at 06/09/09 3:02 PM  | Reply
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I can't believe that is Joanna Newsom as the mom!!!! She should be working on her next album instead of playing house with monsters.

Posted by: andrew at 06/04/09 2:06 PM  | Reply
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Short of an idea of how MGMT would have come to believe the quote was Twain's, isn't it a bit foolish of you nihilists to assume the misattribution wasn't intentional? It's not as if it would be the only act of near randomness in the video.

Posted by: Tomb at 06/04/09 2:37 PM  | Reply
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This kid is going to be so messed up when he gets older

Posted by: concerned parent at 06/04/09 2:44 PM  | Reply
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omg the mom is Joanna Newsom!

Posted by: fdf at 06/04/09 3:12 PM  | Reply
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im so disappointed . . .
ive been looking froward to this for months . . .
i think theyre last video was about a year ago for electric feel, and i love ray tintori (video for evident utensil was amazing) . . .
but this looks like an acid trip . . . a bad one that scars you for life and you repeatedly have scary flashbacks about.

Posted by: caroline at 06/04/09 3:35 PM  | Reply
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Best video I've seen in a long time, I didnt like the cartoon ending to though. I can't wait till we can see how messed up the kid will be in 15 years though hahah. Someone had to take the bullet though so we could all enjoy ourselves.

Posted by: Lane at 06/04/09 3:40 PM  | Reply
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This is the worst video I've seen in a long time. They've been riding the fine line of cheese for a while but now they've crossed into "sux bad". What a waste of resources. Poor fucking kid. I hope he grows up and takes revenge. Idiots.

Posted by: Robert at 06/04/09 4:18 PM  | Reply
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Well that kids fucked for life.

Posted by: I PEE GOLD profile link at 06/04/09 4:48 PM  | Reply
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Hey, anything to keep Joanna from actually singing is ok by me.

Posted by: Mike at 06/04/09 5:00 PM  | Reply
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"omg it's joanna newsom" is the new "it's nietzsche not twain"

Posted by: joy profile link at 06/04/09 5:03 PM  | Reply
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Joy, you are awesome.

Posted by: Jazzhole  in reply to joy's comment at 06/05/09 4:32 PM  | Reply
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Wait... this isn't the Mighty Mighty Bosstones! What the fuck?!

Posted by: Bootyfish at 06/04/09 5:06 PM  | Reply
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Here we go:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8q0xe8oqDE

Posted by: Bootyfish at 06/04/09 5:08 PM  | Reply
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The Britney Spears of the Indie World. Trying to hard to be weird and strange. Video is brutal. The MGMT college brats need to realize that weird does not equal deep.

Posted by: JackW at 06/04/09 5:25 PM  | Reply
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Poor Kid

Posted by: Mr_Blue_Angel_Dood profile link at 06/04/09 6:19 PM  | Reply
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Joanna Newsom, NEW ALBUM SOON PLZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz :*(

Posted by: asdfasdf at 06/04/09 6:54 PM  | Reply
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I concur, horrible video. poor kid :(
kind of disappointed in Joanna Newsom..

Posted by: em at 06/04/09 7:03 PM  | Reply
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I just went from thinking "poor kid" to thinking "that lucky bastard."

Posted by: Jason at 06/04/09 7:03 PM  | Reply
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I go all this time without hearing MGMT and now I finally hear them and I think "what's so special about this?"

the song is lame and the video is lamer. Or the other way around.. whichever.

Posted by: Evan at 06/04/09 8:51 PM  | Reply
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Seriously, it took them 15 months to crank out this video?

I did, however, enjoy the traumatizing aspect of it. My parents used to do things like this to me on home video, and I have only killed three puppies, so - so far, so good.

In agreement on the trying-too-hard pop act sensibility. Though they are less like Britney Spears and closer Lady GaGa. But without a dick.

Posted by: RunBMC at 06/04/09 8:53 PM  | Reply
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and everyone failed to mention how fucking sexy Joanna Newsom looks.

The album was incredible and i don't think im the only one who believes this they deserve their fame because they are that talented.

Posted by: che profile link at 06/04/09 9:30 PM  | Reply
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Are you saying that Joanna Newsom made up to look like a vacuos Beverly Hills trophy wife is sexier than she normally looks? Maybe that says something about you. Or maybe you like the way she carelessly drops the kid on the sidewalk (the funniest moment of the vid) Hmmm, Mother issues?

Posted by: Jazzhole  in reply to che's comment at 06/05/09 4:40 PM  | Reply
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I have a great mom and I think Joanna Newsom is hotter here than usual.
In fact I never really took note of her looks until now.

Posted by: Matt  in reply to Jazzhole's comment at 06/09/09 10:46 PM  | Reply
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andrew vanwyngarden=vince noir

Posted by: townes_van_savant at 06/04/09 9:37 PM  | Reply
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NO, Andrew Vanwyngarden is like a lame kid from my high school who, having seen The Mighty Boosh two years after the fact by viral video, attempts to imprint Noel Fielding's godly zaniness onto his personal brand of suburban entry-level hipster. And it doesn't work. But he gets pussy anyway, 'cos he has long hair and soft features.

Posted by: Lies  in reply to townes_van_savant's comment at 06/08/09 12:59 AM  | Reply
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The scariest thing about this video is those douchbags are being serious in those silver outfits.

Posted by: The Butcher at 06/04/09 10:40 PM  | Reply
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i have such a crush on joanna newsom. also, this band blows.

Posted by: RubberSoul profile link at 06/04/09 11:01 PM  | Reply
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That poor child! I couldn't even finish watching - what a terrible video.

Posted by: Z at 06/05/09 12:49 AM  | Reply
Score = 7 Vote up Vote down

That was fucked up. Those were real tears. That baby was truly terrified. I kept wondering what long-term psychological damage the baby was going to have after undergoing this making of this stupid fucking video. I was uncomfortable the whole time watching this baby feel terrified and cry. Mind you, I am an MGMT fan, but it doesn't excuse them to be so fucking "hip" that a baby undergoes psychological trauma for their pseudo "avantgarde" video.

Posted by: maNooshi profile link at 06/05/09 12:53 AM  | Reply
Score = 15 Vote up Vote down

Maybe.

OR, this experience will make him an emotional Hercules with the ability to laugh in the face of anything life throws at him. "Do your worst vile fiend, as a child I looked deep into the eyes of pure evil and walked away unscathed!"

But, nah, he'll probably be brain-screwed. Poor little guy.

Posted by: Paper Werewolf profile link  in reply to maNooshi's comment at 06/05/09 1:41 AM  | Reply
Score = 13 Vote up Vote down

Poor Baby!!!!!!

Posted by: maclovia profile link at 06/05/09 1:17 AM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

mgmt sucks = vote down
mgmt is awesome = vote down
this video is awesome = vote down
this video sucks = vote down
what a bunch of negative nancys.

p.s. i'm calling out every single one of you who liked mgmt before they caught commercial success but hates them now. i know you're out there. fuckin bite your tongue until more vampire weekend news comes out and then spring into action to trash them more for the same scenario. damned elitist reverse-bandwagoning. you have your next target: passion pit.

Posted by: Kurt profile link at 06/05/09 1:37 AM  | Reply
Score = 21 Vote up Vote down

i can see in my mind curt shaking and mumbling to him/herself whilest his bp skyrockets after this lame-o rant

Posted by: Shawn Bradley  in reply to Kurt's comment at 06/07/09 9:37 PM  | Reply
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i can too

Posted by: Kurt profile link  in reply to Shawn Bradley's comment at 06/08/09 9:29 PM  | Reply
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What Kurt said! Silly hipsters. Well put dude. And if you think this is traumatic to the kid, grow up. Seriously, is it lonely up there on your pedestals? This is no grand artistic statement...they're just taking the piss...and, no, the kid will not be tormented for life! He forgot about it 30 seconds after it happened....whatever you people think "it" is. Instead of regurgitating P-fork reviews, listen...it's a damn good song and band.

Posted by: Ren  in reply to Kurt's comment at 06/09/09 4:02 PM  | Reply
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o wow, i totally did not realize how freaking pretty the singer of mgmt is. he's gorgeous. looks like he could be jessica stam's sister.

Posted by: Mandy at 06/05/09 4:40 AM  | Reply
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Really?! I don't think he has anything on Stam. But perhaps I'm having trouble seeing past the ridiculous get up.

Posted by: Z  in reply to Mandy's comment at 06/05/09 10:30 AM  | Reply
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wow man. Are you THE Geoff Travis? Nuff respect!

Posted by: phabby at 06/05/09 7:06 AM  | Reply
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I'm sure this wasn't filmed the way it looks. Like, they didn't have monsters dancing around in front of the kid. Probably all kinds of editing stuff. Further evidence of this, in my opinion, is that babies are unpredictable and probably wouldn't have reacted perfectly the way it's shown in the video, thus requiring it to be shot as little bits and pieces and put back together to make it look how it does now.

Posted by: Bea at 06/05/09 8:35 AM  | Reply
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Re: the Mark Twain/Nietzsche confusion, it must be satire considering 1) that is probably Nietzsche's most famous quote, and Wesleyan boys should know that, 2) Mark Twain is known for his satire, and oh yeah, 3) it says it on the band's website.

Still I don't think it's funny/witty, but to each his own.

Posted by: um at 06/05/09 12:59 PM  | Reply
Score = 11 Vote up Vote down

I like the band, but this video is too much. Very disturbing. Honestly i stopped it after 30 seconds.

Posted by: bg at 06/05/09 1:49 PM  | Reply
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Aw, c'mon....they found that kid in the garbage anyway, so it doesn't matter.

Posted by: Billy Homey at 06/05/09 2:07 PM  | Reply
Score = 11 Vote up Vote down

your comment is worse than the vid itself. are you human?

Posted by: vig profile link  in reply to Billy Homey's comment at 06/07/09 11:16 AM  | Reply
Score = -9 Vote up Vote down

Yeah.

Posted by: Billy Homey  in reply to vig's comment at 06/08/09 1:18 AM  | Reply
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The animated portion seems a bit of a rip offfrom Of Montreal's Id Engager video, especially in the transitioning.

Posted by: electric_wookie profile link at 06/05/09 2:09 PM  | Reply
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great video. can't believe so many of you don't understand editing or camera tricks. ray tintori is brilliant. losers

Posted by: awesome at 06/05/09 3:38 PM  | Reply
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the baby clearly didn't come close to any of the monster / zombie whatevers. Its amazing what computers can do these days. Ever seen a Charlie Sheen & Michael Jordan Hanes ad - they're not on the same set either! Sheesh... What a bunch of idiots

Posted by: abdcdef at 06/05/09 4:14 PM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

Worst Where the Wild Things Are trailer yet.

Posted by: heywoodjewbrome profile link at 06/05/09 7:25 PM  | Reply
Score = 24 Vote up Vote down

wow. I like MGMT but this video is so wrong. I hate little kids, despise them but this is just cruel. Totally felt sorry for the little kid, he is gonna be fucked up. I wouldn't be surprised if they get sued by him when he gets older.

Posted by: Joker's Lady at 06/05/09 7:40 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

You all care far too much about your own opinions and others'.

Posted by: Joseph at 06/05/09 9:23 PM  | Reply
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The kid should grow a set and get over it. I don't want no pansy ass kid.

Posted by: pants at 06/06/09 1:35 AM  | Reply
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the ending kind of reminds me of the video for paranoid android.

Posted by: mike at 06/06/09 2:38 AM  | Reply
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The beginning is a Klaxons rip-off.

Posted by: Art at 06/06/09 12:27 PM  | Reply
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i don't think this kid is an amazing little actor. i think he might honestly want to shit his pants. And i feel bad for him. Also, the mother looks like a whore. Why is the band dressed up like that? this video is what I'd like to call wack. the animations at the end were cool though.

Posted by: wednesdayswithshuk profile link at 06/06/09 12:31 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

My best guess would be the point of the video was to re-create how a child might see the world. Often scary, and other times fascinating, everything new and unfamiliar.

Posted by: Frojo at 06/06/09 1:49 PM  | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

this reminds me of liquid television on mtv...anyone remember that? i thought that show was the raddest thing when i was a kid its trash but its entertaining trash.. and wondershowzen!

Posted by: Jake Silk profile link at 06/06/09 5:03 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

wow, i could barely get through that it made me feel physically uncomfortable. I guess thats the point. good lord that poor little bastid

Posted by: skipkb at 06/06/09 5:21 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

A cautionary tale on why you should never do acid...

Posted by: avalanche lily profile link at 06/06/09 5:21 PM  | Reply
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i thought that quote was by Nietzsche?? anyone know??

Posted by: Jessica at 06/06/09 10:52 PM  | Reply
Score = -5 Vote up Vote down

omg ur right

Posted by: Shawn Bradley  in reply to Jessica's comment at 06/07/09 9:42 PM  | Reply
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Wow this is pretty late. Album's two years old, the single was released last year, and NOW they decided to make a video?!

Posted by: meh at 06/07/09 12:20 AM  | Reply
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Did the animators of Super Jail do that last part? It looks just like the show.

Posted by: Jon at 06/07/09 11:01 AM  | Reply
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Wow, some of you people are really fucking stupid. I highly doubt this kid is going to be emotionally traumatized in the future. Unless he grows up to be a complete dumbass, I'm 99.99% sure that he will eventually find out none of this was real and that he was in a music video (which he will probably think is pretty sweet; I know I would).

Now that all that is off my chest, I must say this is a pretty good song from MGMT. I'm definitely not feelin' the silver outfits, though. That was just weird

Posted by: Andrew at 06/07/09 12:13 PM  | Reply
Score = -7 Vote up Vote down

this video reminds me of superjail and the mighty boosh simultaneously. its fucking insane, but its fun to watch

Posted by: colin at 06/07/09 4:39 PM  | Reply
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MGMT would have been better off using the flag football scene from Gossip Girl

Posted by: P at 06/07/09 5:56 PM  | Reply
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My favorite part was when that baby stated fucking that lady!

Posted by: Bootyfish at 06/07/09 7:02 PM  | Reply
Score = -7 Vote up Vote down

That was a typo, i meant to say "started fucking that lady" - not "stated". I mean, that doesn't even make sense.

Posted by: Bootyfish at 06/07/09 7:25 PM  | Reply
Score = -6 Vote up Vote down

aw come on, didn't any of you grow up in the 80s? labyrinth? return to oz? things like this at young ages shape a person's ability to react with the world, which is WAY more fucked up than some people in plastic monster suits.

Posted by: rs at 06/07/09 8:41 PM  | Reply
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God, this band can't even do "pretentious" right.

Posted by: Frank Drebbin at 06/08/09 11:23 AM  | Reply
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Kids of today are bad-ass.

Posted by: SubSickAlien profile link at 06/08/09 10:00 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

WTF??? that was so mean!!!
i love this song so much but the video sucks

Posted by: Rodrigoyiyo profile link at 06/09/09 3:42 PM  | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

Was anyone else thinking of Superjail with the ending animation?

Posted by: Jason at 06/10/09 3:38 AM  | Reply
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The animation is like the intro to a couple of savage steve holland films from the 80's. Better off dead! ONe Crazy SUmmer! I want my two dollars!

Posted by: nattybobo at 06/10/09 11:07 AM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

As an artist I understand they were attempting to show the world as seen through the eyes of a child, where everything is new and scary. However, they went beyond ‘re-creating” and actually terrorized and traumatized the child both physically and mentally. Below are specific examples:

At 1:15 the baby boy is in a crib in the dark and surrounded by monsters (made of realistic expensive Hollywood class monster suits). There are 5 shots edited together where the child is shown screaming in fear as monster claws physically grab onto the boy and pull him back several times. The fifth shot at 1:25 shows the child screaming as he is pinned against the hard crib rails by a monster hand pressing against his chest. These 5 shots are all very short, but were taken over a longer time and edited down to seconds. Next the child is shown lying on it's back screaming. At 1:40 there are monsters hovering over the crib with large hands that drop some kind of liquid into the crib. The child is then shown with three monsters behind him. The child is standing up, trying to escape the crib, with it's arm stretched out for help, with a visibly disturbed face with flush red color, all while three monsters are behind it. This is followed by more shots of the child screaming with a distressed and fearful look in his eyes. From 2:00 to 2:30 the baby is held by a human female, who carries the baby past monsters on the sidewalk. The child is obviously now terrified of these monsters, but the female does nothing to console him, and instead ignores him while she texts on her phone. Around 2:32 the female literally throws the baby down to the ground from 4 feet in the air. The child is clearly too young to realize this is an act and will land safely. In slow motion, the baby is seen reaching out for the female before it disappears from the camera shot to fall on what we assume is the concrete sidewalk below. Hopefully there was some kind of safe "stunt" landing for the baby off camera, but it happens so fast it seems impossible to do this without some kind of whiplash to the young boy's neck. This is the equivalent of shaking a baby. Not to mention that falling from 4 or 5 feet for a baby is like a grown person falling from 15 feet. Adults in stunt falls understand what's happening while the child does not. Not to mention adults have a choice in participating in stunts while this child did not. The female, still uncaring about the dropped child, keeps texting on her phone. At 2:40 the child is shown running in fear down the sidewalk past monsters for 10 seconds. The child is crying and holding it's hands forward for help as it runs. Around 2:45, you can see a hand appear into the shot from the right side of the screen. Clearly someone is off camera and getting the child to run down the sidewalk by holding out their hand to child yet running away at the same time. This is in effect teasing the child by telling the child to come here while running away from it.
The rest of the video shows the child in a car seat, being subjected to more monsters in a car next to them. The child is then forced to watch sinister and violent puppets on the car lcd tv. The images include an evil wolf in a druggy background and a menacing puppet beating another puppet at 4:25.

The video ends with animation, which is a much better and humane way to express artistic ideas without actually physically and mentally traumatizing a child.

Posted by: Help profile link at 06/10/09 3:01 PM  | Reply
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The evil wolf on the druggy background is obviously supposed to be The Wolfman from The Hilarious House of Frightenstein. Not really a scary show.

Posted by: loserMcloser  in reply to Help's comment at 06/14/09 1:22 AM  | Reply
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Okay, who really gives a flying fu** about this kid being traumatized? I've had worse nightmares than this - and yeah, there is a message behind it. Clearly the parents thought he could handle it, and christ, its not like he's being murdered on camera. Ever been in a haunted house as a kid?

And seriously, do people come on here just to rag on any band that makes a headline? Go back to your underground white noise.

Posted by: Really at 06/10/09 6:39 PM  | Reply
Score = -6 Vote up Vote down

wow, still the best thing is the line underneath it catch them on drugs :p

Posted by: Solveig profile link at 06/10/09 7:40 PM  | Reply
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Repetitive, pointless track, could have been about 22 seconds long and been just as crappy. At 18 minutes or however long it drones, it's just indefensible filler with sludgey production. The video is dreadfully trite and amateurish as well.

Posted by: Kevin White at 06/11/09 1:19 AM  | Reply
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holy cow, does no one but me care about that poor kid? i am sorry, but he was traumatized for this stupid video, a song that has a video that was already released and has well over 20 million views already.

that's f-ed up. sorry MGMT, but I just lost respect for you, what little I had, after viewing this. no need.

fyi, that kid was totally f'ed up for your stupid video. wow.

Posted by: johnnyrotten at 06/11/09 2:15 AM  | Reply
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How could you.

Posted by: MGMT  in reply to johnnyrotten's comment at 06/11/09 7:27 PM  | Reply
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upon second viewing i noticed a few interesting things.

first when joanna takes off the kids MGMT headband all the monsters go away... well all the gross ones afterwards the monsters are all colorful

second i can't really prove this but i think that the last cartoon portion could be a synopsis of the album oracular spectacular
-i draw this observation from the first image of the woman who reminds me of the girl they sing to on electric feel she was what looks like electricity streaming from her hair.
- that one is the most obvious but a case can be made for alot of the songs from the album

Posted by: che profile link at 06/12/09 1:06 AM  | Reply
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Passion Pit has a similar sound, I think they're better and they won't become annoying as MGMT has.

Posted by: scott at 06/12/09 8:58 AM  | Reply
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....This music video scares me. SAVE THE CHILD! :|

Posted by: Gaaah at 06/12/09 6:23 PM  | Reply
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I mean honestly, the video itself is pretty cool but you've got to be careful when you're throwing kids into a project like this. Especially as young as that little boy. Given when he's older he'll understand the difference but that can have a very traumatizing effect that could distort the way he develops mentally. Now I'm not a psychiatrist or anything but that kid was obviously scared out of his mind and to put a child through that, no matter how young, for the sake of entertainment is just disgusting to me.

Posted by: Sarah at 06/25/09 1:49 AM  | Reply
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ok, yes, i agree, cool vid, but def traumatizing for the child... and he DID in fact see the monsters around him. check out the behind the scenes site about how the video was made...

http://court13news.blogspot.com/2009/06/photos-kids-by-mgmt-behind-scenes.html

Posted by: heyprettyboy at 06/29/09 12:53 AM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

this is sick! to put that poor baby through this int he name of "art" I understand its a powerful message, but so is the total disregard of that baby!

Posted by: Jessica at 07/16/09 10:42 AM  | Reply
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I am seriously concerned for theat child.

Posted by: anne at 07/16/09 12:47 PM  | Reply
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STOP SUPPORTING MGMT ... BECAUSE IF THIS IS WHAT THEY ALLOW TO BE PUT OUT THERE TO REPRESENT THEIR TALENT ... I THINK THEY GOT NO TALENT AT ALL. SAVE THE KID ..KILL MGMT

Posted by: adnan at 08/13/09 8:42 AM  | Reply
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Who in their right mind... but I suppose that's just the point. MGMT is in the left mind, or not in mind.
They are certainly not in MY mind after this.

Posted by: single golf clubs at 10/02/09 1:58 PM  | Reply
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