It's Spankin New Music Week on TRL this week, and instead of playing the top-10 requests each day, they are playing a band's video playlist. My former co-workers are mocking the fact that as soon as I leave, Journey and Guns N Roses videos are suddenly getting played. Just my luck.
On a lark, production management asked each member of the TRL team to submit their top-10 videos of all time. That got me thinking... and while I couldn't come up with just ten, here's my super-sized top-20 videos of all time (in alphabetical order):
- A-ha - "Take on Me": Everyone loves this video... how can you not? I recently asked a co-worker how often he thinks that the woman in this video, during present-day casual conversation or small talk, mentions the fact that she starred in this. He thinks fairly often. I'm not sure... it's certainly worth bragging about, but do you brag about something like that?
- Art of Noise - "Close (to the Edit)": Man would I love to know what this girl is doing these days. Teacher? Hooker? Scientist? Dead of an overdose? Karate instructor? Anything's possible, I guess.
- Blur - "Coffee & TV": My first MTV boss was obsessed with this video, so for her birthday I made her these milk-carton characters. 7+ years later, they're still in her office.
- Chemical Brothers - "Let Forever Be": How long did it take to put this video together? I can't even fathom the process.
- Phil Collins - "Billy Don't Lose My Number": Ah Phil, what a comedian you are. He was skewering music videos before anyone else. But he did it well.
- Foo Fighters - "Everlong": Hard to choose one favorite Foo video, but this one earns it thanks to Bitch-Slap Man.
- Genesis - "Land of Confusion": When I was on a family vacation to the UK the summer of 1991, I saw Spitting Image (the show from which these puppets were taken), and it showed clones of the Queen Mum farting and burping and two naked puppets having sex. My 6th-grade mind was warped. I think it's safe to say I've never fully recovered.
- Green Day - "Redundant": Not much to say about this one... just like it.
- Guns N Roses - "November Rain": Overblown? Yes. Ridiculous? Unquestionably. Awesome? You know it! I also bought a used copy of the (out of print) book of Del James short stories that has "Without You," on which this video is based. They are nothing alike. And Del James is a terrible author. Just a heads-up.
- Herbie Hancock - "Rockit": This video creeps a lot of people out, but I love it.
- Cyndi Lauper - "The Goonies R Good Enough": What's better than the combination of Cyndi, the cast of Goonies, and the most popular WWF stars of the 80s? The fact that it's a two-part cliffhanger video (clocking in at a total of 12+ minutes)! Check out Part 2 here.
- Live - "Freaks": The creepiest Got Milk commercial I've ever seen.
- Lucas - "Lucas With the Lid Off": He may have been a one-hit wonder, but this video sure left its mark. At least on me.
- Nine Inch Nails - "Closer": A VH1 Classic fan poll recently named this the greatest video of all time. Surprising result. I can't say I fully agree, but can't fully disagree either.
- Tom Petty - "Don't Come Around Here No More": Mmm, I'd love a piece of that Alice cake. Wait, what?
- Prodigy - "Smack My Bitch Up": Wow, was this controversial, for obvious reasons. But it's amazing. Betcha didn't see that ending coming!
- R.E.M. - "Imitation of Life": I wish I could find a better-quality post of this video. I've been assured that there was no camera trickery or special effects... all one take, people actually singing normally and in reverse.
- Robbie Williams - "Rock DJ": In the UK they used to only show this video after 11pm, and they'd cut off the ending. You'd think if they can handle Spitting Image, they could handle this.
- Smashing Pumpkins - "Tonight Tonight": Tough call between this and "Ava Adore," so I'll link to both of them.
- Van Halen - " Hot for Teacher": Funny on so many levels. Poor Waldo and his loose socks. Keep an eye out on Alex trying to keep up during their synchonized dance steps during the choruses.

Update:
Oops, I forgot one... we'll call this an alternate:
- Markus Nikolai - "Bushes": I saw this once on a director's reel. I don't think it's ever actually aired on TV. Nothing but a montage of women reacting to getting bikini waxes. Cringeworthy, to say the least. Watching this, I'm thankful I'm not a woman.