Monday, June 8, 2009

New Wave for the New Week #13

Under the Big Black Sun album coverImage via Wikipedia

Unfortunately, I didn't get to Baltimore for the X show Saturday night. I'll probably kick myself for not finding a way to get there, but sometimes the best laid plans go awry.

I figure the least I can do is pick an X video for this week's New Wave for the New Week entry, and I managed to find one I've never seen before! Their third album, Under the Big Black Sun (1982), was also their first on a major label. The main single from the album, "The Hungry Wolf," was played in light-to-mid rotation during the early days of MTV. But there was a second video shot from the album, for one of my favorites from their catalog of songs, "Motel Room in My Bed."

Forgive the rough quality here, but this is a rare one. The video is no great shakes - just a pretty straight lip-sync performance - but it does capture X at their best: John Doe and Exene Cervenka creating their at once beautiful and off-kilter harmony, guitarist Billy Zoom in full grin-and-pompadour stance, and DJ Bonebrake driving the whole band into a frenzy behind the drumset.

So, in honor of X's current tour and as a toast to Exene's health, enjoy this week's entry:





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