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the video looked good... i thought it was going good, until the car accident.
1. how does that help MR's image? It looks like the riders fault.
2. The rider smashes the windshield
3. The riders pose and dont help their fallen rida (shame on you)
4. They just get up and ride away
5. What about the driver's window that got smashed? The driver stopped. Maybe exchange information? Take responsibility?
It just looked really bad and unnecessary given the video didnt need it. Once I saw the accident, in all honesty, I was thinking durng the 5 minutes before they got up-- I hope this is about highlighting something more powerful about riders that have been injured/killed!!!! 20 minutes later... nope the rider gets up and rides away.
I think that part, the molotov-flower thing and the saddening reminder of the recent fires, were just dumb. Was this some hippie anarchy? I'll be honest, if there was a story to be told in the video -- I didnt get it.
I doubt it matters. I think video will excite others about dressing in costume and riding around town. Maybe even help change minds about critical mass (or whatever Borfo wants to call it). I just wish they would take the accident out.
I actually like the sunset shot, some of the other streets shot. I suggest leaving the sound off while watching. Overall the video was cool. And Im the participants will love it. Richie kind of stole the show.--good for him.
what do you guys think about the accident part? No big deal? Do you think i missed something about it (the white horse symbolism or something)?
Congrats to all who worked on it -- now go be famous.
i definitely disliked the accident. so stupid. makes kids think, sure i can go riding around, no helmet, thinking everything is cool, get hit, get up and walk away. um no. i spent a few days in the hospital. some others are lucky enough to get up and walk away, with a lot of pain.
do not want.
cool video but such a dumb pretentious band. and they misspelled a lot of ridazz names. sad.
okay enough naysaying. kudos to those who donated their time and looked awesome because of it.
tomato responding to a comment by md2
11.12.09 - 7:47 am
also most cars that hit cyclists speed off in this town. and my friends, who i actually didn't really know at the time, didn't just stand there. they took care of me until the cops showed, fixed by bike for me and visited/called me in the hospital.
but it's a music video and they can do what they want. whatever.
maybe if the accident happened in the beginning it would have been better (all the ridaz could have come to his rescue or something)....
even while that is occurring we could still keep Jared Leto's crackling voice at it rises, which doubles as a horse call (it really comes across as if he is summoning a white horse on skid row or something).
Anyhow, whatever sexy powers Leto possesses, he somehow is really have a good time rocking out, while watching the fires burn our trails and such. I wonder why he didnt summons some rain with his voice instead of a white horse?? What does the horse end up doing? It looks lost on skid row or something.
Well, the riders didnt have any lights on when they hit the car. Maybe they have a case for all the production light present.. i dont know.
But it might be a hard case to support. Well, judge, we were, yes, riding on all lanes.... thats right we occupied both sides of traffic. Just for fun, and though it might seem like we were out for a little mischief, given the flowers and wine bottles we threw around town. We definitely had the right away.
I also like the way the kid fell. One arm is perfectly laid across his leg. Hoodie is intact. One arm supporting his head. It must have been all those PB&J sandwiches... dude must have been sleepy. Looks like a rida passed out on my couch, not that just got hit by a car (let alone flew into a windshield). Leto's voice definitely is magical.
I guess, in the end, whatever the accident means and whoever is at fault... we can say it was:
in defense of our dreams... in defense of our dreams
md2 responding to a comment by tomato
11.12.09 - 8:35 am
i thought the video was well done.. the accident part did kinda throw me off but overall I think he captured perfectly what were about.. I was one of the many people who "protested" and refused to be in the making of this video.. After seeing this I really regret not going.. Oh well..
It's funny I recognized so many people in this vid.. Congrats to everyone who made it in the video
I appreciate your analysis of the thematic content of the Video but in the final analysis Jlets vision cannot be pigeon holed. He basically takes anything that is kewl and makes it crappy. It is just a music video. Hardly worth the 1's and 0's that are written here.
Foldie responding to a comment by md2
11.12.09 - 9:31 am
who cares about what the biker getting hit means. its just a music video. no one ever understands what a music video is suppose to mean anyway. the point is, LA Riders represented in this video and are going to rule the world.
My first and likely last experience with J Leto...however. Analysis aside I love seeing ridazz in the video! Richie looks freakin awesome! Chynna so cute!
Seeing all my friends throughout the video made the song bearable, if not even likeable.
I'm glad it casts us in a good light, save for the accident part... but no one's perfect. Good job people!
You may not like the music, but this band has millions of fans worldwide. The song was one of the top downloads on iTunes. This guy Leto is an award-winning music video director. His concepts are viewed as artistic and visionary. Millions (that's six zeros), will watch this video hundreds of times (so like a hundred million?) They will see Los Angeles and Hollywood streets filled with bicyclists. How is this not a positive development? We complain about how bicyclists get no respect. Well, we got respect now. Millions across the world will see your mugs and your bicycles. Maybe some fans in Atlanta or Ankara or São Paulo will go out and get bicycles. Congratulations! You all have done a great service to the worldwide awareness of bicycling. Now let's ride.
...I'm still digesting the 30STM video. I mean, the shots are all really pretty and everything... but the song is so poo poo lamey cheese that it's hard to look at it objectively.
I wish nobody had so sing along at the end... cuz that made me throw up in my mouth a bit. Overall it was done really well... for what it was?
I hope it inspires kids to ride bikes. I think it will.
I want to get gender reassignment surgery and, following a suitable period of recuperation and post-operative care, punch myself really hard in the cooch.
PC responding to a comment by hockeyjockey
11.12.09 - 10:58 am
I thought the close up of Richie looked more like he was just screaming something by chance than singing along. I imagine that's what happened, and it kept me amused.
danya responding to a comment by canadienne
11.12.09 - 11:00 am
Well, I've never been a fan of music videos. They cheapen the power of the music when they try to put a visual story to it.
And I don't care for the band's weak stab at a U2 style song. What the hell was the song about anyway?
But, man, the professional footage of my ridazz was fantastic!
I "rewound" it a few times at the crash scene to see who was at fault....
the kids made a right turn going the wrong way on a one way street (the sign says "left lane must turn left). with that said, it looks like the kid was at fault...
I like the video though...people will definitely come out for more rides after seeing it.
barleye responding to a comment by Roadblock
11.12.09 - 11:55 am
Yeah, they were riding the wrong way on 5th street. The driver ran through a stop coming out of that alley, and the car should have been turning left. "Technically" they both fucked up. ;)
braydon responding to a comment by barleye
11.12.09 - 12:15 pm
You guys don't see all the religious references when the guy gets hit? Our Bono wanabe is singing "heaven and hell", there's a cross on the hillside after the dude gets hit, a white horse is galloping through LA, to me it signify his ghost, and then he's resurrected. Our down biker is further enhanced as being a god when his fellow riders don't bother doing anything for him. Their stance is, oh he'll come around, just give him a moment.
So this is what we sold our souls for? oooooooookkk
Watch, these guys will be going after the homeless people for their next video.
obviously the accident is symbolic of the ride shoot and the deadly toll it took on all our bodies and spirits until the white horse (jared leto) came to save us from the criplling abyss (black car) and our broken dreams (windsheild)
not only do i wish we could do that more often
but i wish we could do it bigger and better
who can we con- er...VINCE! into giving us a ride budget to make videos promoting l.a. and our "bike culture"!
would that just be too "L.A."?
i'm just saying i love riding my bike and it would be nice to get paid doing something i love... there's enough artists amongst the community that if we actually got really organized we could pull something like this off
I image once Banksy sees the video, he'll be threatening a lawsuit. Can't image these guys being able to keep that in. Can't image Banksy giving the OK for it either!
that brings up an interesting question. considering the image was done illegally on a wall could he copy write it? also considering he is anonymous it would break his cover.
buckchin responding to a comment by User1
11.12.09 - 1:22 pm
It's too close to being considered fair use to bother:
1. not 100% the work was used, actually none of it was, only the same subject
2. the video doesn't have direct commercial intentions, they are not selling it (fine line)
braydon responding to a comment by User1
11.12.09 - 1:25 pm
banksy piece used as spoke card for RWNN march 2009 ---->
Interesting story re: Banksy
during the 2006 show in DTLA, one of Banksy's reps came into ReForm School in Silverlake at the old location below AGLAGO...he wanted to do a piece on the wall across from jiffy lube and they requested us to leave an extension cord under the door leading to the dirt lot and TO NOT TELL ANYONE. We did and were psyched but he ended up not doing the piece after all....We're assuming he was gonna use an air brush since he needed the extension cord.
Thank you to all the ridazz who came out & put up with crappy conditions and not getting paid until 3 weeks later and a bullshit production company that misspelled everyone's name, including mine.
In the end, we do look amazing. We are well represented. We were given a chance to show the world how we spend our free time and we all look fierce and magical.
The accident part was apparently meant to show the resiliancy of the cyclists in LA. I, like most of you, don't appreciate it, but it wasn't my vision or my money what made this talkie a reality.
Much love to all ya'lls, see you on rides.
Thank you Leto, srsly, for capturing us with beauty and love.
You all looked good. I hope your sexiness inspires a ton of people to get out there on bikes, and I hope that they ride on the right side of the street when they do.
This probably makes me a bad person, but I actually snickered when the white horse showed up. And the cross on the hillside? So much cheese. So many heavy-handed cliches. It's a lot like the music, actually: slickly produced and not without its "moments," but ultimately incoherent.
I also think it's funny that they bill this as "a film" that's "inspired by" the music. Come on. It's a fucking music video, dudes. It's a nice-looking music video, to be sure, but it's still a music video. "The Midnight Ride," now that was a film. This is just a music video.
I was waiting for Kwang Lee to show up here to condemn you guys. How can you love this POS video and hate his masterpiece The Midnight Ride. Shame on you.....
Kwang Lee for life.......
Foldie responding to a comment by nathansnider
11.12.09 - 3:25 pm
Total thanks to Zombiesgotmytongue and Thunderthighs for working sooo hard at making this happen and making sure that things ended up cool and corrected. Totally happy to have been part of this!!!
X-Large responding to a comment by thunderthighs
11.12.09 - 3:30 pm
YES! All our hard work paid off. Love all you guiz and thanks so much for being a part of the video! I love the video... melodramatic with the horse and all but come on! Mouse did an excellent job getting hit by the car. <3
Fuck Yeah!
The video was pretty good. aside from my hangups it was so exciting to see all the ridazz. robert ,laura, XL's bag, richie,mouse, bryan, chynna, Uncle Richard and his front wheel and other people of whom i have seen but names i do not know. Good job everyone. It was taxing but the editors did a bang up job putting that together.
props to Emil for helping Uncle Richard and myself out. Thank you.
I guess the bicycle accident did portray a message. My dad (an outside view), said that the reason he got up after being hit is that we are invincible.
The first time I saw it, it just didn't come off as that, but hey, that's cool. Thanks Jared, we appreciate being invincible! Hello, world!
I'm talking about the guy in the video. The reason why the guy in the video didn't get up is because we're invincible.
Maybe not literally, yeah, we're humans, cars can kill us, but we will ride on and ridazz who have past still ride in our hearts. Right?
imachynna responding to a comment by buckchin
11.12.09 - 8:56 pm
I read like half of this thread but I'm giving my input anyway!
The professional footage of the cyclists is beautiful. And that's about where the praise ends.
This song is such god awful wankery I can't even believe it. Of course half the video is Leto trying to eye fuck the camera because that's what I feel like he's trying to do with his wannabe-Bono voice to my ears with this shit song.
The bikes have nothing to do with the song or anything else and it comes across just as I expected it would: capitalizing on the popularity of the bicycle scene in LA to make a quick buck selling dogshit.
I'm glad you guys had fun and all but seriously we got played.
Don't you remember all the posts about "F Leto" and "He is exploiting us." Now you see your mugs on TV, now this is the best thing ever, and there needs to be more of these. LOL .
Really Im not h8n, I was for this thing from the get go, even though I did not get down to the shoot myself. I still think it was very cool of Jared to come on rides with us, and even cooler of him to put MR in his video.
That said, I never listened to a lot of 30stm before, but I think the song is awesome! The video not bad. Loved seeing a lot of the ppl I ride with, but I think this video could have been so much more. Maybe it was the editing IDK, I can't quite put my finger on it, I just feel it could have been more epic. I also don't quite get the whole crash thing, and I actually wanted to see more of the band. Well that's just my 2 cents. Great Job to all the ridazz who face the "sell out" title and went for it anyway, I really do hope there are more of these in the future.
The footage of the ridazz is so beautiful. The editing is suspect and the car crash needs to show it was the drivers fault. The banksy scene is probably bordering on plagerism I wonder what the law is on borrowing imagery like that. Other than that i think it's not bad. The music isn't horrible. I can't understand the lyrics but who cares the girls will love this shit. Overall it shows a good side of the bike scene here in LA. And because of the great footage, it's going to encourage others to ride.
Why is it that with the Midnight Ride video, everyone felt like Midnight Ridazz was poorly represented and there was an uproar . . . but in this video, most think we were poorly represented by the car accident, but it's OK? Maybe because everyone's so excited by the 15 seconds of fame that's not really fame because nobody knows who we are and nobody cares and this video will only appeal to an extremely limited audience (pre-teen girls) anyway?
the midnight ride video was lame because it portrayed a situation in which a newb rolls up and asks to ride and someone says "nah man" which is the opposite of the philosophy of the rides. it was also lame because they were told NOT to use the Midnight Ridazz name which was posted on the BR site as well as photos that were used without permission.
Roadblock responding to a comment by Team Creanberry
11.13.09 - 2:47 pm
The use of the name "Midnight Ridazz" and the use of the photos are a whole other can of worms.
I'm strictly talking about the perception/representation. Personally, I'd rather be seen as an unwelcoming group of d-bags than d-bags who bike like idiots and cause near-fatal car accidents. But that's just me.
For those of you who rode in this video just remember. Someday when your kids and grandchildren tell you that you don't know what it means to be cool you can show them this.
lets looks at the facts:]
banksy=white, married, 30-ish, man
guy in video=white,wedding ring, ???, man
then again i don't know the guy in the video, he may be one of your friends or uber pissed i didn't recognize him with that bandana on his face... but it definitely could have been banksy maybe
For those of you who rode in this video just remember. Someday when your kids and grandchildren tell you that you don't know what it means to be cool you can show them this.
...and prove them right.
PC responding to a comment by Garmin64
11.15.09 - 7:11 pm
For those of you who rode in this video just remember. Someday when your kids and grandchildren tell you that you don't know what it means to be cool you can show them this.
Just to be clear, that was my comment... and it was in reference to the video that mandingo posted, NOT the 30STM video. That video makes me want to ride too... just into oncoming traffic.
-->
Ridazz Roulette!
king of queens is a damn good show.....
who cares about what the biker getting hit means. its just a music video. no one ever understands what a music video is suppose to mean anyway. the point is, LA Riders represented in this video and are going to rule the world.
banksy piece used as spoke card for RWNN march 2009 ---->
:( aww shucks.