National People's Gang - Gettin' Close to God

What this video is

National People's Gang emerged from the US indie rock underground, active from approximately 1988 and releasing through Doctor Dream Records — a label associated with the college-radio and independent alternative scene of the late 1980s. 'Gettin' Close to God' was released as a promotional 12" single in 1990, a period when MTV's 120 Minutes and college FM radio provided the primary national distribution pathways…

Why it matters

Represents the final flourishing of pre-grunge American indie/alternative rock in the DIY promotional video format. The fast editing pace (2.73s avg shot length, 81 cuts across ~3:41) prefigures the kinetic energy that would define early-90s alternative MTV aesthetics, while the muted budget and…