Oleander - Boys Don't Cry

What this video is

Oleander's cover of The Cure's 1979 post-punk classic 'Boys Don't Cry' appeared on their 1999 Universal Records major-label debut February Son, which was certified gold by May 2000. The cover was released as a UK single in summer 2000, representing the band's bid for international crossover at a moment when post-grunge acts routinely leveraged new wave and alternative classics to signal taste-credibility. The…

Why it matters

Documents the post-grunge cover-song strategy as a mainstream commercial vehicle: a Sacramento band's faithful-yet-muscular reinterpretation of a British new wave touchstone, released on a major label for a UK market. The video's rapid-cut performance aesthetic reflects early-2000s MTV2 and…

The director

Michael Alperowitz (b. July 24, 1965) is an American director, editor, and assistant director working primarily in music video and independent film. He is known for narrative features including Dead Badge (1995), Out in Fifty (1999), and Farewell, My Love…