John Doe - Let's Be Mad

What this video is

Released in 1990 as John Doe — founding bassist and vocalist of seminal L.A. punk band X — launched his major-label solo career on DGC Records, 'Let's Be Mad' arrived at the precise moment when the American punk underground's elder generation was being absorbed into the alternative rock mainstream. MTV's Headbangers Ball and 120 Minutes were expanding their reach, and DGC was assembling a roster (Sonic Youth,…

Why it matters

Occupies a pivotal niche in the post-punk-to-alternative-rock transition: John Doe carried the credibility of the early L.A. hardcore/punk scene into a melodic rock context, making this video a document of genre hybridization. The rapid editing pace (avg. shot 1.92s) mirrors the kinetic energy of…

The director

Chicago-born artist-director who began with experimental feminist short films in college; rose to prominence in the mid-1980s co-directing MTV music videos with Michael Patterson. Known for the iconic rotoscope-animation video for A-ha's 'Take On Me' (1985…