I Miss My MTV: Too Funky?
I credit George Michael with launching the era of the supermodel. The supermodel was so great at her job. She was a vessel for every sort of proto-feminist, object of desire as empowerment, and even as a successful entrepreneur; don’t forget the Fashion Café which waiters brought you your defrosted hamburgers down a runway. The Supermodel era launched a specific particular set into a first name basis- Cindy, Linda. Naomi. Christy.
Giving credit where credit is due: George Michael’s megahit “Freedom ‘90” video saw supermodels lip-synching his song. (There are also male models there, but we tend to forget them and are overshadowed by Cindy Crawford in the bathtub).
It’s unusual for him not to appear in the video. George Michael himself created a sexual frenzy in previous videos with his five-o-clock shadow, leather jacket, and snug jeans. I’m not trying to put words in the mouth of the dear departed George Michael, but this video was screaming at us that he was queer. He is singing through flawless women’s bodies, imagining his words coming from them. To call this a trans narrative is an overstep. But the women singing his song, the literal destruction of his leather jacket and jukebox from the “Faith” video is some Freshmen English symbolism.
But “Freedom” is not the video I want to discuss. Two years later, George Michael may or may not have had his first committed relationship with a man. His videos, since then, were notably absent of his presence. Is it so surprising that he released the masterpiece of camp imagery, “Too Funky.”
Interlude about me and videos: It amazes me how many times I have seen certain videos. Listening to a song on the radio over and over is expected. But sitting in front of MTV and watching the same videos? It seems absurd. Some videos, like this one, are burned into my mind, where I knew every pixel.
The video is a runway show featuring models with the introduction of their first names, simultaneously assuming the audience knows who they are, and if we didn’t, we should know who they are. This includes a virtually unknown 19-year-old named Tyra.
The women are wearing haute couture, almost grotesque outfits that Lady Gaga would be right at home in. The metal bodysuit and helmet showed up later in “Paparazzi.”
The camera gazes at the women’s bodies, and sure, they are sexualized, but it feels different from a male objectifying gaze. The women stomp the runway like drag queens, mug for the audience, and act in almost a parody of glamour. Not to mention some brief shots of drag queens backstage and other campy performing. This is “Freedom ‘90”, but more outwardly queer, a colorful celebrating video celebrating the divas worshipped by gay men.
I struggle with finding the right words to analyze this video's aesthetics, but I can only come up with...it’s spectacular. The editing, in time to the music, the visual angles, the amazing outfits, it is the kind of video that always gets me into an appreciation frenzy.
George Michael appears very briefly in flashes of frames behind the camera, not allowing the audience to gaze at him. As the camera operator, he masterminded this fantasy, symbolizing his vision or ideal world that he wants to create. The video ends with the title card, “Directed by ?”. This, we know, is George Michael. Is this a question to himself, or about to tell his audience that they don’t know who he is?
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