Oh, how I love this song. The accompanying commentary and creative insights are splendid. And yet, I have never watched the music video.
To explain why, we must rewind to c.1996. I'm a teenager at home watching E.R. with my mum. It's our comfort show. Sure, the gore level is generally high, but it's not like we ever witness the accidents or medical emergencies themselves.
Until one episode, that is. Our antihero, Dr Romano, is on the hospital's roof, ready and waiting to greet the landing craft and whisk off the patient for emergency surgery. This precise scene has played out countless times on the show without incident. Not this time. One second, Dr Romano is delivering some sarcastic quip to a colleague, and the next the HELICOPTER ROTORBLADE HAS CHOPPED HIS ARM CLEAN OFF!!!! Wtaf.
My mum and I both screamed. The trauma was real. I have never been able to watch any hospital- or medical-based show since. And watching Final Destination (about which I knew nothing when I bought the damn ticket) is genuinely the most terrified I have ever been in a cinema.
Back to the song, though: it's one I really hope to see Iive one day. And those descending harmonies in the demo are indeed luscious...
Oh my god, I remember that episode and I didn't even watch the show back then. I just heard my mom - who *loves* horror movies and has never been scared by anything - absolutely SHRIEK. I came running from the other side of the house because I thought she was being murdered. It was years before I was allowed to watch the show after that ...
“The innocuousness of the fail is inversely proportional to the gore of the fallout” is an inspired line to include in a creative brief.
The video to Dumb Luck is among my favourites and as much as I’d have loved to have seen a fencing related injury in it, you were right to keep it out. Perhaps keep that one on the back-burner in wait for the right video.
This is a great song and one of my favourite videos of all time. It always makes me laugh so much, even if I do sometimes have to watch through my fingers. I love the list of scary moments - I’m glad so many of them made it into the video, especially the basketball hoop which is my personal favourite.
I enjoyed your discussion of the demo too. It is always a treat to hear where a song started out. This one in particular made me realise how much I like the drums on the final version.
You know, at this point, I think I've memorized that guitar solo more than the actual lyrics. Like, I can vocalize that guitar solo more than the first verse. This is just another way of me saying, thank god you kept it in! I don't know what else I would have been singing back at you circa 2014.
I’ve only been able to watch the video all the way through once because I couldn’t stop cringing at everything. Just a little too much for my sensitive nature.
Nah, the Tom Savini course would have been a waste! Your acting and the DIY spatter-fest mystery props guy came up with is way funnier 👏 Would also say it's one of my all time favourites
I’ve just been thinking about what Keith said about Dumb Luck being a big track on this record but being out of step with the general vibe and I think it’s a really good observation. I love it but it’s always felt like something of an outlier. Honestly, I think part of what I love about this album is that it feels very coherent in terms of its sound but it’s also quite hard to quantify.
Been listening to Dumb Luck so often over the past six months, walking round Larkhall Park in South London. The solo into the intense drum riff is phenomenal. Next time you're down you should come visit the park - it has regular reggae festivals, an air ambulance flew in the other week, and third thing. Also Keith owes me a pint from when we played Articulate at a hotel bar in Bath in around 2014 and there's a lot of great pubs to choose from
Wait, were you in the lobby with a post-wedding party? Keith Carne and I always talk about the time we came into our hotel from a show somewhere in the UK and just casually insinuated ourselves into a wedding reception. We probably owe everyone there a pint….
Oh, how I love this song. The accompanying commentary and creative insights are splendid. And yet, I have never watched the music video.
To explain why, we must rewind to c.1996. I'm a teenager at home watching E.R. with my mum. It's our comfort show. Sure, the gore level is generally high, but it's not like we ever witness the accidents or medical emergencies themselves.
Until one episode, that is. Our antihero, Dr Romano, is on the hospital's roof, ready and waiting to greet the landing craft and whisk off the patient for emergency surgery. This precise scene has played out countless times on the show without incident. Not this time. One second, Dr Romano is delivering some sarcastic quip to a colleague, and the next the HELICOPTER ROTORBLADE HAS CHOPPED HIS ARM CLEAN OFF!!!! Wtaf.
My mum and I both screamed. The trauma was real. I have never been able to watch any hospital- or medical-based show since. And watching Final Destination (about which I knew nothing when I bought the damn ticket) is genuinely the most terrified I have ever been in a cinema.
Back to the song, though: it's one I really hope to see Iive one day. And those descending harmonies in the demo are indeed luscious...
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🎶 ⬇️
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🥰
Love that episode! I also love how he was determined to reattach said arm but it ended up going all mouldy and gross 🤢
I seem to recall he tried surgery with a single arm, got frustrated as hell and ended up in some management role alongside Carrie?
Sounds very familiar 😅
Dr Romano never did have much luck with helicopters.
Oh my god, I remember that episode and I didn't even watch the show back then. I just heard my mom - who *loves* horror movies and has never been scared by anything - absolutely SHRIEK. I came running from the other side of the house because I thought she was being murdered. It was years before I was allowed to watch the show after that ...
Truly horrifying.
Haha! The minute you mentioned Dr Romano, I knew what was coming!
Formative TV moment. FORMATIVE!!!!
One of my favourite songs, and possibly my favourite video. The gorier the better!
“The innocuousness of the fail is inversely proportional to the gore of the fallout” is an inspired line to include in a creative brief.
The video to Dumb Luck is among my favourites and as much as I’d have loved to have seen a fencing related injury in it, you were right to keep it out. Perhaps keep that one on the back-burner in wait for the right video.
This is a great song and one of my favourite videos of all time. It always makes me laugh so much, even if I do sometimes have to watch through my fingers. I love the list of scary moments - I’m glad so many of them made it into the video, especially the basketball hoop which is my personal favourite.
I enjoyed your discussion of the demo too. It is always a treat to hear where a song started out. This one in particular made me realise how much I like the drums on the final version.
Keep ‘em coming. Can’t wait for the next one!
The list was enlightening. Turns out I'd misread no. 12 and had my Cornish pastry snacks mixed up with something else ...
Oh my God. I actually did the same thing! 😂
12 could have been a, rightfully, shelved advert for Ginsters pasties
You know, at this point, I think I've memorized that guitar solo more than the actual lyrics. Like, I can vocalize that guitar solo more than the first verse. This is just another way of me saying, thank god you kept it in! I don't know what else I would have been singing back at you circa 2014.
I’ve only been able to watch the video all the way through once because I couldn’t stop cringing at everything. Just a little too much for my sensitive nature.
Digging the 60s garage band feel of the demo.
I haven't ever watched it all the way through!
Nah, the Tom Savini course would have been a waste! Your acting and the DIY spatter-fest mystery props guy came up with is way funnier 👏 Would also say it's one of my all time favourites
I thought this was going to be "Dumb Luck" by Los Campesinos.
I’ve just been thinking about what Keith said about Dumb Luck being a big track on this record but being out of step with the general vibe and I think it’s a really good observation. I love it but it’s always felt like something of an outlier. Honestly, I think part of what I love about this album is that it feels very coherent in terms of its sound but it’s also quite hard to quantify.
Nice
Been listening to Dumb Luck so often over the past six months, walking round Larkhall Park in South London. The solo into the intense drum riff is phenomenal. Next time you're down you should come visit the park - it has regular reggae festivals, an air ambulance flew in the other week, and third thing. Also Keith owes me a pint from when we played Articulate at a hotel bar in Bath in around 2014 and there's a lot of great pubs to choose from
Wait, were you in the lobby with a post-wedding party? Keith Carne and I always talk about the time we came into our hotel from a show somewhere in the UK and just casually insinuated ourselves into a wedding reception. We probably owe everyone there a pint….