Every week, we dig in the archives for videos that we find noteworthy, memorable, or just unbelievably stupid. And then, Jon McMillan breaks ‘em down for you. Why Video Hangover? Because when you watch as many videos as we do, you’re going to feel it afterwards.
“The Barry Williams Show”
Peter Gabriel, 2002
Peter Gabriel enlists Sean Penn, Greg Brady, and Shooter McGavin to help make a Jerry Springer parody. What could possibly go wrong?
After seeing how talk shows exploit the stupid and the desperate, Peter and his monkey were both shocked
What the hell happened to Peter Gabriel? It’s always nice to see older artists taking risks, but this whole “I’m the evil ringmaster” role strikes me as a career low point — at least from a facial-hair perspective. Is that goatee for real, or do you think he grew it special for the video? I stopped paying attention after “Big Time,” so maybe somebody can enlighten me as to how he ended up looking like a cross between Ming the Merciless and Goat Boy’s clean-shaven uncle.
Juice by Barry, juice by Barry, Barry’s got the juice, oooh Barry!
Barry Williams is supposed to be a smarmy bastard, and nobody does smarm like Christopher McDonald. Think the boorish husband in Thelma & Louise, or Shooter McGavin in Happy Gilmore (I haven’t seen American Pie: The Naked Mile, but I assume he gave an Oscar-worth performance as Stifler’s Dad). As Barry Williams, McDonald simply reprises his role as Tappy Tibbons, the ultra-creepy motivational speaker from Requiem For A Dream.
Don’t blame Spicoli — he tried his best
Although Peter’s numbingly obvious social “criticism” doesn’t give him much to work with, director Sean Penn does an okay job here. Sure there are a few questionable video effects, and the face-warping is cheap and poorly executed, but there are some genuinely compelling moments. For starters, there’s an awful lot of blood coming out of the audience, and from some unexpected places. A belly button? A shoe? The island-in-the-blood sea finale is also better than it has any right to be, given that the blood has the color and consistency of red Kool-Aid. Penn also gets Major props for sneaking in the “real” Barry Williams (aka Greg Brady) for a cameo at the 1:34 mark.
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PG is capable of such greatness and such mediocrity. But I blame Sean penn.
UP was, what? Ten years in the making? And *this* was the single? It’s a cautionary tale about picking easy targets. If you’re shooting for the moon — even if you miss, you land among the stars; But when you set your sights this low, you’re most likely gonna shoot yourself in the foot.
This song never made any sense to me as far as Up was concerned. It sticks out like a sore thumb on the record. One of the worst examples of a song that was obviously just added so there would be a single. It’s the only low point on an otherwise engagingly dark album.
Agreed. This was a terrible choice for a first single/video. Also, a terrible choice for facial hair.
this is appalling on all fronts. close to the worst music video i’ve ever seen.
This song was by far the low-point on UP, which in my opinion was the low-point of Peter’s 40 year career. Close runner up is his horrible cover of Strawberry Fields Forever on the All This and World War Two soundtrack. Barf.
Why is Greg Brady (briefly) in the video again? I get that it’s the “Barry Williams” show, but was it just that they needed the real Barry Williams to give it the needed emotional heft? I’m really mystified. And, also, AWFUL.
Tabby Tibbons?
Up was my favourite Peter Gabriel album but I always skip this tune. :/
His last few tours have been brilliant.. technology finally caught up with Peter.. looking forward to hearing what he’s up to now!
Actually, I don’t see this song as just an obvious social comment. Maybe I’m reading too much into it but given Peter Gabriel’s penchant for psycho-depth, I actually see it as perfectly in harmony with the theme of the album, which is about birth and death and what happens in between. It not only touches the issue of integrity as we try to make our way in the world (career-wise) but it is fundamentally about the viewer, not the supposed target. “Where we give you what you really want”. It’s not about Barry Williams – it’s about YOU (i.e. us). It’s about our fascination with the disgusting and degrading. And it’s not really preaching, it’s observing – “phew – how about that!?”
What’s wrong with you people??? Have you all gone dull, compliant and mainstream?? This song (and the video) is brilliant! It just kicks the whole reality TV bullshit in the balls. True that the whole Jerry Springer, Opra etc. buzz has gone down these years, but in those days, when this album went out, it was the shit! And Peter hit it right where it hurts with the song and the video – the sick voyeuristic pleasure of mediocre TV-glued dumb masses that lost every meaning and purpose in life. The stupid Facebook and Youtube just follow in that same pattern. So, looks to me like all you commentators here just got offended and bitter, because there’s actually some truth to what Mr. Gabriel and friends did here…