When most people hear this song they don't know the title of it or who sings it. All people know of this song is the repeating lyric "let's do it like they do it on the Discovery channel." So who is the Bloodhound Gang? They are a alternative/rap/comedy rock group know for primarily only this song. Bloodhound Gang's videos are unusual in content, and this is no exception. The setting takes place in Paris, the City of Love. The video starts out with the group dressed as monkeys. The gang members are not only dressed as monkeys but acting the part.
The gang sings about doing it like they do on the discovery chanel. The song is very primative and primal. The monkeys first capture four models walking down the street and ambush them with blowdarts while hiding in a bush. They then go on to capture three chefs buy using meat on a stick. Two gay frenchmen are then captured; but this wasn't shown in the censored version. The monkeys then go on to capture a midget mime using a net. All of the captured people are thrown into a cage. The monkeys seem to be mocking the people in the cage. This seems ironic because it is the opposite of what happens normally at zoo's. At zoo's people look in and taunt the animals, but in the video it is opposite. The monkeys then let the people out of the cage to dance. All of the people look forced while dancing, but then the mime brakes away and is chased by one of the band members in a car and run over. The way that the people are treated in this video is the same way that animals are treated at zoo's. If an animal escapes people chase the animal and kill it if they need to. This video seems to be arguing the primative nature of humans and how we can't escape our primative animal nature.
Common themes in this video include conformity and mammal instincts. The humans show conformity by dancing for the monkey's at the end. When the mime escapes you see him hit by a car driven by a monkey resembling the behavior of humans toward animals. This is important to the song because a monkey is a mammal. The cage can symbolize many peoples lives because many people live there life trapped by school, or work. The monkey's are living and acting primative but seem to have escaped conformity that seems to cling to people. Paris is a very traditional city and monkeys roming the streets doesn't seem to fit when we think of paris.
Why is the song called the bad touch? Why are monkeys chosen to represent the animals depicted in the video? How would it be different if a female group sang this song?
If you want to learn more about the Bloodhound Gang and this album click the link below.
http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Bloodhound-Gang-Biography/E2A5C70842CFA804482568C700098CB3
Not only is this video just absolutely ridiculous and funny, but the irony is great. The simple fact that the Bloodhound Gang is acting as monkeys is so ironic especially considering that throughout the course of the video the "monkeys" are the ones going around locking everyone else up in cages. I agree that this video is primitive and the visuals actually go along easily with the song. The chorus talks about mammals and in the video the Gang are relating themselves (humans) directly to monkeys (mammal). We are not that different from monkeys I suppose the Bloodhound Gang is trying to convey.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with the "The way that the people are treated in this video is the same way that animals are treated at zoo's". I didn't really grasp the video as well as you did at first but that part of the video really brought it together for me. It also helped me understand the last event of the video where the little person/"animal" got hit by the car.
ReplyDeleteI like this song very much and its funny because when you listen to the lyrics and then you see the music video they are very different. how the lyrics are talking about sexual things and then the music video has these monkeys going around being bad and taking and locking people up. I have to agree with the part that humans cant escape their primal instincts and i feel like thats exactly what is happening in the video
ReplyDeleteThe part of this video that really struck me was at the end where the mime got hit and the monkey that was driving the car just looked out his window and shook his head and drove away. I feel like this is exactly what humans tend to do if they hit an animal while driving. They act like it is not a big deal and keep on going with their day. It's just really ironic and interesting to see human roles and animal roles reversing. I've heard this song before but I have never seen the video but I can say that I definitely did not picture the video playing out like it did!
ReplyDeleteAfter watching this video I have so many questions... why is it placed in paris? What is the effect of the mime, chefs and two men? Maybe the monkeys are used because they are supposed to be closely related to humans? Maybe monkeys actions are closely related to most of our actions. I can't imagine a female group doing this song because men are supposed to be the more primitive ones who are obsessed with sex, from what I've seen though the media. Women aren't typically as demanding and blunt in other music videos.
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ReplyDeleteI'm convinced that the whole idea of this music video is based on satire. There are a number of ways that prove this. First, the choice of the band members to be dressed as monkeys to symbolize men's actions and (what the lyrics entail) sex. Second, the setting of Paris (The City of Love) because the song or video obviously does not care for love whatsoever. And finally, the witty uses of brand name products and other well-known media (i.e. Prince, Waffle House, Discovery Channel, X-Files, etc.)
ReplyDeleteI think that when the mim breaks away it represents people who don't do along with the norms of society. Like you said the people looked forced while dancing which could represent all the strict rules of society and how we are forced to follow these rules. If you break these rules you are looked at as strange/not normal.
ReplyDeleteThe music video is interesting. There is a huge binary between the monkeys and people in the street. The monkeys are playful and lively, while people in the music video seem to be boring and tedious as well as manipulating like robots. Human are evolved from primitive mammals and become high-intelligent creature, but lose the freedom caused by the social and cultural norms and restrictions. The cage represents the society and we actually live in cage all the time, which make us cannot think and act freely.
ReplyDeleteI think this music video is tend to make a crack on what human beings have done to animals. The gang members all wear and acts like money. They catch people walk on the street and make them locked in a catch. That scene is very similar to what we have done to animals in the zoo. The gang members also watches and plays with people in the cadge. Near the end of the video, all the captured people seems dance together as be controlled by something. It is like the circus, where human makes animals do what they want to do.
ReplyDeleteI think this video is really strange. I don't understand why the song is titled the bad touch, but it doesn't seem to fit with the message of the video. I think the paris scene fits very well to an urban jungle. I think that the mime has to deal with people who rebel against what society tends to push us towards and crushes at the end because one person cannot stand up to a mass by themselves.
ReplyDeleteI feel like the group chose monkeys to represent all animals because monkeys are most like hum as in real life. Its quite interesting how they took the concept "discovery channel" and it the song made it sexual, then went a whole new way with it in the video. I would agree that the mime probably represents a rebel of a society is is going against the norms of everyone else.
ReplyDeleteThis video was entertaining to watch. It captured the entirety of my perception of Paris. The video in conjunction with the lyrics blatantly address the issues of human desires. For example the chefs and the croissant, the monkeys and the attractive females.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the mime concept and my opinion about why the song is called bad touch? Well, for the most part everyone was saying how strange it was. For me, it kind of "rubbed me the wrong way" so it could possibly have some significance of how people's first reaction to this video would be? Not sure about it either, but that was just a thought.
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ReplyDeleteI found the mime running at the end interesting. It's like he's portraying a wild animal running away from being captive. The monkey guy hitting him and running is close to how humans treat wild animals. When a wild animal is lose we chase them and tranquilize (or in this case kill) them. Perhaps the monkey thinks humans kill them and walk away emotionless.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the mime representing an animal. He's running like a wild animal escaping a hunter. Then once the monkey in the car runs him over, he just keeps on driving. It's like a hunter who kills for fun.
ReplyDeleteI think that the way the monkeys were treating the humans was suppose to show how humans typically treat animals. I don't really understand why the song is called bad touch. I also think that the mime does represent people who are different and go against the "norm".
ReplyDeleteThis video obviously shows a role reversal between humans and monkeys at a place like a zoo. It shows the whole capture and conform cycle. Capturing the girls, chefs, French men, and the midget then how the conform to do what their captures want. This video is hinting to the human race, showing us that we would not like to be put on display for other animals/beings, so why should we be keeping animals locked up with in this nature. by Michael Gans
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