I’m not really sure how to preface this one.
In lieu of doing something productive, I found myself wading into a YouTube k-hole the other morning and stumbled upon the clip below. Herewith a music video from 1985 by a band called — ahem — The Minstrels of the Digital Dynasty. With a moniker like that, it’s a wonder global stardom didn’t beckon.
Clearly caught up in the throes of the broad expanse of the still-burgeoning New Wave, here we see the Minstrels experimenting with the accoutrements of the day (eye liner, gratuitous sunglasses, incongruous bow ties, make-up), presumably in an attempt to push the envelope. I’ll let you decide if that worked or not. Suffice to say, it’s very of its era.
Thematically, the band strives to make an overarching point about the vacuous priorities of the “modern wasteland,” splicing images of society’s conflicts and absurdities. It's all a bit po-faced, but more celebrated bands were certainly doing similar things at the time, like Midnight Oil, The The, Gang of Four, Devo and even my beloved Killing Joke. Who can blame a struggling band for emulating same?
In any case, along the way — between the somewhat heavy-handed montage, the slightly hammy delivery and the performance clips — there are some shots of the New York City of 1985. That's what hooked me in.
I should also point out that I did a broad search for more information on this band, but came up entirely empty. I don’t know who these guys were, much less if they’re still a going concern today (I’m inclined to doubt it, but you never know). I'd be curious to hear what these guys have to say about this clip now.
In any case, here is "Human Race." Welcome back to 1985....
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