VMAs: 10 Other Videos that Should’ve Been Nominated for ‘Best Rock’ Category
The 2019 VMA nominations have been announced, and as expected the “Best Rock” category has blatantly ignored hard rock, heavy metal and may have a completely different definition of rock than most actual rock fans.
For those who aren’t aware, the nominees for the 2019 VMA “Best Rock” category are:
-The 1975 – “Love It If We Made It” – Dirty Hit/Interscope Records
-Fall Out Boy – “Bishops Knife Trick” – Island Records
-Imagine Dragons – “Natural” – KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records
-Lenny Kravitz – “Low” – BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.
-Panic! At The Disco – “High Hopes” – Elektra Music Group
-twenty one pilots – “My Blood” – Elektra Music Group
While the potential to rant about this list is there, let’s opt to rave about these ten other videos that should’ve been nominated for the “Best Rock” category instead. (WARNING: Some NSFW imagery and language ahead.)
Halestorm – “Do Not Disturb”
A stand-out track from Halestorm’s fourth studio album, Vicious, its video is pseudo-nod to The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Who can’t love that?!
Shinedown – “DEVIL”
The eerie, dramatic video for Shinedown’s “DEVIL” was the perfect introduction to the band’s sixth studio album Attention Attention and was one their strongest videos in years.
FEVER 333 – “One of Us”
FEVER 333’s powerful statement video for “One of Us” is everything the “Best Rock” category should be about: Rising up against oppressors and refusing to back down.
Ghost – “Dance Macabre”
The video for Ghost’s “Dance Macabre” follows two guys (one of which looks like a douchey Corey Taylor) crashing a sexy goth party. Frankly, this video has everything: A hot dance troupe in skimpy leotards, blood, but more importantly, fans see what appears to be the origin story of Papa Emeritus.
Slipknot – “All Out Life”
Speaking of Corey Taylor, Slipknot’s Halloween release of the stand-alone single “All Out Life” took Maggots by surprise as did its appropriately creepy accompanying video directed by Slipknot percussionist Shawn “Clown” Crahan.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers – “For Real”
“For Real” was a previously unreleased track off the Tom Petty career retrospective The Best of Everything. Its video was directed by Petty’s daughter, Adria Petty, and acts like a timeline of sorts showing Petty throughout his career and touching on some major highlights, including his Super Bowl halftime performance with the Heartbreakers.
The Struts – “Primadonna Like Me”
The video for The Struts’ “Primadonna Like Me” is ridiculously fun and features the band living it up in Las Vegas. As if that weren’t enough, the clip includes a cameo from Alice Cooper.
Weezer – “Can’t Knock The Hustle”
A commentary on the “gig economy,” Weezer’s video for “Can’t Knock The Hustle” stars Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz as an unfortunate rideshare driver and is basically a step-by-step account of potentially the worst passengers the world has ever seen.
A Perfect Circle – “So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish”
The video for A Perfect Circle’s “So Long, And Thank For All The Fish” is what the 1998 film Pleasantville would have looked like had its plot been about a bizarre nuclear attack and not about being transported into a wholesome 1950s sitcom. Also, let this serve as a reminder to watch Pleasantville if you’ve never seen it. Such an underrated film!
Paul McCartney – “Who Cares”
Starring Sir Paul as a Dr. Lorenz, a “behavioral hypnotist meteorologist,” and actress Emma Stone as his patient, the video for “Who Cares” is a bizarre, art-house fever dream that’s as absurd as it is visually entertaining.