The Evolutionary Art of the Music Video:
An Interview with Xaque Gruber
.Posted July 26, 2024
Tickets for the August 17 presentation are available now.
The Rock ‘N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip: Photographs by Robert Landau exhibition has set attendance records and inspired themes for Vero Beach Museum of Art classes, Summer Art Camp, Art Talks, and special lectures and presentations. On Saturday, August 17, the Museum will present The Evolutionary Art of the Music Video: Rock and Roll and Beyond, a captivating journey through the evolution of music video from the swinging sixties to the digital era.
Curated and narrated by Xaque Gruber, this program will showcase groundbreaking artistic music videos by icons like Bowie, The Beatles, Eurythmics, Bjork, Beyonce, and more. Attendees will discover the innovative cinematography, editing, and storytelling techniques that transformed music videos into a powerful form of artistic expression.
In an interview with Vero Beach Museum of Art, Gruber shares his perspective on the music video art form and reveals some surprises he has in store for the August 17 program.
VBMA—What is it about Robert Landau’s exhibition, Rock ‘N’ Roll Billboards of the Sunset Strip, that inspired you to present a complementary program on the art of the music video?
Gruber—I have wanted to host a special program about the history of music videos for some time. Over the years, I’ve hosted many events at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, including the summer film series and my own film retrospective in 2019. The timing of the Robert Landau photography exhibit was perfect, so I pitched the idea to Brady Roberts as a summer event to complement the exhibit, and he loved it. Landau’s photos span into the 1980s when MTV was at its height of popularity. Some photos in the exhibit even feature artists—The Beatles, Eurythmics, Madonna—that I’ll be playing on VBMA’s big screen in August.
VBMA—Tell us how videos transformed the music scene in the 1980s.
Gruber—Music videos are too often seen as kitsch or as a silly novelty, and they can be these things, but at their best—which is what I will be showcasing—they are so much more. They are stunning pieces of filmmaking and art. Music videos helped shape our culture—in film, TV, advertising, fine art, fashion, and music itself. Music videos also shaped my own aesthetic as a filmmaker, writer, artist, and storyteller. And, of course, the music video explosion of the 1980s completely transformed how the music industry worked. Before MTV, the “look” of most artists was secondary to their music. Older artists had to adjust accordingly to the music video revolution or risk becoming irrelevant. It was a tidal shift in popular culture.
VBMA—Is this similar to how billboards transformed the music scene of the 1960s and 70s?
Gruber—Yes. The rock and roll billboards were perhaps the original MTV! Billboards were probably the biggest way for record labels to showcase their recording artists until MTV came along in 1981.
VBMA—If you had to pick the single breakthrough music video of its time, what you’d you select? Why?
Gruber—Well, the answer to this question is really in each of the 20 music videos I will be playing at VBMA in August. Each one is revolutionary in its way. For example, Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” was groundbreaking for 1965 as music videos were rarely created in the first place at that time, especially conceptual ones. In this video, Dylan used the lyrics in a clever, humorous visual way. Other videos I’ll be showcasing were groundbreaking in technical ways. You’ll see gorgeous cinematography that had never been done before in videos by Duran Duran, LL Cool J, Orbital, R.E.M., Pulp, and Madonna. Cutting-edge animation in videos by a-Ha, Peter Gabriel, Enya, Bjork, and The Beatles. Brilliant choreography in videos by Kate Bush, Fatboy Slim, and Beyonce. Genius editing of old clips of the TV show “Happy Days” with the band Weezer in their “Buddy Holly” video. And stunning performance art acting by Bowie, Annie Lennox/Eurythmics, and Grace Jones. Collectively and individually, these music videos raised the bar by bringing it to the level of “art” so it’s only appropriate to showcase these in an art museum.
VBMA—What can attendees to the Evolutionary Art of the Music Video expect from your lecture?
Gruber—For one, they’ll see music videos in a new way. How often do we see music videos anymore, let alone in a theatre on a big screen in a formal presentation hosted by someone who has directed them? And I’ll introduce each video in a different costume—because as each video changes, so should I. You’ll learn fascinating tidbits about how each video was made. In two hours, we’ll experience the evolution of music videos from primitive, handmade early ones to high-tech digital masterpieces. Lovers of music, filmmaking, and animation will be in for a rare treat. You’ll see classic favorites as well as many you’ve never seen or heard of before.
VBMA—Do you have a favorite music video? If so, which one?
Gruber—Oooh, too many to choose one. I tell my art students that my favorite color changes every day, and so does my favorite music video. Hahahaha. Let’s just say that ALL of the videos I will be showing on Saturday, August 17th, are very near and dear to my heart. Hope to see you there!
To purchase tickets for The Evolutionary Art of the Music Video: Rock and Roll and Beyond, visit https://www.vbmuseum.org/upcoming-events-lectures-seminars/.
