Thursday, April 29, 2010
His Google Maps technique is unstoppable
Posted By Brandon Burt on April 29, 2010, 9:47 PM
Those among us who are of a certain age will remember Men Without Hats, best known for their 1980s hit "Safety Dance."
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I suppose those who call the band a one-hit wonder are correct. Still, I had this on 45 (yep, 45-rpm singles were still being released in those days) and I always thought the B-side "Living in China," was pretty good, too. It was a catchy little tune about Deng Xiaoping (yep, lefty-political-wonk songs were still being released in those days).
Anyway, blogger Guanolad has carried off an impressive feat: He's pinpointed the Wiltshire, U.K., location shots used in the "Safety Dance" video using Google Maps.
It must have taken hours. Pointless? Maybe. Obsessive? Definitely. But I'm a big fan of pointless, obsessive projects -- they are, after all, the stuff of which genius is made -- and so, I say, kudos to Guanolad!
Note: I'm not so sure the song and video are as nonsensical and "incomprehensible" as Guanolad says.
Here's my theory: "Safety Dance," released at the height of the AIDS epidemic, was about safe sex; the video, depicting a medieval May Day festival and the Maypole dance, brings to mind the bubonic plague, "Ring Around the Rosey," etc.
Happy Beltane, everybody!
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