Best Music/Sport Videos of 2007

Only true maestros are able to master and connect two completely separate genres; be it in literature, cinema or modern dance, only true maestros can do it. This year we here at Rory and Craig are paying tribute to true music maestros who were able to infuse their work with the kinetic drama that is sport.

Can a music video feature a sport that has nothing to do with the song? We are willing to offer a resounding yes. Here are our top five picks for 2007.

Our grading system is based on three criteria: (1) sportsmanship (2) representation of sports (3) the video must have been viewed at least once in 2007.

5. Tom Petty - Free Fallin'.

Before this song was synonymous with Tom Cruises' moment of rebirth in the movie Jerry Maguire (a sports agent movie, we should point out), the song's video contained a representation of sports.

The first half of the video is a proverbial snore, but once we see that half pipe, we're in sports heaven. Neon clad teens give us insight into the fact that hindsight is 20/20. Back then skateboarding may have just been a fad, but these kids, pulling cliff side aerials, paint a vivid portrait of the billion dollar sports info-tainment industry that skateboarding has since become.



4. Hootie and the Blowfish - Only Wanna Be With You

Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports, Sports. That's what's in this video. Where do we begin? How about the fact that the video starts with Sportcenter anchors Keith Olberman (now a serious journalist) and Dan 'En Fuego' Patrick talking about how bad Hootie are at sports. What follows is a barrage of sports ladened shenanigans perpetrated by the Blowfish. Kudos. Dan Marino is tossin' some passes, to no avail; lead singer Darius 'Butterfinger' Rucker drops the ball as he thinks about playing more golf.



3. New Edition - Cool It Now

This video focuses on the eternal battle that all adolescents face: pro sports vs. pro creation. A crisp skip pass to an easy lay up is how this one begins. Great fundamentals. But sportsmanship quickly loses out as hot dogging (Bobby Brown's dunk) leads to skirt chasing (sunset walk anyone?). Basketball is completely disrespected, as puppy dog love shows it vicious teeth. The only reason we picked this as a sports video is the athletic merit of Ralph's continuous hand gestures as he sings. Come on boys...Cool It Now.



2. Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days

I had a friend who was a big baseball player, back in high school...and his name was Bruce Springsteen. Baseball takes center stage here, and reminds us why we love sports: because it distracts us from the harsh reality of our brain-deadening 9 to 5 world and allows us to project our broken dreams onto our children, giving them a false sense of hope, before they too are sucked into the machine.



1. Dire Straits - Walk of Life

This video has it all. The ups, the downs, the pomp, the circumstance, and Mark Knopfler. Just watch and enjoy.




Bonus Video: Fantastic 5 and Cold Crush Brothers - Basketball Rap.

This clip from the movie Wild Style doesn't qualify as a music video, but they sure know how to talk trash on the courts (in rap form). Keep in mind that towards the end they are playing and rapping at the same time. Hell Yeah.



HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Funemployment Episode 4

Rory and Craig are out of jobs again. But don't worry, rather than search Craigslist for new positions, they produce a daytime talk show to help you in your job search.

Enjoy two new segments: Resume Roundup and Craig's Craft Corner.

With Special guest Jim Sneider.

Click pic below.



Check out the other episodes of Funemployment here.

French Class

Improv titan Will Hines recently asked me and a bunch of UCB performers to appear in a short spec promo for the upcoming Adult Swim show Fat Guy Stuck in Internet. I'm only in the spot for about .0034 seconds, but I figured it was worth posting. It's a parody of this scene from the movie Breathless. Enjoy.

Pro Crastinators

We were in a new sketch on mtvU's Freshman this week. This is similar to what Rory and I were like in college (for instance I always buttoned the top button of my shirt). It starts about 35 seconds into the clip.

Click the picture below.



Other names that would fit the sketch are: Study Buddy Huddy Duddy or The Silly Study Situation.