If you’re a complete music obsessive like me (and if you’re reading Joyzine, that’s 99.9 per cent likely) then you probably also enjoy learning more about the artists you listen to, and maybe about all the related things that go with music – concerts, how bands cope on the road, etc etc. So Music Video Mischief, as both a music obsessive and a general bookworm type (and when music and books come together that’s like the icing on the cake for me), caught my attention. It’s a book written by Nigel Dick, who is one of the world’s leading music video directors.
The book is part autobiography, part music-video-related anecdotes. We learn about Nigel’s path towards a music-oriented career – busking, being a motorcycle messenger, becoming a press officer for Stiff Records, before later moving to Phonogram Records. You get to read as his music career develops from the more menial jobs and gradually becomes more involved until he ends up as a video director, which becomes his niche.
What I found particularly interesting about Nigel’s story was how non-linear his career was. He didn’t start out with some grand plan to become one of the world’s leading music video directors; instead, his career developed through a series of different jobs and opportunities. From busking and working as a motorcycle messenger to working for record labels and eventually directing hundreds of music videos, it’s quite an impressive journey. I found this inspiring, particularly because Nigel tells his story in a very humble way rather than it feeling like he’s simply listing his achievements and saying, “Look at how successful I am.”
Of course, there are also plenty of stories about the artists he worked with, including big hitters like Celine Dion, Britney Spears, Ozzy Osbourne, Nickelback and many more. He writes from the start that the stories he has shared are not necessarily 100 per cent factual, but are how he remembers them, so he admits it’s entirely possible some stories may have unwittingly got a little extra added to them. I can quite imagine that working with so many people over such a long career, memories may get a little muddled.
I won’t tell you all of his stories, as that would rather defeat the object of you reading the book yourself, but there were definitely some interesting little insights into artists I thought I knew. My impression of Celine Dion, for example, has changed a little. She comes across as much more down to earth and cheeky than I might have expected, and I think the assumption with someone of her level of fame could easily be that she might be a bit of a diva.
My impression of Oasis, however, has not changed in the slightest. Put it this way: I detest Oasis. There’s a particularly entertaining story around the making of the video for ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, where Nigel was brought in to get the video made very quickly. He had ideas involving a Beatles-inspired feel, an English setting, a cab, a mansion and even Patrick Macnee from The Avengers. The band, however, apparently weren’t particularly interested in any of this, and Noel Gallagher was far from impressed with the finished result. Let’s just say that his opinion of the video was somewhat less diplomatic than mine probably would have been.
There are also plenty of those little facts that make you look at familiar music videos in a slightly different way. One that particularly stood out to me was finding out that Britney Spears herself came up with the idea of the school setting and school uniform for ‘…Baby One More Time’. It’s one of those things I’d never really thought about before, but it was interesting to discover where an iconic visual idea actually came from.
And that’s perhaps what I enjoyed about Music Video Mischief most. I’ve obviously always noticed music videos, especially the ones that really stand out, but I’d never really thought that deeply about everything that goes into making them. Reading Nigel’s stories gives you an insight into the people, decisions, logistics and sheer unpredictability behind something that, as a viewer, you normally just see as a finished three- or four-minute video.
There are stories of things going right, things going spectacularly wrong, egos, last-minute decisions and all the strange situations that can apparently occur when you put musicians, record labels, managers, directors and enormous budgets together. But underneath all of that is Nigel’s own story and the journey that got him there, which for me was the most interesting part.
Music Video Mischief is therefore a fascinating read for music obsessives who enjoy getting behind the scenes of the music industry. Whether you’re particularly interested in music videos or, like me, simply enjoy finding out more about the people and stories behind the music you love, there’s plenty here to keep you turning the pages.
And if nothing else, it may make you watch a few familiar music videos and wonder just what the hell was going on behind the camera.
Music Video Mischief is out now and you can buy it here
Website: Nigel Dick
Review by Hayley Foster da Silva
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