Sound And Vision: Lloyd Kaufman
In the article series Sound and Vision we take a look at music videos from notable directors. This week we look at Entombed's Seeing Red, directed by Lloyd Kaufman.
Lloyd Kaufman is the big brain behind cheap budget genre studio Troma, a horror comedy studios and distribution label that caters to lovers of gory, silly and trashy movies. He is currently in the zeitgeist, with him releasing a new book, one of his protegés having the Superhero-movie of the summer (James Gunn's Superman), an upcoming re-edit of his own two Toxic Avenger sequels, the 4k-release of Sgt. Kabukiman NYPD, and a bigger budget remake of his original Toxic Avenger movie. It might be time to pay attention to him in the Sound and Vision. Lloyd Kaufman made a few music videos according to IMDB, but some of them I couldn't verify and some were nothing more than a re-edit of his own films.
He is the world's best salesman and his best merchandise is himself. That is why he is front and center of Chaz Kangas and Extra Cool's Lloyd K (that re-edit I briefly mentioned earlier), a hip-hop-video chock full of references to Troma studios and Kaufman's creations. He is also a big part of the most original music video he directed (in that it is only 20% pre-existing footage) for Entombed's Seeing Red (see below).
In the music video a half-filled theater is showing Citizen Toxie: The Toxic Avenger IV, of which this was the credit track. That the theater is only-half filled might be budgetary, but it is also fitting for the grindhouse quality of these movies. It is also an excuse to fill the entire audience with women, who give a sapphic make-out show to the decidedly male gaze, when the film breaks down.
It is to show the 'qualities' of a Troma-like film, in that there is no logic, rhyme or reason to any of it. Sure, Lloyd Kaufman, as the projectionist himself, fucks up the film screening, so what to do? Let's make out while looking at a camera that isn't supposed to be acknowledged. Let's splice in film clips from a film that isn't running anymore. Why not suddenly introduce the band on the stage, like they were always there? That it is all in considerably bad taste and cheap looking is pretty much the point, and Lloyd Kaufman knows this. This isn't a quality music video, and it is certainly quite misogynist, but it is also very Troma, and it knows its audience. That might be worth at least something.
