TTAG reader BE notes:

Gotta love the hipster checklist:

Less bangable (as if possible) clone of Janeane Garofalo? Check!
Crappy two-chord guitar work? Check!
Weak chorus? Check!
Hipster glasses? Check!
Hipster derby hat? Check!
Beta male hipsters with ironic old-timey beards in the background? Check!
Cheesy symbolism that an eighth grader could whip up? Check!

All we need now is a MacBook and a messenger bag for this video to be even more cliche.

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98 COMMENTS

  1. Try the Wolfe Tones or the Irish Brigade; better message and more gun talk. Like “My Little Armalite.”

  2. Being a gun owner, a bass player and someone who can hear, I found that video to be highly offensive.

  3. Wow kudos to those that made it all the way through the video i only made it 20 seconds before i started uncontrollably vomiting.

  4. I only watched this on silent but it seemed to look like my last 4 or 5 birthdays And there’s nothing anti gun about those.

  5. Wow. That is so sad; so wrong on so many levels. And its such a shame, too, that the tune is so hauntingly beautiful, and I think so much better suited for *our* situation, than that of the damned anti-gunners.

    At one point, I had a vision of people, regular gun-owning folks, walking across the field towards the band, guns in hand, in safe positions, and, as they neared them, turned the handles and stocks to offer them, and they were received by the band, and the gun-owners stood side-by-side with the band members, showing them their firearms, what they were about, how to handle them safely.

    That would have made me happy.

    Phil

  8. Well thank goodness the ammunition in the Pinata didn’t have primers! Someone could have gotten hurt!

    • I was going to say, I want to know where I can buy a pinata like that, just so I can get it and harvest its contents.

  9. I watched with sound muted and thought “cool party and lucky little sh!t”. Then I listened and was very disappointed he didn’t shoot the band or at least the fat chick.

  10. What a stupid song.
    On the other hand, awesome birthday present – and a pinata loaded with ammo? Thanks for the idea! Obviously without shooting it; that would be a waste. <an example of the depth between us and them…

  12. From a purely musical and non-political perspective, that song is garbage. Source: 15 years of piano lessons. Learn some more chords hippies.

  15. this song…and its message mean about as much as any song on top 40…not that this one would even be on the top 1000

    • At least on the Top 40 you are likely to see Miley naked. This particular piece of crap has even less redeeming value.

  16. Nothing gets me ready to fight for gun control like a singer who sounds like she’s falling asleep.

    • I just threw my entire gun collection into a bonfire, THANKS TO THIS VIDEO!

      And, I don’t see the Garafalo look there, but she could be a chubby Giffords.

      • That could be a great band name: the Chubby Giffords.

        This chick may dream of being the second coming of Janeane Garofalo, but that’s where the resemblance ends. Garofalo is a heck of a lot easier on the eyes, for one thing.

  17. I hate to say this, but what if shooting became the next hipster trend?

    No, seriously – what’s more countercultural right now than being a firearms owner? So what better way to prove your hipster credentials than if you started your own gun club?

    Suddenly, the range would be awash with hipsters shooting obscure caliber guns for their ‘retro’ flavor. Like Makarovs (hipster, retro, AND commie!) or single-action revolvers. Gun shows will be flooded with ‘artisinal’ ammo loads, made only with locally cast lead. Leather holsters made from grass-fed, organic cows.

    • It’s probably already happening some. I’ve run into hipsters behind the counter at a Starbucks within a Barnes and Nobles who saw my stack of gun magazines and they got all pumped because each of them (2 women and 1 guy) had recently purchased Moisins. They were really digging the recoil therapy.

      As much as I roll my eyes (like the fathers of most of my shooting buddies likely did 40 years ago when we began shooting) at them, I’d welcome the new blood.

  19. I really thing the root cause is a complete – and foundational – lack of knowledge of Colonial and American history. I know it isn’t all that sexy, but it’s sort of, well, important. The ones who have lost their way are those who clamor for the state to provide all they need – jobs, health care, safety, a future… We were once such an industrious and self-reliant people. I think we probably still are, but it is certainly overshadowed by other images and memes.

    Good images in the video, though, of an America I still somewhat recognize while traveling. It is out there, but hard to see from 35,000 feet.

  21. As the man said, “Don’t give up your day jobs.”…if in fact, they do have day jobs.

    I wonder if these mujicians know the difference between satire and propaganda?
    Maybe the Agitpropateers will be making their next hit video in Chicago or Detroit?
    A nice cutesy ditty about the black on black murder rates could be a Top 40 hit.

    • Fortunately, the only way they could shoot music videos, other than gangsta rap, in Chicago or Detroit would be if they had armed security. Since that isn’t going to happen I think we have no worries about that.

  23. I didn’t watch it. I don’t watch Nancy Grace either. Or that Brit douchebag Pierced Organ. Or that Diane Feinstein home made porn video with Kanye West that’s been circulating on the Internet. ‘Cause I have taste.

  25. Based on key geographical features it would appear this band is from Portland, OR. I hang my head in shame knowing that these morons come from my city. Please accept my humble apologies for the idiot hipsters our city seems to export (about the only thing we’re allowed to export these days).

    • If not Portland, definitely somewhere in the Northwest. A lot of familiar scenery in that video.

      Speaking of scenery, anyone who thinks the lady in this video resembles Janeane Garofalo needs his eyes checked. I dunno what she looks like now, but back in her heyday Janeane had a real sexy-nerd thing going. I’ve always had a thing for brainy women — life is too short to waste time on stupid females. She may be on the wrong side of the gun debate, but (assuming time has been kinder to her than it has to me) I wouldn’t mind trying to change her mind…in person, over a couple bottles of wine. 🙂

      Now I’m going back to Mastodon. The Hunter will cleanse my mind of that namby-pamby hipster folk nonsense! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5RvgvvZrZg

    • Yeah, it definitely looked Northwesterny so I looked her up. She’s got a Portland, OR PO box, so that’s dead on.

      • I’ve got some close friends in the music biz. If you pass along her info I’ll make sure I razz the shit out of her next show =D

  27. Kinda looked like some folks that got lost in the ideas from the 1960’s,all that is lacking is the very long hair.Didn’t care for the lead singer girl’s hairy armpits either!Be prepared and ready.Keep your powder dry.

    • And busting open said piñata would certainly have people diving for the contents. Not the kids necessarily, but the people at the party who haven’t been able to feed their rifles properly for months.

  31. actually, my daughters (8 and almost 6) would love the video. they both want .22 pistols for their birthday and my soon-to-be 6 yr old is begging me for a range membership . . . . .

  34. Awesome epic fail.

    Yes folks, it’s come to this and this is what we’re up against.

    It might be fun to deconstruct and fisk this bit of psy-ops agitprop but frankly, I have better things to do with my time. You’d have to be pretty irrational and unhinged to work up a piece of “art” like that. The good thing it that the “People of the Gun” are living in this chick’s head rent free and it’s clearly driving her crazy. Heh.

    • I totally agree with the driving her crazy part. I had to wonder if that is how these people think of us? That we walk around with guns hanging out of back pockets, use guns to cook our food (I use guns to harvest food, but not to cook it). It really truly takes a person with a sick, twisted mind to make a video like this. I can’t imagine anyone making as terrible and distorted video showing the opposite viewpoint. Just hurts my head thinking about ths….

  35. I thought RF was being harsh and toxic until I actually played the video and… good God.

    Just… wow. Words fail me.

  36. Well, she was correct when she said that the Founding Fathers were rolling in their graves. Not for the reasons she’s thinking though…

    • Yeah, I don’t think the founders are rolling over in their graves because we still have the 2nd Amendment, which they created and believed in.

      If anything they rolling over in their graves because of the ’34 NFA, ’68 Gun Act, or the ’94 Weapons Ban…

  37. The coolness of that kids presents (AK-74!!) outweigh the shittiness of the singing
    /”music.” Or maybe that’s because I can utilize mute.

    • I don’t understand. Are you saying “first post” on a YouTube video, or just plugging your blog? I’ve seen this video in at least four places now and TTAG was the last of them to publish it.

  40. I’m going to be deeply disappointed if my next birthday party doesn’t look like that….with better music.

  41. Pretty sure we could have defeated Nazi Germany without guns if we’d been able to drop this video on them. Or that girl’s ass. It’s pretty huge.

  43. What seriously bothers me is the distinct feeling that between stuff like this and that obscenely stupid “My Month With a Gun” piece, liberal Americans see this as being not too far from satire (I’m using that term very, very loosely in to this video).

    The liberal crowd doesn’t seem to understand the difference in scale between giving a kid a .22 (to be used at a range or on a farm, after proper training and with supervision) and having a kid unwrap an AK. Yes, they’re both firearms. No, they’re not the same thing. It’s sort of like motorcycles – most intelligent parents don’t turn the keys to a Honda CBR1000R race bike over to a 16-year-old. The teenager gets to practice on a 250cc Rebel or something. I think there are plenty of people in the US who figure “Well, if you’re going to give them a gun, who cares what kind it is – you’re a monster for teaching your child how to shoot.” It demonstrates a fundamentally flawed level of perception that I can’t describe better than that, at the moment. Liberals/leftists tend to have analogous problems understanding economics – and how free markets function.

    • I think you’re spot-on, Sterling. I’d just like to edit your last sentence to: “Liberals/leftists tend to have problems understanding REALITY – and how THE REAL WORLD functions.

      Best,
      Phil

  46. pretty funny how out of touch these libtards are in their “art”. Getting torn to shreds mocked at Youtube tho which confirms that the current generation of social media savvy kids are not buying this lame- o wanna-be retro sixties hipsters. Must suck to be so bad even the former occutards mock you…

  47. two chords? pffftt.. everybody knows you need 4 chords to make a great music. check out Axis of Awesome song : 4 Chords Song

  48. Let’s assume for a minute that I agree with the gun control message trying to be portrayed here. She still sucks.

  49. I thought the video had an important message, that too many people lack secure holsters and need education on the basics of gun safety. Handing over firearms without checking if they’re loaded, not keeping the muzzle pointed in a safe direction, shooting things they can’t see, firing when you’re not sure of the backstop, etc.. You’re right, homely hipster girl with a throat full of phlegm (or is that your excellent production?) the founding fathers are rolling in their graves. I think the NRA should buy this video and rework it as a “Goofus does” video for gun safety courses.

    • Hi Joey,

      Yeah, I saw those same things, like the dancing woman with the automatic about to fall out of her back pocket. Ridiculous shit.

      Take a look at my post, above; what do you think about, as you said, the NRA co-opting this piece, with edits like the one I suggested? Showing responsible gun owners sharing what they know? Maybe not so much as a “Goofus does” but something with a more positive message?

      Best,
      Phil

  51. I’d like to buy some of the real estate depicted in that video. (nice!) Then kick out all the hipsters. That’s my America.

  53. The best part is the lone, strategically-placed African-American woman. This is very important, because it shows that these rural / semi-suburban white people (NOT the urban white people who are smart and only vote Democrat because a Green or Progressive candidate isn’t on the ticket), may be stupid, but they’re not racist. See, these “would-vote-Democrat-if-only-they-were-smart-enough” gun owners are just kind of addle-brained and spoon-fed the narrative of the evil corporate gun lobby. If only they could hear the truth, they’d join us in our gun-free coffee shops.

  54. I’m going to show this to my whole family and remind them that my birthday is just around the corner!

  55. This video also illustrates that these people have no idea about what guns, and gun laws are. Personally I wouldn’t spend $2200 on my child for his first rifle, and it wouldn’t be an AKS-74, and I think that the Beretta 92 it a little to big to pocket carry.

  56. Makes me want to shave my beard off and burn my flannel. I wish these hipsters would stop appropriating my look, trendsetter that I am.

  59. Hey.. gotta do what you can to shock people into thinking about your wet garbage talentless band that will go no where by flashing the most god awful imagery your bed wetting mind came come up with.

  61. I liked this video.

    He got an AKS-74U and a bullet filled pinata.

    That little kid was having the best birthday EVER!

  62. Erm, if these hipster wanna be losers ever did actually live in the scenery depicted, they would have been eaten by bears. Though, this vid kinda reminds me of Christmas ’63 when my brother and I got plastic Winchesters with caps and actual plastic bullets. Pity there were 3 boys for 2 guns, if think they started a war between us (which probably hasn’t ended yet). Maybe they were going for an old timey The Band vibe, but started in on the Thorium instead. I think their doctor should look at their meds. Overall this effort should be called for child abuse. Infecting children with dangerous gun handling habits is sacrilege.

  63. I love the warning on her web site about the video.

    “AMERICA” VIDEO PREMIERE
    October 1st, 2013 by raven

    Today we are premiering the official video for “America” on Vevo, directed by Whitey McConnaughy. First a viewer discretion advisory: the video is meant for mature audiences. Please go watch it, and if it provokes you, please share it with others.

    I really find the part about “mature audiences” quite ironic as I find people like this have not made it to be a fully mature adult. Proper handling and respect of a firearm requires maturity. Do find it interesting that the video has quite few real firearms in it. If a friend of mine (yes, I do have friend that dress and act this. Living in the Pacific Northwest you can’t help but have a few.) asked to use my guns in this video I would have to decline. Maybe this is the “provokes you” they are referring to because we would have to have a serious talk about guns.

  64. Normally, I never post in forums and normally as a thirty year plus musician I would give the band a “political mulligan” if the song was at least musically good – this song is so bad on so many levels both artistically and technically as to not even rise to rank amateur status. Deleted from my memory bank instantly.

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