Poetry of Motion
by Patrick Alexander 2004

I like farting; farting’s good.
I fart throughout the neighbourhood.
Each family waits on the grass
And cheers my farting as I pass.
The kids run up and ask for more:
“O farting man, whom we adore,
“Come in and fart our house to bits.”
“Fart off,” I tell the little shits.

Video created for a competition for my favourite band, They Might Be Giants. I made it in about two and a half to three weeks — from sketching ideas, to gathering materials, to constructing models and such, to filming, to editing and rendering. As you can see, I’ve extended the art-project-ness of it by creating some ‘promotional images’ as well. They are large and wallpaper-able.

The video was created with the generous help of my friend Rebecca Clements, who also took the photo below…

The gallery below includes the promotional images, plus three choice screenshots from the video (in full HD), and nine ‘behind the scenes’ sort of photos I took in a half-arsed attempt to document my process. It involved lots of paint, blu-tac, double-sided tape, and bits of coloured cellophane.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Made by Rebecca Clements and me, Patrick Alexander. This is our tribute to Michael Jackson; I think it is the best tribute.

Thanks to Jake, Komala and Wander.

Originally added to YouTube 21/8/2009.

My application video, to be a host on the national broadcaster’s new kids’ channel, ABC3. It had to have a ’3′ in it, if you’re wondering what that’s all about.

I didn’t hear back, so, this application was NOT SUCCESSFUL. I know! Unbelievable.

Thanks to Doug Bayne for camera-doing and good advice.

Extra special thanks to SACKS COFFEE ROASTERS, for letting us take over a corner of the café for a few hours. It is a good café; please visit it and tell them we sent you: 343 King St, Newtown (Sydney).

http://www.sackscoffee.com.au/

Music:

• Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass – Little Spanish Flea
• Capsule – キャンディー キューティー (Candy Cutie)
• Angelo Badalamenti – Laura Palmer’s Theme (Instrumental) (from Twin Peaks)
• Naofumi Hataya – Guitar Showdown (from Space Channel 5 part 2)

Originally added to YouTube 12/12/2007.

I filmed this months ago, in summer. I suffered many mosquito bites. For you, I suffered.

Basically, I had this video in my head, so I went and made it. I really like it.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Originally added to my YouTube channel 29/11/2007; later removed “due to a copyright claim by WMG.” Now it is here, for everyone’s bewilderment, once again.

Originally added to YouTube 28/8/2007.

More than any other song in history, ‘Why Did You Grow A Beard?’ by They Might Be Giants best captures that most animal of human emotions: RAGE.

This is a scientific fact and not open for discussion.

This song appears on Cast Your Pod to the Wind, a bonus disc that came with The Else, that is also available on iTunes apparently!