Six Degrees of Suicidal Tendencies

Updated: Instead of just tipping my hat to EPM‘s post on Suicidal Tendencies’ Institutionalized video, I decided to turn it up to 11. The vid caps above are from no less than three four different Institutionalized appearances on video: The straight video, a Beavis and Butthead appearance, a fake live appearance in a club on Miami Vice!, and the video for Institutionalized 93 – the remake. More vid caps and links to the vids after the jump.

It’s a classic in skate rock. That’s for sure. Possibly the second ever skate rock video. It’s memorable for the Pepsi cans, the generic food as seen and heard in Repo Man, Natas and others skating (Is that Steadham? Who else?), and of course Jack Nance as the father figure. Yes, that’s Davis Lynch’s favorite actor who stars in Eraserhead as well as roles in Twin Peaks, Wild at Heart and others. One of the best shots is where Nance is seen mowing a concrete lawn through the jail bars on Muir’s bedroom window. Now go see the vid.

Institutionalized is a perfect choice for Beavis and Butthead. Not much to say here except for the obligatory “heh heh huh huh heh.” It’s also a good place to post a street plant vid capture. Now go see the vid.

And now for the crowning glory, Suicidal Tendencies performing Institutionalized on Miami Vice!! WTF??? Sure, why not. I missed this one. I was aware of punk acts on TV shows like Quincy, CHiPs and WKRP but I never heard of Suicidal Tendencies on Miami Vice. The footage from this episode is priceless. Typical Hollywood 80’s interpretation of punk from an outsider looking in. Where else would you find an audience made up of 90% fashion shoot girls in high heels dancing to Suicidal Tendencies? Another staple of early S.T. shows I’m sure was the middle aged man “slam dancing” in an electric wheelchair. Because it’s a “New Wave” bar, there are assorted mannequin parts hanging from the ceiling as well as a bartender who looks like an extra who got fired from the set of The Road Warrior. Muir and company must have felt like complete assholes on the set of this show. I hope they got paid. Details are slim because the YouTube video post is dubbed in French, which makes perfect sense because this scene is so far fetched it might as well be taking place on another planet. Now go see the vid.

Whew! I wore out my fingers on this post with all the external linking. Might as well include one to the official Suicidal Tendencies site.

This just in: I found another video for Institutionalized. This one is for the 93 remake which is less inspired. The video has the same mom but dad Jack Nance has been replaced by Bobcat Goldthwait, who can be pretty funny (see Shakes The Clown) but he’s no Jack Nance. Also in the cast are a host of other B and C list comedians and some skateboarders briefly tick-tacking on a sidewalk. Skateboarding seems like an afterthought in this video compared to the first one. Oh Natas, Natas, why have you forsaken me? The video does have it’s moments, such as when they make fun of one of the cheesiest scenes in the first video where they tied a skimpy clothesline to the jail bars and pulled it off with a car. This time they actually use a decent chain and tears the bumper off the car. There is another band that covers the song and has some cartoon video that may or may not be a fan made affair, but I’m not really interested in that, and neither are you. Now go see the vid.