Scenes We'd Like to Forget

Most videos cling for dear life to conformity — and every once in a while a clip strolls by so dense with cliché that it takes one's breath away. Examples:
· Poison ''Ride the Wind.'' Pop-metal megaband, with close-ups that include snarling boys shoving fists at the camera and striking empty poses of triumph. One odd twist: A band member slams a hotel wall with his guitar. What — did they think smashing a TV was too obvious?
· The Wooten Brothers ''Tell Me.'' This smarmy R&B group may be new, but they've already managed to epitomize every adult-pop video cliché, including glossy L.A. Law — style clothes, billowing drapes, and satin sheets. The whole thing looks like a Bloomingdale's ad.
· L.A. Posse ''Countdown.'' Rote rap, much like rote metal except that the mandatory smoke comes from street fumes instead of dry ice machines. And the curvy babes don't just writhe: They also — sort of — dance.
· Daniel Ash ''This Love.'' Ash revels in the gloom favored by British "alternative" acts, with death-affirming sunglasses, shock-treatment hair, and a glum scowl. There's also a woman, but her self-consciously blank expression and mockingly stiff movements tip you off: This babe went to art school.