I mean. Yes. Here we are. There is a video for Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” that seems to have been inspired in equal part by Space Jam and the type of humour best showcased via YouTube prank accounts. Basically it’s Katy Perry playing basketball with someone who is famous for being on Glee, and the Backpack Kid. At the end of the video, Katy Perry, who spends the entire thing overacting like a theatre brat playing the Artful Dodger, does the worm, a dance move which was previously the reserve of show-off boys in your class at school. That’s what we’re dealing with here.
Now, I know that “quirky” videos are Katy Perry’s reserve. I have seen and appreciated “Last Friday Night.” But this, reader, is beyond the pale. Katy Perry’s rival basketball team are called the “Sheep” (did you know she’s woke now? Because she is, okay?), and there’s a piece of slapstick that suggests kissing is funny.
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The only saving graces are an internet famous dog (who arguably lowers himself by featuring), and Nicki Minaj, who shows up as the “halftime performer,” and absolutely definitely recorded her part – which is vintage Minaj via lots of hair swishing and a vinyl leotard – 500 miles away from Katy Perry’s actual location, considering that they’re never in the same shot and lit in totally different ways. Whatever you think of the video’s cinematic approach and attempts at humour, I don’t need an excuse to enjoy a strong Minaj cameo, so that’s what I’ll be taking away from this.
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