Looks and Money

"Looks and Money"
Single by Self
from the EP Super Fake Nice
ReleasedNovember 28, 2011 (2011-11-28)
Recorded2007–2010
Genre
Length2:14
LabelEl Camino Media
SongwriterMatt Mahaffey
ProducerMatt Mahaffey
Self singles chronology
"Could You Love Me Now?"
(2010) 		"Looks and Money"
(2011) 		"Runaway"
(2014)
Music video
"Looks and Money" on YouTube

"Looks and Money" is a song by the American pop rock band Self, released on November 28, 2011. Originally released independently, it was later distributed by El Camino Media. It was the first single released for the band's third extended play Super Fake Nice, a music video for "Looks and Money" featuring Mary Lynn Rajskub and Dave Foley was later released in 2015 on the American comedy website Funny or Die.

Background

In 2001, the American pop rock band Self announced that they had begun recording their fifth studio album, Ornament & Crime, slated for a summer release.[1] Self had completed Ornament & Crime around 2004.[2] However, before its release, their label, DreamWorks Records ceased operations and was absorbed into Universal Music Group.[3] As a result of the restructuring, Self was dropped from the label, and the album remained unreleased for several years,[4] this was followed by the death of Self's bassist Mike Mahaffey in 2005,[5] leading the band into an indefinite hiatus.[4]

In early January 2007, frontman Matt Mahaffey revealed via Myspace that Self had begun recording new music, which would serve as the band’s next full-length studio album.[6] In 2008, Mahaffey showcased two rough demos which were aired on the LGBTQ radio channel OutQ's Derek and Romaine show: "Orchid" and "Monogamy".[7] Over the next several years, several more songs would be released online to tease the upcoming album.[8]

Release

Self independently released "Looks and Money" on November 28, 2011, available on Amazon Music,[9] and for purchase on iTunes, additionally being featured on the American actress Mary Lynn Rajskub's online comedy series.[10] "Looks and Money" was later released on Self's third extended play Super Fake Nice on July 29, 2014.[11] A music video directed by Dave Foley was released on March 5, 2015,[12] it features Rajskub giving Foley's character a "private dance in his stuffed-animal-filled lair,"[13] and premiered on the American comedy website Funny or Die.[14] Mahaffey does not make an appearance in the music video.[15]

On September 17, 2014, Mahaffey performed "Looks and Money" live for Nashville Scene's "Live in the Morgue" with his daughter Ahna, the performance was later uploaded to the Nashville Scene's YouTube channel.[16] Mahaffey additionally performed the song for Self's Daytrotter session on March 25, 2015.[17]

Reception

Christopher Anthony of The Fire Note called "Looks and Money" a “sharp” and “stylistic” song, praising its laid back approach compared to the EP’s opener "Runaway".[11] Lyndsey Parker of Yahoo News called the music video "nothing less than pure comedy gold," and commenting that Mahaffey had "outdone" himself since their previous music video.[13] Patrick Rodgers of Nashville Scene highlighted the fact that despite Mahaffey not making an appearance in the music video, "it's just as well — the true star here is Rajskub's strangely lascivious dance moves," encouraging fans to rate the video positively on Funny or Die.[15] "Looks and Money" was later ranked as one of Nashville Scene's top music videos of 2015.[18]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the EP's liner notes.[19]

References

  1. ^ Mailman, Craig (March 10, 2001). "Self announces new album, web site". Soluble Sound. Archived from the original on April 10, 2001. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  2. ^ Heisel, Scott (August 27, 2014). ""We never broke up, but we got burned out"—Matt Mahaffey on the return of Self". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2024.
  3. ^ Newman, Melinda (January 24, 2004). "DreamWorks Keeps A&R Staff". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 4. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 5. ISSN 0006-2510.
  4. ^ a b Besecker, Gabe (December 11, 2023). "sElf-Indulgent: A Retrospective on the Band That Started Matt Mahaffey's Career". Woof Magazine. Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2025.
  5. ^ Ridley, Jim (June 2, 2005). "Mike Mahaffey, 1967-2005". Nashville Scene. Archived from the original on April 13, 2025. Retrieved January 6, 2026.
  6. ^ heyrevolver (January 16, 2007). "New Self Record In The Works". Silent Uproar. Retrieved January 7, 2026.
  7. ^ Hartley, Derek; Patterson, Romaine (September 17, 2008). Matt Mahaffey "Upcoming Record" Interview (YouTube video). OutQ. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  8. ^ Trageser, Stephen (December 27, 2012). "Leaders of the onetime Murfreesboro indie boom, Self, dip a toe into the 21st century". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  9. ^ "Self – "Looks and Money"". We Own This Town. November 30, 2011. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  10. ^ "[LISTEN] SELF - "LOOKS AND MONEY"". Some Kind of Awesome. December 1, 2011. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  11. ^ a b Anthony, Christopher (August 12, 2014). "sElf: Super Fake Nice [Album Review]". The Fire Note. Archived from the original on December 1, 2021. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  12. ^ Obenschain, Philip (March 12, 2015). "sElf Premiere "Looks & Money" Video". No Country For New Nashville. Retrieved December 4, 2025.
  13. ^ a b Parker, Lyndsey (March 7, 2015). "Mary Lynn Rajskub Gives Dave Foley the Most Bizarre Private Dance Ever in Self's 'Looks and Money' Video". Yahoo!. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  14. ^ "sElf ' "Looks & Money" with Dave Foley and Mary Lynn Rajskub". Funny or Die. February 28, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2026.
  15. ^ a b Rodgers, Patrick (March 3, 2015). "Dave Foley and Mary Lynn Rajskub Go Full-Creep in Self's 'Looks and Money' [Fresh Vid]". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  16. ^ Rodgers, Patrick (September 17, 2014). "Live in the Morgue: Self, 'Looks and Money'". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  17. ^ "sElf - Daytrotter Session". Paste. March 25, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  18. ^ Rodgers, Patrick (December 31, 2015). "The 32 Best Local Music Videos of 2015". Nashville Scene. Retrieved March 25, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Super Fake Nice (Media notes). Self. El Camino Media. 2014.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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