M.I.A.'s new video BORN FREE: Is controversial always better?
So, my husband sent me a link to a new video (Born Free by M.I.A.) for a couple of reasons:
One, because he knows I have always been a huge fan of Costa-Gavras's work, and the video is, interestingly, made by Romain-Gavras, his son who is clearly a chip off the old block. In fact, this video, Born Free, is the second politically controversial video he's made, the first being a video of a song called Stress by the group, Justice. (I guess there's a lot of pissed off gang kids in France these days making Clockwork Orange look like just a bad shopping day at The Block At Orange.)
*Personal note*
Digression
I happen to love political drama. I must have seen Missing and The Music Box, and Pan's Labyrinth (made not by Costas-Gavras, but Guillermo Del Toro) about 5 times each.
I have always felt that artists and storytellers should use their talents to help contribute back to the community they live in on a global level. I know there's such a larger picture outside of our pathetic little lives that is so much more important and I don't feel we always use our talents to address the world at large. And, yet caring about how the entire planet interacts is fundamental. I digress.
And IF one is lucky enough to be born with a talent for expression with words, or music or even a paintbrush -- why not have a political opinion now and then? I know artists are rarely drawn to getting political, but they need to, sometimes.
It's so important to use one's passion for storytelling to help educate the numb, the clueless to remind us of what we need to do to keep this world a place of beauty and harmony.
Sadly, there really is bad and evil out there. Tragically, there are political movements designed to rob the world of it's goodness. I feel that artists should occasionally do whatever they can to wake us up and motivate us to create change for the better.
She stepped down from her soapbox and poured herself another cup of coffee.
Returns to the computer.
The second reason he sent this on to me is because he knows I'm still blown away by work of uber creative musician, and singer-song writer, M.I.A. I still have the same MIA mixes in car's cd player, because I keep hearing new things in her work.
And the third reason was that it was his polite way of saying "Wait a minute, you're not blogging? What gives? Get moving."
Anyhow, it didn't come to much of a surprise to discover that their new video, a collaboration of Gavras and M.I.A. was not only uniquely haunting, highly political, but also pretty shocking as well. (NSFW)
Not sure how this will play on MTV, these days. Is there still an "MTV" these days? I'm hopelessly retro, I fear.
When I first saw this, I admit that it confused me for a bit and I began to ask myself.
Why do people hate red heads so much? Did Julianne Moore get rounded up by the red police when she was a child? (Actress and author of "Freckleface Strawberry")
And more importantly, when did the Irish move to Kosovo?
All joking aside, this video is not safe for work, and very NOT safe for children. It's very violent and graphic.
M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.
And, while I don't think that musically the piece showcases M.I.A. in all her glory, her musical "soundtrack" does serve the message of the piece quite well.
What do you think?
Is this video too violent and dark to work as a music video? Apparently Britain's The Guardian, thinks so.
But, I don't know. Perhaps this is a great way to make a statement to certain demographics who might not give a crap about racial profiling, otherwise.
One, because he knows I have always been a huge fan of Costa-Gavras's work, and the video is, interestingly, made by Romain-Gavras, his son who is clearly a chip off the old block. In fact, this video, Born Free, is the second politically controversial video he's made, the first being a video of a song called Stress by the group, Justice. (I guess there's a lot of pissed off gang kids in France these days making Clockwork Orange look like just a bad shopping day at The Block At Orange.)
*Personal note*
Digression
I happen to love political drama. I must have seen Missing and The Music Box, and Pan's Labyrinth (made not by Costas-Gavras, but Guillermo Del Toro) about 5 times each.
I have always felt that artists and storytellers should use their talents to help contribute back to the community they live in on a global level. I know there's such a larger picture outside of our pathetic little lives that is so much more important and I don't feel we always use our talents to address the world at large. And, yet caring about how the entire planet interacts is fundamental. I digress.
And IF one is lucky enough to be born with a talent for expression with words, or music or even a paintbrush -- why not have a political opinion now and then? I know artists are rarely drawn to getting political, but they need to, sometimes.
It's so important to use one's passion for storytelling to help educate the numb, the clueless to remind us of what we need to do to keep this world a place of beauty and harmony.
Sadly, there really is bad and evil out there. Tragically, there are political movements designed to rob the world of it's goodness. I feel that artists should occasionally do whatever they can to wake us up and motivate us to create change for the better.
She stepped down from her soapbox and poured herself another cup of coffee.
Returns to the computer.
The second reason he sent this on to me is because he knows I'm still blown away by work of uber creative musician, and singer-song writer, M.I.A. I still have the same MIA mixes in car's cd player, because I keep hearing new things in her work.
And the third reason was that it was his polite way of saying "Wait a minute, you're not blogging? What gives? Get moving."
Anyhow, it didn't come to much of a surprise to discover that their new video, a collaboration of Gavras and M.I.A. was not only uniquely haunting, highly political, but also pretty shocking as well. (NSFW)
Not sure how this will play on MTV, these days. Is there still an "MTV" these days? I'm hopelessly retro, I fear.
When I first saw this, I admit that it confused me for a bit and I began to ask myself.
Why do people hate red heads so much? Did Julianne Moore get rounded up by the red police when she was a child? (Actress and author of "Freckleface Strawberry")
And more importantly, when did the Irish move to Kosovo?
All joking aside, this video is not safe for work, and very NOT safe for children. It's very violent and graphic.
M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.
And, while I don't think that musically the piece showcases M.I.A. in all her glory, her musical "soundtrack" does serve the message of the piece quite well.
However, the entire piece is, I fear, too long and just too sophisticated and upsetting to be accepted by mainstream media as a "music video." Which is a shame since it poses some very important questions for all of us right now.
But, the video has made me think long and hard about racial profiling and the insidious nature of violence inherent in our natures. The sheer evil at the heart of all those who strive for global dominance. The evil wears us down, wears down our awareness of what's acceptable or moral. Technology regurgitates our actions back to our collective unconscious as cable news footage, and we accept the images as protocol without asking the obvious anymore.
What do you think?
Is this video too violent and dark to work as a music video? Apparently Britain's The Guardian, thinks so.
But, I don't know. Perhaps this is a great way to make a statement to certain demographics who might not give a crap about racial profiling, otherwise.
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