Karmacoma (music video)
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"Karmacoma" is the promotional video made for the single of the same name by British trip-hop collective Massive Attack. The experimental musician Tricky collaborated on the track. It premiered in May 1995 and was directed by Jonathan Glazer.
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[edit] Video description
The video shows a hotel corridor and the occupants of the rooms along the corridor. The band are in one of the rooms accompanied by Tricky and an actress. 3D, Daddy G, and Tricky are all dressed in uniforms that say "Texmex" on the front. Mushroom is sitting on the couch with a hand on his stomach, where he apparently has been shot and his shirt is bloody.
The rest of the occupants are shown intermitently throughout the video, and are all engaging in eccentric activities. Some of the scenes cross over from being weird to being supernatural and magical.
- A man is on the corridor, holding a gun in one hand and a plastic bag with something in it on the other. He's walking backwards and pointing the gun at everything he sees, in a clear state of paranoia and distress. He's sweating and mumbling under his breath.
- A man with long hair and beard is sitting in his room, staring directly into the camera.
- A man is covered with oil among cameras and mirrors, apparently performing some sort of bizarre artwork.
- A man is typing the title of the song, but his typewriter is missing the "K" type, so he writes "armacoma" over and over.
- Two blond twin girls are standing in the corridor. One of them holds the "K" type in her hand. This scene is reminiscent of the 1980 film The Shining.
- A man with a moustache is in a room with two women dressed in red satin robes. He asks "Who's gonna be a bad girl now?", one of the women answers apathically "I am".
- A boy watches tv news in which the journalist cover his half face with his hand. The boy repeats what he sees.
- A man plays golf in the corridor.
- A man attempts to drown a miniature copy of himself in a bathtub.
[edit] Censorship
Some of the scenes in the video were censored in some countries and a second copy of it was made that excluded them.
- The man with the moustache stands on top of a mattress and sticks his tongue out. He has a big pointed piercing in his tongue.
- The actress that accompanies the band is resting her head on 3D's shoulder. She then lifts her head, looks straight into the camera and blood spills from one of her nostrils.
- The man with the gun passes along another version of himself, the second man points the gun at the first. Cut to a different angle, where the first man is alone and pointing the gun where the second man was a second before.
- The man covered in oil is shown with his index finger stuck inside his stomach. He slowly removes it until it's all out, without leaving a wound or a hole of any kind.
[edit] Analysis
This video is similar to Glazer's later video "The Universal" by Blur in its portrayal of eccentricity. It also reminds of Stanley Kubrick's work, particularly the eerie twins from The Shining. Also, the suited woman with the black bob is reminiscent of Mia Wallace, Uma Thurman's character in Pulp Fiction, particularly with the inclusion of the nosebleed. The man at the typewriter resembles Henry, Jack Nance's character in David Lynch's "Eraserhead" - particularly with his haircut.
The video comments on the nature of human individuality, by separating people into different rooms and have them act out these strange behaviours, totally unaware of the persons in the other rooms. It's a metaphor of how people seclude themselves into their own worlds without caring about other people.[citation needed]
[edit] External links
- Watch the video on IFILM
- Entry on mvdbase.com
| Massive Attack |
|---|
| Robert Del Naja aka "3D" - Grant Marshall aka "Daddy G" |
| Andrew Vowles aka "Mushroom" |
| Discography |
| EPs: Hymn of the Big Wheel - Butterfly Caught |
| Studio albums: Blue Lines - Protection - Mezzanine - 100th Window |
| Singles: Any Love - Daydreaming - Unfinished Sympathy - Safe From Harm - Massive Attack EP - Sly - Protection - Karmacoma - Risingson - Teardrop - Angel - Intertia Creeps - Special Cases - Butterfly Caught - Live With Me |
| Compilations: The Singles Collection - Collected - Eleven Promos |
| Remix albums: No Protection |
| Soundtracks: Danny the Dog - Bullet Boy |
