M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.
There’s nothing I love more than when a pop star who makes fun of cheap-attention grabbing ploys has to resort to one to get people to listen to her new album.
MIA — if you pays attention to her Twitter feed and interviews — is a bit overdramatic. She types like Kanye West, all caps, posts pictures of dead people and generally acts how you’d expect a hipster art-student to act. And now she’s made an incredibly graphic music video to accompany her new single, which is a step forward from her music videos where she danced in front of her own artwork. Because that just looked like a public-access dance show from the eighties.
Instead, she’s made a video with a powerful political statement. Of American soldiers rounding up gingers and shooting them. Okay, now, not to be skeptical, but what statement’s that making? That racism exists? We know racism exists. I think a video of soldiers killing gingers is just going to be unintentionally comedic. Like, why gingers? Were you watching Carrot Top one day and decided that to illustrate the deleterious effects of racism, you wanted to film him being beaten with a club? Youtube pulled the video, which made MIA rage, posting.
“FUCK UMG WHO WONT SHOW IT ON YOUTUBE! FOR THE U.S >>>>>>WATCH HERE http://miauk.com/” Later, clearly realizing the only reason people know about her is because of UMG, like a rebel, tweeted, “OK NOT UMG FAULT!”
It’s a bit heavy-handed. Check out the video up top. And just as a warning, it’s graphic. And the music is meh. It’s more atmospheric Aphex Twin sort of shiz.
Enjoy. IT’S GINGERCIDE.
Comments
Judith
April 27th, 2010 - 2:36:52 PM
The gingers looked Irish to me. Plus, I notice that when I see videos of injustices done to humans, it's usually in the context of a developing country or minority group. In other words, the fact that whites were used gives the feeling she's trying to say something - I just don't know what yet....
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Judith
April 27th, 2010 - 2:38:46 PM
Oh, I forgot to mention - if you think that M.I.A is just some attention-grabber, what do you call those dirty prostitutes you have pasted all over your blog? I think you meant to say that she should just take her clothes off in order to get your respect, right?
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Mark Lorenz
April 27th, 2010 - 2:54:11 PM
Totally. That'd make me listen to her new music. But I think she already did that for Marc Jacobs.
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Jude
April 28th, 2010 - 12:06:21 AM
one day I asked myself: how moronic can someone ever be when writing an article? i just found the answer... i guess somethings are not for everyone to understand them... maybe's because they actually have some content in them... congrats on being retarded!
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Jude
April 28th, 2010 - 12:08:24 AM
sorry if my english's not correct... it's not my native language
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Chris
April 28th, 2010 - 3:28:14 AM
Another example of a piece 'art' being 'good' just because it takes the moral high ground. How many more examples of US Army = Bad can there be. This video has the moral nuance of the Grand Canyon. Maybe, Jude, you could tell us WHY this is good? Rather than 'it's got content'. Seriously though, publicity stunt. Rant Over.
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Mark
April 28th, 2010 - 7:32:27 AM
what a dumb article, by a pathetically imbecile blogger.
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Optimista
April 28th, 2010 - 12:19:10 PM
this is a dumb article. I'd end it there but I actually have absolutely nothing to do for once. I'm actually glad her song accompanied this video. You fail to acknowledge that the video was not directed by her; and in fact her song really suits the content of the video. Also it sends out a crucial message that white people are also discriminated against (not just the usual minorities or people in developing countries etc). It also shows that discrimination is justified sometimes..depending on the community. And still of course, exists. If you don't like the video, don't watch it. But MIA is known to be outspoken and political.
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Mark Lorenz
April 28th, 2010 - 12:43:24 PM
I'm sure she cosigned the video. The director's name is above. And yes, MIA is known to be outspoken and political, otherwise she wouldn't have a record contract -- but the video was McPolitics.
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Dylan
April 29th, 2010 - 12:22:08 AM
You dumb motherfuck. "Gingers" (redheads) are seriously ridiculed and discriminated against in the UK. It's not some bullshit you saw on South Park. Secondly, who gives a fuck about spelling/grammar errors on twitter? It says nothing about MIA as an artist. Thirdly, you silly, spoiled little fuck, this video was banned on Youtube and probably MTV. It's probably the most subversive music video to come out in a decade. You're having a hard time making sense of what it's trying to convey because you don't know what the fuck is going on in the world. If you follow international news carefully, you know that the video depicts occupation very very accurately, specifically Israel's occupation of Palestine. That is, the near-daily rounding up of people (esp. young males), the destruction of land and property, the intrusion into private life, and the callous disregard for the life of the occupied. It's all been documented in HR reports. It's well known outside of the Bubble that you and so many millions live in. MIA was probably attempting to puncture that bubble.
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Mark Lorenz
April 29th, 2010 - 1:01:03 AM
Having your video banned from MTV/Youtube ≠ subverting. It means you're showing titty. Or in this case, people being shot in the face.
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Dylan
April 29th, 2010 - 1:37:45 AM
"Having your video banned from MTV/Youtube ≠ subverting." Sure. I'll give you that.
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Fizz
April 29th, 2010 - 8:23:37 AM
Born Free doesn't know what it's trying to say, it's just a fuzzy one-dimensional splatter-fest. Nobody can learn anything from "riot police hunt down gingers and kill them in slow motion". It's dumb. And anyone who bleets about this being "art" is suffering from MIA-fanboy/girl syndrome. That is, support her work even when it's utter crap. And if you *still* think there's a serious message to the video, take note that the director is about to release his debut feature length film, "Redheads". The plot as copied from the site: "TWO OUTCAST REDHEADS SET OFF ON A ROADTRIP OF HATE, VIOLENCE AND SELFDESTRUCTION. THE TIME FOR REVENGE HAS COME..." Get it? It means this video clip from MIA/Gavras is just a pathetic marketing ploy that will make them both heaps of cash. But oh yes, genocide very bad, thanks MIA for reminding me, cos I just had my eyes closed and totally was unaware of this serious problem.
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