This morning the nuts spent some time attempting to suss out the story behind a choice and questionable photograph that has grotesquely captured our attention:
The image was found via a blog on Tumblr and has caused quite a stir. After some attempts at sourcing the image concretely, and some valiant validity screening efforts on the part of our in-house Photoshop gal, we were unable to fabricate the tale behind this strange image,
which seems charged with implicit imagery of disturbance in the nature of power. there is no apparent originating locale, and thus no proper background context.
The image leads me to some reflections on why we find it so incongruent with our collective cognitions about Wally and his work. As he states in his somewhat sardonic web bio,
"OZ music industry parlace dictates that I should now be poised to 'conquer the world'" (Gotye.com) Clearly Wal himself senses a certain oppression of expectation laid upon him by the vast and complicated galaxy in which he orbits.
Perhaps this deliberately unsettling image speaks to the tension held between creative license and popular culture expectation?
The full image welcomes an interpretation of the
'mad majesty' digging his stocking heels into the ground to the point of injury as the archetypal Psychiatric orderlies cart him off. As a mental health specialist, this image is particularly salient,
and especially unsettling.
What is it about the sharp relief of fame and recognition that might bring forth the madness? Are we to expect a certain loss of the apparent innocence that Wally seems to portray? Is he even really all that pristine, or have we made of him some sort of false idol? I can say at this moment that I don't especially care who would criticize my adoration, I am fixed and stubborn in my commitment to the art. I will take my stance to the front lines if ever the need arose.
I know I have a small but growing army that would join with me!
I think my personal take-home message for the day is that there is a small scope through which we see Wally and his 'truer' self. Perhaps this image was his own creation.
Perhaps the mirror is more cracked and chipped than we can comprehend. Perhaps when we hear him assert in interviews that his oft introspective and dark lyrics birth from a sample or sound or break, perhaps...perhaps the life he lives within himself is something far less jovial and resilient as the 'man' we see through the media filters.
Perhaps The King laments his crown? That is a question we may never come to answer, even more so, He may never come to answer.
The image was found via a blog on Tumblr and has caused quite a stir. After some attempts at sourcing the image concretely, and some valiant validity screening efforts on the part of our in-house Photoshop gal, we were unable to fabricate the tale behind this strange image, which seems charged with implicit imagery of disturbance in the nature of power. there is no apparent originating locale, and thus no proper background context.
The image leads me to some reflections on why we find it so incongruent with our collective cognitions about Wally and his work. As he states in his somewhat sardonic web bio, "OZ music industry parlace dictates that I should now be poised to 'conquer the world'" (Gotye.com) Clearly Wal himself senses a certain oppression of expectation laid upon him by the vast and complicated galaxy in which he orbits. Perhaps this deliberately unsettling image speaks to the tension held between creative license and popular culture expectation?
The full image welcomes an interpretation of the 'mad majesty' digging his stocking heels into the ground to the point of injury as the archetypal Psychiatric orderlies cart him off. As a mental health specialist, this image is particularly salient, and especially unsettling.
What is it about the sharp relief of fame and recognition that might bring forth the madness? Are we to expect a certain loss of the apparent innocence that Wally seems to portray? Is he even really all that pristine, or have we made of him some sort of false idol? I can say at this moment that I don't especially care who would criticize my adoration, I am fixed and stubborn in my commitment to the art. I will take my stance to the front lines if ever the need arose. I know I have a small but growing army that would join with me!
I think my personal take-home message for the day is that there is a small scope through which we see Wally and his 'truer' self. Perhaps this image was his own creation. Perhaps the mirror is more cracked and chipped than we can comprehend. Perhaps when we hear him assert in interviews that his oft introspective and dark lyrics birth from a sample or sound or break, perhaps...perhaps the life he lives within himself is something far less jovial and resilient as the 'man' we see through the media filters. Perhaps The King laments his crown? That is a question we may never come to answer, even more so, He may never come to answer.
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