Apparently the rap king’s new video of his anti-bush song “Mosh” is like a five-minute version of Fahrenheit 911, only more powerful and disturbing.
The beautifully animated video, which is directed by Ian Inaba, opens with a classroom. At the front is a man in a blue suit, his face buried in an upside down children’s book that says “My Pet,” with a picture of a bush. Just as the man is revealed to be Eminem, the scene changes, and we see the singer taping up newspaper stories to a wall — “Sick Wounded Troops Held in Squalor,” says one. “Civil Liberties at Stake,” says another. “Bush Knew,” says a third.
In five minutes, Eminem manages a furious indictment of the administration that will likely resonate among many troops in Iraq as well as disaffected kids here at home. In one scene, a smiling soldier returns home from Baghdad, only to be handed a notice announcing that he has to go back. As Eminem sings, “fuck Bush,” the soldier mouths the words.
Then we see a woman walking home in the rain, carrying groceries and an envelope. Inside is an eviction notice. As she reads it, we hear Eminem saying, “Maybe this is God just saying we’re responsible for this monster, this coward that we have empowered.” The woman looks at her TV, where Bush is speaking over a banner that says “Tax Cuts.” She looks at her terrified children, then back at the screen, which says, “Breaking News…Terror Alert.”
It all ends amazingly earnestly, with Eminem leading a black-clad army to the voting booth. Once again, Bush proves he really does have wonder working powers — by behaving even more callously and irresponsibly than the most outrageous rapper, he’s turned music’s foremost enfant terrible into a role model of civic engagement.
Now we just have to see if MTV has the guts to air it.
The current angst over this election is without comparison in US politics, at least within my lifetime. The idea of moviemakers and singers and artists and disc jockeys all feeling obligated to incorporate their feelings about bush into their work, into everything they do as though their life depended on it — it’s simply unheard of. But it didn’t happen in a vacuum and it’s not that hard to comprehend: We are drained after 4 years of a blame-free, accountability-free president who has turned the world into such a catastrophic mess we can scarcely even imagine a return to normalcy. I am increasingly convinced that once this never-ending race is over, Kerry will have won by a landslide. We simply cannot take any more.
Update: You can see the Mosh video here.
Update 2: One magazine thinks Mosh will have more of an impact on voters than Fahrenheit 911.
1
By frank
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/26/politics/campaign/26gay.html
FYI.
October 26, 2004 @ 12:13 pm | Comment
2
By Forrest
I doubt MTV will air it, at least for awhile…
I remember when Incubus released their Megalomaniac video, MTV would only air it late at night for the first few weeks since it was so politically charged. If you haven’t seen it, you should check it out, I love it… MTV finally gave in and showed during normal hours when people were actually watching, but it wasn’t for a few weeks.
And we don’t have a few weeks this time…
October 26, 2004 @ 12:43 pm | Comment
3
By Harry Hutton
I personally would never vote for any candidate who had not been endorsed by Eminem.
October 26, 2004 @ 1:19 pm | Comment
4
By jeremy
http://mosh.eminem.com/video/
You can watch it yourself. Pretty good graphics.
October 26, 2004 @ 2:31 pm | Comment
5
By LANGEE
Frank, Bush is pro gay now??? He’s opened the box, and now can’t stuff everything back inside in time to pander to everyone for their vote.
October 26, 2004 @ 2:36 pm | Comment
6
By Cathy P
Well, I may have to rethink my complete dislike for Eminem….
I guess it’s true that everyone has some good points!
October 26, 2004 @ 4:22 pm | Comment
7
By richard
Frank, bush is sure trying to do some contorted backpedalling. Too late, I’m afraid. This rings awfully hollow, after his FMA speciafically gutted civil partners’ rights. Bastard.
Jeremy thanks for the link. I’ll check it when I’m home from work.
October 26, 2004 @ 4:52 pm | Comment
8
By pwax
The problem is that Bush never really did heal the wound of 9/11 and we are all longing for a presidency where we can start a real healing.
October 26, 2004 @ 5:06 pm | Comment
9
By richard
pwax, it looked for a times as though bush was off to a good start; after 911 I was ready to accept him as my president. It was soon thereafter that he suddenly shifted his focus to Iraq, an indication (in retrospect, I admit) that he was using 911 as his own Reichstag Fire, exploiting the death and destruction to get Congress to approve just about anything he requested. The rest is history. And tragedy, too.
October 26, 2004 @ 5:17 pm | Comment
10
By frank
Richard, FMA is not against civil partners’ rights. It’s against same sex marriage. It’s different.
October 27, 2004 @ 8:02 am | Comment
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By richard
Frank, time for you to see things with all their real implications.
Wake up, Frank. You’re too smart to be suckered like this.
October 27, 2004 @ 9:43 am | Comment
12
By frank
This is the opinion of gay rights groups. This is not the reality. You only use to read the opinions you like.
For another view:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2004_10_21.shtml#1098812500
October 27, 2004 @ 9:50 am | Comment
13
By richard
Frank go ahead and call the Washington Post “a gay rights group.” That’s why I say you are not capable of intelligent commentary on US politics. Sorry to sound harsh, but you come onto my site telling me, repeatedly, how wrong I am on US politics. So pardon me if I return the favor. Go ahead and believe what you want about bush and that the war in Iraq was an exercise in brilliance and that the FMA would not affect civil unions. I can’t change that. But if you want to argue these things, I am afraid this isn’t the place to do it. This is a reality-based community, and here we deal with the ontological, the actual, not the fantasies of those who see bush is a golden hue, a resurrection of God himself.
October 27, 2004 @ 10:00 am | Comment
14
By frank
First: Bush is not a God for me. He’s a president with his rights and his wrongs. He’s a man who has understood the terror threat; he’s a president who has liberated two countries from tiranny. This is enough for me. Don’t put words in my mouth.
Second: as a reality-based community it’s really strange that you are not able to debate on contents when you talk about Bush and american politics. Have you read the piece I’ve linked? Aren’t you interested in different views?
P.S. W.P. was quoting gay rights groups.
You’re smart, don’t be suckered.
October 27, 2004 @ 10:13 am | Comment