"my humps" 9/11 tribute—explanation and self-critique.

Seven questions to ask after watching my YouTube video and before reading this entry.
1. Why does a simple reality like the fact that "My Humps" can exist at the same time as 9/11 offend or excite people any more in this video than in reality? This is a piece of reality edited for all to see in a way that got a lot of angry viewers and a lot of delighted viewers. It seems like those reactions should go a lot farther than my comments box, but I assume it rarely does.
2. How random is this really? The masses are so bored. When we flip channels from MTV to CNN to EWTN to ESPN, it means we're bored. Of all things, how could those channels in succession seem monotonous? Don't blame me for the death of our morals. My video isn't even really mine. I didn't film anything, I didn't record anything, I simply slipped one thing onto another fairly incidently. Would it be at all unlikely for this footage to land on this song?
3. Why bother with an "art scene"? It's been proven up and down and all around: the masses are capable of engaging in an artistic dialogue. Why do I need a gallery when I have YouTube? This video has not been a part of the legacy of art as much as the legacy of YouTube.
4. Why do we have to perceive death as a bad thing?
5. Why does this video seem insensitive to some people when it claims to be a tribute to the victims of 9/11?
6. Why do people look for a hidden message or propaganda in this video?
7. How can you be any more mad at me than at your perception? How can you be any more mad at me than at your tv? A message to anyone who's participated in society in the past five years who has eyes: You were stupid to have thought any other way: lives are lives, media is media. In our regulated perception, the world trade towers are silicone breast implants.

As an artist, I'm sick of making compositions for concerts that only fifteen people attend. Let me tell you a story... Hal Fishman, an old-turtle-looking Los Angeles news anchor, has a commentary segment at the end of the evening news each evening that makes my skin crawl unusually quickly. I've been considering making a Hal Fishman reaction blog, just because he inspires so much reaction in me. For one of his commentaries, he said something to the equivalent of: "America isn't the first place we think of when we're looking for a country with culture. Europe is known for its many cities with their own symphonies and museums. Here in the US, we have hiphop and football and emo, and we don't seem to care much about culture. But there is culture here, too. Just the other day, I spent the afternoon listening to the exquisite sounds of the Santa Monica children's symphony. Chin Wong Sung is a twelve year-old violinist, and I think he's probably as talented as they get. When people ask me where to go to experience culture in Los Angeles, I'll know exactly what to tell them. Give your local orchestra a chance. Don't let the otherwise seeming lack of culture let you down." Eurocentric white trash ignorant piece of shit. I don't know about you, but I think symphony orchestras are a lot less interesting culturally than most of what I find here in LA. Someone should force Hal to go to one of the many Norteño concerts here in LA, characterised by amazing accordion and bajo sexto playing, and probably the most popular music within 500 miles. I don't see why ghostriding isn't considered culturally interesting. Hal's misled thoughts are just a minor example of how the masses still think that "high art" is centered around the symphony orchestra, the poem, the master painting and so on. I refuse to believe that the masses are incapable of openmindedness when it comes to a basic understanding of the possibilities of art or legacies or media of thought. For my latest project, I put a video on YouTube that's already gotten 10,000 views in a week. I think this piece has easily been more circulated than everything else I've ever made combined. I'm not claiming it's "high art"; you can decide that for yourself. But it's certainly thought-provoking and not in a museum. And if you think the art in museums is better than my video, that's a whole nother argument I'm willing to have with you.

A year ago, when I first saw YouTube, I thought, damn, this is going to be swell giving everyone a voice. And it's mostly been hogwash, Alanis' "Humps" included. Not to mention the biggest secret of all: it's all middle class and upwards from developed nations who speak English. But I'm thrilled above all things that I partook and found others who felt the way I feel and were deeply amused by this unlikely juxtaposition just as I have been. Even if 90% of the population doesn't feel it, at least I'm the voice for the 10% who do. If the majority doesn't understand something, that shouldn't be a deterrent. And that other 90%, I think they gained something from it, too: so far everyone's reacted strongly. That's the highest honor to an artist. I hope I'm serving as a role model for others to step up and speak to the masses. Everyone can be a terrorist. Terrorism is a marketing strategy.

Circulation and marketing aside, I'm motivated to provoke discussion. My video was the #57 most discussed video in YouTube's music section last week. Over a hundred comments, many of which were responses to one another. Every part of our everyday sequence of events is an opportunity to gain an experience or influence one's understanding. I don't believe in progress, but I might as well impact a progression, since I'm a being who exists and can impact things.

I love the Alanis song. It's not a parody to me as much as an interpretive cover. The song is non-fictional; it's real. It says to me, "I live in this big dump called America where all that matters are big booties and rolling around in money, and it really fucking sucks that I can't do anything about it." Our government, our military, the music industry, corporations, they're all the same. They're one big bag that we are suffocating inside, and most people don't even realise it. Why am I even telling you this? Anyone who's not overtaken by a media entertainment-induced coma will tell you that. There's hardly a democracy here when our president won't listen to the public, 70% of whom are strongly against what he's doing. Bush is the real terrorist. And the Black Eyed Peas, they are terrorists, too. Alanis is another terrorist. She's mournfully admitting to it by being the bimbo singing the song.

The Alanis video isn't genuine though—it's not even fake, it's just static—and I needed it to be matched with something genuine. It's basically a copy of the original Fergie version; how is Alanis even parodying her? A parody requires ridicule. How is she ridiculing the original by strutting her ass around exactly the way Fergie did? Alanis' video parody is nothing new, nothing different from what we've seen by Weird Al or Saturday Night Live or any other industry name. It's packaged to be digested easily. Not to toot my own horn, but for me my version is jarring, thought-provoking, illustrates the many facets of our cultural infrastructure all at once. Her song and 9/11 are not even in contradiction. If you listen to Alanis croon, her song is an intense, emotionally troubled, impactful-sounding remake. It sounds to me like a cry for help. The juxtaposition here is between America and America. We've got money-making booty-shaking consumerism, and we've also got conspiracy, scare tactics, holy wars, nationalism, maybe fascism and world domination. Neither of which we, the insignificant shopper, can do that much about. The whole world under one nation under "God." My version might not be funny to you; it's funny to me. It's a bit of a stretch to even see the relation for some. It's more complex, darker, indirect. It's a parody of a parody; (I hope) it's also hyperreal. After seeing it over and over, I start to wonder things like, "that man falling through the air, is he a hump? Am I 'spending all my money' on Cheney? Is 'the junk' Iraq? America? our souls?" Is this funny? It's just not right, right? It's morally shocking. It sends a strong message to you that might not make sense. Humor isn't really my goal as much as a strong communication. I'm glad to offend people; I think it's a good sign. Hopefully it communicated something powerful and opened up a discussion and all our minds just a little bit more.

If I ever claimed to be aiming for a greater social purpose or propagandizing with this video, I never intended it. If the video claims greater social purpose or succeeds at propagandizing, then I'm proud of it. The video doesn't make an argument, just a question. It's pretty simply sad. The video seems sad, the music seems sad. It's pretty clearly sad-seeming. But it's not sad. It's as sad as a sexy woman's breasts. It's just what it is. For me, it's outside social mores and emotions and good and bad. Yes. I'm calloused. I'm a hypocrite. As an American, I provoke war, sex, death, spending, gains and losses. I feel cathartic every time I watch this video because somehow I'm liberated from the usual act of taking one aspect of "America" for granted while I partake in the other. I'm not claiming that Bush or the terrorists are better or worse than one another or me. Nor am I claiming any right or wrong about anyone, including myself. That's the ultimate objective here: no right or wrong. I adore how "flippant" it is. That's true freedom: being freed from worrying about people dying. They're just people.

As a closing statement, I have assembled a montage of accurate reactions from random YouTube viewers:
The terrorists have, in effect, fondled with all of our lady lumps. || You're supposed to hate the video. Who would like "realizing" their country is extremely materialistic whilst watching those images? || Why is everyone taking this video so seriously. I think it's cool it shows the fucked up shit that is going down in this world and yet we are so stupid we focus more on Fergie's humps. || The interstice? - isn't that the spot between the couch cushions, where your loose change goes? || If we are willing to accept the goal to move on, to control our own destiny, and not to be permanently victimized, then perhaps this video can be a therapeutic experience. || Is it art or a shameless ploy to get viewers? I don't know and to me it doesn't matter. It is thought-provoking, and I see no harm. || Your video is childish, exploitative, and evil. || This is fucking sick. Get a life, you fucking freak. || Is it recontextualization when a PHD candidate waits tables? || Tensions between sarcasm, framing, critique of social assumptions, re-contextualization and very literal tragedy. It is not a pro nor con statement. It is a semiotics marvel, a symbolic land and timescape of current trends in patriotism, pop culturing, media, and conspiracy. It bends parody, a Weirder Al. || Parody*Parody=Awesome. NeVuR 4gEtT!! || I feel sorry for the people who were lost, but it was the Yank's own doing. George Bush and the Illuminati. || You are a disgusting excuse for a human being. || This sucks! god bless America. || Just wanted to tell Torrential: You are a stupid fuck for posting this stupid shit.