Short Film #2 Man Of War

[Dee]

Directed by Connor Kammerer and Colin Read

Interpretations please?

[NurseRatched]

Well, I love the song, first of all. Adding it to Spotify. The video seems to build with the music; the relentless guitar riff really creates a tense mood. I should have the lyrics pulled up, but just don't have the time at the moment! This fellow seems pretty at ease, reading the paper. By nightfall, he seems desperate, walking nervously away from his demons. Maybe the theme here is that we all have problems/demons/regrets. Paranoia is always worse at night when you're alone with your thoughts. Daytime man and nighttime man merge at the end-does he just accept his issues & give in to them? I have NO idea So, did the band create this concept for the video or did Thom just give carte blanche to a director?

[Dee]

Thanks for playing, NR. We'll figure it out together. Great start here.

I don't know if the lyrics will help much, - usual obscure poetry from Thom:

Drift all you like
From ocean to ocean
Search the whole world
But drunken confessions
And hijacked affairs
Will just make you more alone

When you come home
I'll bake you a cake
Made of all their eyes
I wish you could see me
Dressed for the kill
You're my man of war
You're my man of war
And the worms will come for you
Big Boots
Yeah, yeah, yeah
So unplug the phones
Stop all the taps
It all comes flooding back
From poisoned clouds
To poisoned dwarf
You're my man of war
You're my man of war
And the worms will come for you
Big Boots
Yeah the worms will come for you
Big Boots
For you
Big Boots


My thinking is not too far from yours, Mz K.

I look at the Daytime Man at the beginning, and he seems so together, so much at ease in the world, that he seems almost cocky, and cocky means trying too hard, quite possibly masking some insecurities. And it doesn't take much to crack his composure. After he has seen his photograph on the phone, a creepy thing, sure, fear hits him of being watched, followed, chased. This is the moment when the story of
Daytime Man (DM) and Nighttime Man (NM) really merge. At this point DM loses his grip and gives in to his anxieties represented by NM. He experiences life as a living nightmare where he's about to be hurt, crushed or worse by his fears. Recognising that he cannot outrun them or hide from them, he gives in and faces them. And they stop, don't harm him. They don't disappear, they just tag along, follow him, unshakable, but much less frightening than he thought they were. And I agree, that's accepting your demons in that moment. It's what it is. No use pretending they don't exist, neither we should think them more vicious and unmanageable just because we dare not face them.

I think it's brilliantly done. And hell yeah, great song. From the time of OK Computer. I'm not sure how much input Thom had in the video, see if I can find out.

[Dee]

Another meaning I'm thinking about here, knowing that the band, especially Thom, suffered quite badly of the consequences of becoming famous at the time of writing the songs for OK Computer: fans following them, wanting to know everything about them.

It must have felt like people were trying to stifle them, in fact most would have just wanted to follow them, hang around, get to know them better. But this feeling of everyone's always watching you, that must be very hard to get used to. "Bake a cake of their eyes"...and a plea "I wish you could see me" - what this does to me? Maybe. Just pushing ideas around here.

[Dee]

Little background research:

No, the video has nothing to do with Thom or any of the Radiohead folk. They were on tour at the time. Colin Read approached them in an email with his ideas and they said ok, go ahead and do it!

Here is an interview with Coling Read about how the video was made:

https://blog.filmsupply.com/articles/th ... c-video/42

[NurseRatched]

Another meaning I'm thinking about here, knowing that the band, especially Thom, suffered quite badly of the consequences of becoming famous at the time of writing the songs for OK Computer: fans following them, wanting to know everything about them.

It must have felt like people were trying to stifle them, in fact most would have just wanted to follow them, hang around, get to know them better. But this feeling of everyone's always watching you, that must be very hard to get used to. "Bake a cake of their eyes"...and a plea "I wish you could see me" - what this does to me? Maybe. Just pushing ideas around here.

That actually makes sense. I think that completely falls in line with this video. There's resignation at the end; the band isn't going to become less famous, so just embrace it and live with it. All fame must bring this kind of dichotomy. The more famous you become, the more you crave your privacy which is gone forever due to stardom.

[Dee]

Lol. I think for them it's more "live with it" then "embrace it". You're right, most famous people must struggle with their lack of privacy. But to be constantly in the public eye is even more of a problem for people who are socially awkward, like Thom. I think all that is at the heart of the lyrics. But the video itself seems to offer a wider interpretation. It exaggarates that feeling when you don't want people to look at you when you feel vulnerable. Like the guy when he needs to tie his shoelaces, he steps aside and faces outwards, protecting his back. And then there was a photo of him on the phone he was unaware of being taken that freaked him out. Followed by people walking behind him, he felt so threatened by them, even though when they actually got the chance, they had no intention of hurting him. Just wanted to walk behind him. See him when he couldn't see them. Follow him. Walk the same direction as him. Whatever. The important thing is that they didn't mean to harm him. It's like an exaggareted image of how threatened you can feel when people look you, especially when you can't even see them yourself, because you have no way of knowing what these people must be thinking, what their intentions are. You just need to trust them. And for some people that's very hard to settle into. This is a damn good little film, don't you think?

[NurseRatched]

It is! It made me nostalgic for the days of MTV, when bands were suddenly thrust into creating little films. I rarely see a video for the music I listen to-either because it's on Spotify or Radio Paradise.

Yes, embrace may be overstating it I think bands that start out "on the fringe" must have a terrible time adjusting when they crossover to a broader audience. Add "socially awkward" to that mix & double the anxiety! Some handle it better than others; probably causes a fair amount of substance abuse. I know a lot of the Seattle sound/grunge bands fell apart once they hit the radio. Has Radiohead gone through those drug/alcohol phases? They've been around forever, so I imagine if they had, they've come through it.

[Dee]

They've had a tough time leading up to OK Computer. Well, mostly Thom was having problems. Years of being on an endless tour and recording without a proper break. I don't think there was much drugs, a bit of alcohol, yes. It was mostly a mental breakdown that was handled with his band members supporting him through it and Thom channeling it into writing.
Generally speaking, Radiohead is one of the "cleanest" band there is. Long term marriages, and fairly clean living, as far as I can tell. But hell, they've battled with their demons throughout the years. Besides personal issues, the repeated collective feeling of paranoia of "can we do it again?"

There is a very insightful article about these struggles:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/feat ... er-w484570

[Lori]

Interesting vid - I really love Radiohead lyrics particularly for their ethereal nature. Something that seems linear fans out to a tangent or boils down to a summation, aka, "Big Boots, the worms will come for you" in repetition in a walk-out or letting go/giving in (much like the man in the video accepting or carrying those demons). Often, it is an explosion of sentiment and then "what I mean to say is simply this or what I've concluded or come to is this" walk-out. I often relate more to the lyrics than the musicality, yet love both.

I fall with you all about the meaning of the song. Interesting that it was done while Radiohead was on tour. That's a lot of pressure!

Such talent, this band!

[Dee]

Often, it is an explosion of sentiment and then "what I mean to say is simply this or what I've concluded or come to is this" walk-out. I often relate more to the lyrics than the musicality, yet love both.

Their lyrics... oh man. They just fall out from a very troubled but beautiful mind like a rain of sharp knives. I often feel with these lyrics that they simply demandto be wrapped in gorgeous, hypnotic, enchanting music, for us all to be able to deal with their anguish and darkness. And by 'us' I mean everyone: Thom, the band and the listeners. Absorbing their music, their lyrics, is a very intense experience, with this constant turbulent pull and push between words and music.