Has Britney Spears' new album, Blackout, triggered something darker in Francois Sagat? In a twist reminiscent of The Manchurian Candidate, the album's debut has caused Sagat to debut an increasingly esoteric and oft-terrifying cycle of videos whose explorations of identity borrow as much from Matthew Barney and Ryan Trecartin as they do, um, Titan Media or TRL. With his masks, his ass-less tights and his weird barking dog, it's like he's trying to tell us something; but what? In today's lecture, we posit some answers.
1. "PEEPSHOW SAGAT (hate me)"
By donning a sheer outfit that exposes his sexiest parts, he gives us his body but prevents us from being able to see his lips move, making it impossible to make a deeper emotional attachment to this sad little dancer. Like a true "Peepshow," Sagat promises us sexual release but makes us "hate" him for not delivering.
2. "HARDCORE PIECE OF ME BRITNEY SPEARS (SAGAT)"
Here our little auteur perverts the iconic, 3x3 split-screen layout from the opening sequence of The Brady Bunch, in turn, perverting the idealized vision of the "perfect American family" by replacing mother, father, 3 sons, 3 daughters (and housekeeper) with an image of the all-powerful Self. He does not need to start a nuclear family to ensure his genes live on; his legacy is his body of work. Encore!
3. "CAPITAL G (sagat)"
The clip opens with "sagat" facing a refection of himself, but he is blocked by his mask. The star of this film, "sagat" (all lowercase), is clearly uncomfortable with introspection. Notice how his seductive dance-the primordial struggle between the Id ("sagat") and the Super Ego ("SAGAT", who we met earlier)-does not come to life until he's turned his back onto himself, essentially closing himself off to any idea of self-awareness or psychic growth. The dance does not reach is emotional and physical climax until he literally reaches into himself and physically pulls it out, an exorcism of sorts.
4. "FRANCOIS SAGAT"
How was your day today, Francois? Clearly the answer is "Rough, rough, rough," for this is the proletariat's lot in life (work then drink). So the Sturm und Drang would imply as mind-numbing boredom-in this case, the porn star's "daily grind" or "the old in and out"-plays out each day like a broken record. The saddest and most thematically singular, it's also the most haunting and razor-sharp parody of capitalism that we find in the entire cycle.
5. "FREAKSHOW BRITNEY SPEARS/ SAGAT"
The finale of the cycle, "FREAKSHOW BRITNEY SPEARS/ SAGAT" is his magnum opus and the culmination of all the themes we've encountered in the previous clips (Sex, Birth, Work, Death). If Sagat is porn's Matthew Barney, then "FREAKSHOW BRITNEY SPEARS/ SAGAT" is his Cremaster 3. Instead of scaling the Chrysler Building, he shakes his ass-an act equally as transcendent for the sagat/SAGAT character. His devastating existential dilemma-aware of his plight, but helpless to alter it-pulls no punches. When he finally delivers that "money shot" he's been teasing us with since the "PEEPSHOW" began and removes his mask, the video ends abruptly. Sisyphus, he.
Of course, it's also possible he was just a fan of Beaches:
I see Anna Nicole in clown makeup as a subconscious reference. He seems to be commenting on America's fascination with train wrecks and their role in entertainment, i.e. Britney and Anna Nicole as new media court jesters. Maybe he knows that to achieve their level of fame in the U.S. he has to resort to, or at least reflect their techniques. Discuss!
What a pretentious pseudo-academic commentary ("The dance does not reach is emotional and physical climax until he literally reaches into himself and physically pulls it out, an exorcism of sorts"), the sort of queer theory that's so out there that when it's not merely inane ("perverting the idealized vision of the "perfect American family" by replacing mother, father, 3 sons, 3 daughters (and housekeeper) with an image of the all-powerful Self") it's just vapidly insane. Umm, only an American could insist Sagat must be referencing e.g. the Brady Bunch merely because of a 3x3 video layout.
I agree with Steven. These commentaries are reaching. REALLY reaching. Britney and Manchurian Candidate in the same sentence as expressed by Sagat? Hmmmm. Not convinced. So he puts on a mask (or 20), a fishnet body suit and gyrates to Brit. How is that so monumental? What's to analyze about that? If this were anyone else doing the same thing to a different pop icon, would this be as 'dark,' 'esoteric,' or 'terryfiying?' Could it be this person is looking for and/or creating something I'm not seeing? Whatever the case: Sagat, do your thing and work it out. More power to you.
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