There comes a time in every person's life where they have some sort of experience that allows them to give the middle finger to reality and experience a world that, for better or worse, seems far too fantastic to describe. Most people call this "getitng stoned". I, however, call this "King Rat", a music video created by Modest Mouse, directed by the late Heath Ledger(yes, THAT Heath Ledger) and supposedly tailored to those who enjoy being horrified beyond their wildest dreams.
Granted, it DOES have a message to it and a darn good one at that. Imagine you were on a whaling boat. Now imagine you just caught the motherload, skinned the hell out of them, dumped the refuse in a dank, cramped hole in the bottom of the boat and then proceeded to celebrate your "victory" as the whale's sobbing family looked on. Pretty nasty, eh? Now imagine that you and the whales traded places, leaving you as the victim and the whales as the "victors". That's the tactic that the video uses and, honestly, it's pretty damn dark and effective.
That's not to say that the message alone is the only messed up part of the video. No, Modest Mouse and Heath decided that people wouldn't be soiling themselves enough with the image of whales mutilating human remains. Modest Mouse and Heath decided that they'd add a paper doll effect to the video that would make everything seem like something that would happen if Harold's Purple Crayon turned pure evil. Modest Mouse and Heath decided to add a sun with a face that will peer into your very soul and make you realize that the reason people don't look directly at it isn't because of blindness, it's because of fear. But mostly, Modest Mouse and Heath decided that the video wouldn't be complete without a song that sounds like something you'd hear at Freddy Kreuger: Live in Concert. In other words, it's incredibly creepy and surreal.
The song itself is essentially just a bunch of incoherent mumbling to a score that is at the same time triumphant and depressing. If, by some miracle of nature, you happen to decipher the lyrics and figure out the meaning of the song, it doesn't help your feeling of guilt and dread AT ALL. The song is essentially saying that everyone is guilty of something at some point or another and that we're all horrible people. Doesn't that just warm your heart right up?
So, what did I think? Is this video worth the time or not even worth the non-existent film it's printed on? Well, obviously, based on all the negative things I've said and my scathing criticisms, this video is 100% classic. It is a masterpiece as far as music videos go and, while not an epic like Thriller, it definitely makes good use of the time it is given to deliver a point that I guarantee will stick with you for the rest of your life. King Rat is easily worth the few minutes it will take for you to watch it and, honestly, the song's not half bad either.
