When I was 12 years old I watched Eddie Murphy RAW with my family. It was over my head of course at that age. I should say hey it’s been a while since I posted and all that but ok let’s get that outta there way. Done. I watched Joker again now that it’s been out on digital format with time to think about it for a day.
I was trying to figure out why I was compelled to make a painting about a villain who I don’t feel I relate to but then it got me thinking. I was thinking of a lot of things because it’s a powerful film overall. I need to preface this explanation about Tsa-qwa-supp a Nuu-chah-nulth artist who influenced my work along with George David and Beau Dick. There was an essay years ago about Tsa-qwa-supp titled “Snakes and Clowns”. It basically stated that his motivations for his work stemmed from being laughable as a culture and people and that I can related to as that motivated me. I recall being told by so many that Coast Salish people and specifically my tribe, Puyallup had no art and didn’t have totem poles which is true. But that lit a fire within to understand what I could about my past and prove otherwise.
George had been a great teacher, patient and insightful. He was moved by this idea of painting from emotion after meditation and wanted to do that at some point in life. To my knowledge he never did but his works forever influenced my appreciation for philosophical integrity. Beau was a master of making powerful work and wasn’t afraid to portray figures in their darkest and intimidating appearances.
I head all the fear based in what this Joker movie was going to be and how it was going to be awful and that it was about incel culture. I was skeptical because after Joel Schumacher’s take on Batman I was done and I regret never seeing Batman Begins in theater. So what risk is it to see a movie so I went despite the hype knowing that there were people there to protect us.
That said the movie fired up my artist brain.
It made realize this is a game changer for one simple reason. We are all want to see ourselves as the hero of our own stories but we are villains. Joker intentionally goes too far as comedians have to do to know the limit and be trouble makers. The way one envies a rebel but knows you would never be that person because you can’t really see those struggles and wouldn’t truly want to know them.
In Coast Salish culture we have Dakwibał the Changer/Transformer who was born of a woman of earth and a star being. He is noted for changing things to be less harmful to the human race for example reducing the power of the serpents to snakes. In essence silencing the comedian.
I say this because I think of the segment where Arthur Fleck bombs horribly on stage from the opening scene of his act. This is powerful because we have all been there in one form or another pushed into a spotlight where you make a fool of yourself. It made me think of strong and motivational words from comedian Dave Chappelle talking about bombing on stage at the Apollo in front of his family and friends, realizing if this is bad as it get’s ok I’ll survive.
It also reminded me that despite everyone hating on this movie of a Chris Rock bit where he asked the audience about the Spice Girls and it was quiet. He pointed out how they sold millions of albums, which I bought one and can admit, “nobody in this room of a thousand plus people bought that album”?
I’m not plugging my painting as much as I am explaining where it is coming from because there are times where art without explanation goes into an interpretation. I think of some of the work that is misunderstood and I have judged things on aesthetic alone before thinking ‘what the hell is this’, although I’m not saving up money to buy a banana taped to a wall anytime soon.
I thought of a piece that was at the Museum of Glass years ago by Mexican artists, the De La Torre Brothers who had a piece of an Armedillo on a crucafix with tire tread over his belly. I thought, this is ridiculous but leaned in to read the explanation that is was a piece about natures sacrifice for highway you could get to work on. That idea sparked back up when I thought about the trash building up in Gotham and the waste we make and how we disregard those without resources.
In the ending SPOILER
When Arthur kills his perceived hero it is because he has nothing left and that is the essence of Joker and what is the most frightening about him. What made Heath Ledger and Chris Nolan’s take on his character is captured in the Joker stand alone because the Joker is one with nothing left to lose and believes chaos is his essence to play a role where he failed as a comedian. He laughs to himself in the end because as Batman Begins ended with a teaser of the Joker it is played in reverse. In the interview that Mike Meyers gave on inside the actors studio years ago he talked about the power of his father telling him “every villain is the hero of their own story”. The Star Wars exploration of that with Darth Vadar tried to back story that with mixed reviews and I’m still scratching my head about it.
He is truly mad and transformed as he has the belief he is bound to seek chaos as his calling and believes he gives rise to a true adversary in Batman. It is on the work of that narrative that Joker was able to capture an audience. It reminds me how we can’t escape a perception of villains like the narrative of cowboys and Indians is part of our lexicon. It made me recall a saying an arts director shared with me ‘good art isn’t going to match your couch or living room’ something along those lines but I hope you understand the gist.
Equally so this reminded me of how I can love both Megamind and Joker at the same time, pop music and metal and not judge myself.