I really enjoy some mashups. Some of them are only clever combinations of two or more songs that have similar qualities, and we enjoy the novelty of a juxtaposition between things we would not normally associate… like the Ghostbusters theme and AC/DC’s Thunderstruck. Occasionally, I find one that seems to offer more. Expialidocious is a perfect example.
I have been thinking a lot about mashups recently, and I wonder if they can be understood as a form of surrealism. Not all of them, of course, but some seem to have a quality that I think might be best described as surreal. While saying that, I’m not sure that I have settled on a definition of surrealism yet, so without belaboring the point, I want to focus in on what seems meaningful about this particular piece.
One way to understand surrealism is to observe the juxtaposition of unexpected elements for a startling effect in the viewer, which cannot be fully appreciated by rational faculties alone. In addition, the artist might seek to uncover a meaning that is not readily apparent at the superficial level. You might say that the subtext of the piece becomes the explicit content, and the viewer’s heart becomes the eyes.
I find myself reacting to Expialidocious in this way. The narrative of the film is still intact here, but the pieces are rearranged in such a way that the emotional center of the film becomes the surface. I feel as though I am watching it again, but seeing much more than before. The effect is possible because of the new music track, and the re-edit that focuses on particular emotional cues (notably facial expressions from Bert). This could easily turn into heavy-handed manipulation, or something tawdry, but I think this is the opposite. It is as though the characters in the film have suddenly woken up and realize where they are, and are filled with joy at the new revelation.
I don’t know what Pogo had in mind here, but the final product has added to the original rather than reducing it. As I watch it again and again, I can’t help but reflect on how it is achieving its affect on me, and I wonder further still all the different ways a story can be told and re-told.
