But Professor, I'm Paying Homage To These Authors, Not Plagerizing: A Look Into Paying "Homage"

I haven't posted in some time. There isn't really a reason why either. I guess I've been busy with the activities of daily life. Its not like I'm spending more time away from my computer though, so that can't really be it? Maybe I haven't been angry lately? Yeah that's probably it. I've been out enjoying life as it comes to me and not letting pety things get in the way of my enjoyment of living on this earth. Yay! No, no, that can't be it either because I continue to have a strong hatred of morons that plague this world like dandelions on your freshly sodded front lawn. Its sickening. So happiness can't be the reason why I haven't Blobbed it up lately. Hmm its a good question really. My last post was pathetic and maybe I felt I lost my edge. That special something that had people read my long anecdotes about nothing important even though they should be doing something far more productive. I just know know. I think it was actually a combination of all of these things put together. I just didn't have anything to write about. But blessed be the lord that gave me something to write about. As pety as it is, The Blob is going to blog about the idea of paying homage.


Most of my blogging is done pretty spur of the moment, yet I still take time, a few hours at least to compile some sort of info on what I'm writting about so I don't look like a total tool, only a small one, like a mini socket wrench that fits in your glove compartment instead of looking like a 20lbs. sledge hammer. Today is a little different. Call it an epiphany or a sudden urge to write again, but I'm seriously thinking and writting on the fly here since I don't want to loose this edge, this feeling of excitment. I can tell how excited you all are. I can feel you guys and gals out there. Its almost like when you have to take a huge dump and you're almost speed walking home and when you sit down on that toilet and just let it rip, that's basically the excitment you're having right now. Well its mutual.


OKAY, lets get started. The idea of paying homage to someone is a great concept. If you're not fimilar with the idea, homage of hommage is a show of respect to someone or something. You find this a lot in the art world. An artist will pay homage to another artist, dead or alive, borrowing concepts, ideas, styles, whatever they may take from that other artist and bring it into their own work. Take for example, a tribute band who continually pays hommage to their favourite band by playing nothing but that band. Artistry, whether its movies, music, paintings, writing, whatever all is organic. Art seems to be a living thing as its constantly moving and changing all depending on the climate of the whole, or the individual. One artist may depict dark images as their young, and as they evolve and grow older have a very different focus twenty years later. And if its one thing I've learned, its tough to be completely original these days seeing as how many creative people and ideas are spawning out there constantly. At any rate, in my opinion, paying homage or hommage to someone or something, if it indeed is a sign of respect, it should be noted. Most times it is. Espeically when its obvious. However, in some forms of art (COUGH!** movies, music, television, music videos COUGH!**) where the majority of the viewing audience are, how do you say...functionally retarded? how can you pay hommage correctly?


The case was brought forth by my dear friend AGM. He posted Kayne West's new music video for All of the Lights. He then points out that it has scenes in it that are directly taken out of a movie recently released by French director Gaspar Noe called Enter the Void. He's right. If you have seen Noe's movie and then watch this new Kayne video its undoubtably the exact same sequence of colours, texts and style. The music video starts out normal enough and then about 1/4 way through it, BAM we are hit with Noe's genius in the hands of Hype Williams. Witness it yourself:




And now Kayne West's new video -



My problem with this is that the majority of the viewing public won't know that Hype Williams is paying homeage to Gaspar Noe and I can almost gaurentee about 97% of the viewing audience will have the sentiments -"Hype Williams is genius!" "He's so cool for doing that? Like where does he get these idea? His videos are revolutionary!" Maybe I'm exaggerating slightly. Sure the video is pretty okay, but what stands out to most people watching the video other than Rihanna's outfit, is something that wasn't even conceived by Williams. What really gets me going, and had my friend AGM going was the idea that most people out there watching this on MTV and Muchmusic and BET and whatever else, will have absolutely NO CLUE that Hype Williams took this idea of making an epileptic sequence of text and colours from Noe's Enter the Void. Sure, its known by some he's paying homage and I doubt Williams is saying any different, but how many people seeing this video will be like "Oh nice, he's paying mad respect to Gaspar Noe." I'll answer that for you, maybe 8 people and AGM and I are 2 already. Okay again exaggeration, but the point is not many are going to think this way. Explore where ideas and concepts come from. Find out origins and background information. No one cares. They sit there wide eyed and drooling over Rihanna and throw the music video on to get themselves "pumped up" for a night out on the town. I can almost gaurentee you could walk into a room where the video is playing and be like "Hey, you guys seen the movie Enter the Void, it came out like last year, anyway, that trippy text sequence is straight from that movie. Williams is paying homage" and A)No one will give a shit, B) no one will give a shit and C)give a response like "Oh yeah?" and then not give a shit. It annoys me beyond bounds the ignorance of people and the knowledge that the majority of the masses have no clue what its like to think of something creative and interesting and then not be recognized for it, or worse yet, have your idea taken by someone else and they bask in the glory of it. Maybe its just me, but that would just plain suck. Noe may be like "Hey, its not the recognition I'm out for." Sure, he'll say that and maybe on a small scale he believes that, but if it was me, I'd be somewhat proud that Hype Williams liked my idea enough to throw it in a Kayne West video, but a lot of me would hate the idea that a whack load of people won't even know it was my idea.


Even worse than that is these complete ignorant arseholes out there won't even think that Hype Williams made the music video. They'll sort of think it, but a strong majority of viewing audiences will think "Kanye is the MAN! See that new music vid of his? Its sick!" F THAT! Kayne writes and raps and dances around on a cop car and goes to Karl Lagerfield and Louis Vutton shows, Hype Williams made the music video, not Kayne. Say something like "You see that new Kayne West video. Hype Williams makes a satisfying video." I just want to see the proper people recognized for what they've created! Is that so much to ask for?

Okay, now on to the other example I have that has been with me for a while. Remember a while back when the ever-so talented and ever-so predictable and the ever-so the same Shia LeBeouf made a little movie called Disturbia a few summers back? It was sort of a Summer hidden hit that you'd go see because nothing else was on at the time and it was one of those 'Date movies?' Yeah, well, I think a number of people, will know that movie is paying hommage to Alfred Hitchcock's film Rear Window, which is one of my personal favourites. I think more people will know Disturbia is taken from Hitchcocks back pocket, but not enough. If you do one tiny bit of background research into the movie, like before you go see it or rent it, then you'll likely find this out, but a lot of people don't, which I can't understand. How can you rent or see a movie without checking out the synopsis. I can you just go solely on what the poster looks like or the idea Megan Fox is in the movie. Like holy hell, end my life. You people suck. But that's for another rant another time.

Anyway, back to my point. What upsets me is that this movie was geared towards tweens, teens and 20 some year olds/young adults. I hope to God that most of the young adults knew that this was Rear Window, but that's aiming high I think. A lot of people are as I mentioned earlier wondering idiots who have no idea what else is out there. Tweens and teens, well they walked into this movie thinking it was an scary movie or whatever. Not once is it mentioned in the opening or closing credits that it is an adaptation, or "based on" the film Rear Window. This bothers me more than it should. It really does. I just want credit given where credit is due.


Some of you may have given up reading this blog a while back because you don't care. If you are still reading it, then you're like me and it bothers you to know that artists and individuals aren't getting the credit they deserve. The people who stopped reading, you can lick the area between my sack and my anus, up and down for like 5mins right after I played some basketball in snowpants. That goes for those people who think Shia LeBeouf was the first to spot a crime from his bedroom window before Jimmy Stewart!


This idea of original ideas in movies being squashed by current Hollywood can be stemmed out even further! European and Asian movies, brought to the North American big screens only to be re-made into English with English speaking actors? Like WHY?! Because people don't like reading subtitles and they don't know the actors so why go see the movie? THE MOVIE IS THE SAME!!! Girl With the Dragon Tatoo is the most recent example. They are re-making this movie with a bunch of North American/British actors. The movie is not even 2 years old in Sweden and it was tastefully done! Ugh...I heard that the Korean hit Oldboy directed by Chan-woon Park and based on the story by Garon Tschiya, was going to be re-made into a Hollywood movie and star Will Smith. The movie deals with revenge, murder and incest! Has a scene where he beats guys with a hammer and at one point cuts out his own tongue.

LIKE C'MON!? you really think Will Smith could play that roll? Because I don't. Its been done, you don't have to re-make it. I will give credit to Quentin Tarentino. He re-releases movies to the mass public and puts his name on it under it like "Quentin Tarentino Presents." That in my opinion is just fine. He puts it out with his name on it so it will be seen by more people, but he doesn't alter the movie or put some North American, washed out spin on it. At least its seen in its original state. I don't think re-making movies from the 50's and 60's is paying any respect to the director/writers or individuals involved in the movie whatsoever. I don't care who does it. If you respected the movie enough you wouldn't remake it. Simple as that. Its one thing to take concepts and methods from a Hitchcock movie and whole other to remake it and not credit the man. D.J. Caruso, I'm looking at you dickhead.

(D.J. Caruso looking for more ideas to steal/alter...that or watching Shia LeBeouf undress through his bedroom window.)


In the end, I just wanted to rant again. It was far too long and I think that's half the reason this rant is so long and rather dull. But I have a strong passion about all this. Its tough to get all my opinions and thoughts out on a page without going massively overboard. If anyone shares my opinion or disagrees with it, feel free to email me at babeandtheblob@gmail.com. I'll be happy to respond.