Nothing is Shit Anymore

One of Tony Soprano's refrains is, "Everything turns to shit," which I find highly compelling. But there is a countervailing tendency to re-imagine cultural products in such a way that they are stripped of their gloom. Think of the British "Office" vs. the American "Office." The U.K. version is pretty emphatic about the inescapable shittiness of life. The U.S. version is so much sunnier that it's barely recognizable.

SPOILER ALERT - DO NOT READ FURTHER AND DO NOT WATCH THE VIDEO IF YOU HAVEN'T READ INFINITE JEST

This came to mind when I watched the Decemberists' video for their new "Calamity Song":



To me, this video feels very appealing, but it also feels like a violation. I want to grab the Decemberists and shake them and tell them to read the fucking book. Again, if necessary. This is not Infinite Jest. This is not Eschaton.

But the video does appear to capture what Colin Meloy says he was going for:

Despite the grim stakes that are implied by Eschaton, Mr. Meloy said there was "almost a 'Looney Tunes' aspect" to the "Calamity Song" video. He made the case that its spirit of "hilarious chaos" was exactly what was needed in a time that sometimes feels as uneasy as the one Wallace envisioned in "Infinite Jest."

"There’s this kind of resigned dark humor that people can hold onto," Mr. Meloy said. "It can be a moment of levity. Whether or not we are really moving into the end times, I think is hard to say, but at least we can have a sense of humor as we go down."

I don't have any real insight here. This tendency to turn everything sunny and rounded and safe seems like a noble impulse with horrible results. In other words, it is like liberalism from the conservative perspective. And still, I find the video almost irresistible. Who wouldn't want to live in the world of Infinite Jest as depicted in this video?

Well, so, I'm incoherent, but anyway I think the book and the video speak for themselves, so hopefully this post isn't wasted.