Smashed

Friday is my music video night on Rage. Not because I’m a music nut but purely because it’s on late and ABC TV is my choice of accompaniment as I wade thru the weekly backlog of unread news inserts - Media, IT, Motor, that sort of stuff.

First though I have to mute the insufferable Will Anderson and his tired old routine of political sniping. Hey Will, my advice to you mate is, start_drinking. Heavily.

Drinking. For the last few weeks on Rage they’ve run an incredible clip which captivates me as soon as I hear it. So mesmerising is the music and storyline I never seem to catch the artist’s name or song title.

It opens in the early evening. A young caucasian woman going home from work - it may be New York - stops at a liquor store. She’s middle class I guess and dressed as a regular looking young professional. Kind of pretty, made-up face yet nothing special.

Anyway, she proceeds to purchase two carry-bags of hard liquor and heads home to her walk-up apartment. Immediately upon entering she cracks open a can of beer, considers it briefly and downs it. Next she goes to the lounge room, sits down and flicks the top off a large bottle of vodka, or gin and starts chugaluging it. She’s on a mission.

Over the top of this a guy croons a slow groove ballad, hypnotic and ethereal with the chorus line, ‘I’ve been thinking about you baby..’.

Soon she’s on to her second bottle whilst slowly shedding items of clothing around the apartment. Next she’s sitting on the toilet chuggaluging another bottle of clear liquor before watching some television through bleary eyes, cradling a large cocktail glass. Just for a change I guess.

Staggering back to the kitchen wearing only briefs and a top, she’s greeted by a table bearing four large empty bottles. Slumping precariously onto a chair she struggles to comprehend it all, after bingeing through the lot with a calculated vengeance. Lost love is the theme with her misery now complete.

The music’s beautifully paced against the woman’s slow alcoholic destruction. The camera elicits a certain voyeuristic fascination, contrasting the apartment’s softly lit comforts with her fearless and breathtaking indulgence.

By now she’s absolutely shit-faced, barely conscious. Rising from the kitchen chair, she dresses and inexplicably goes back out into the night ! Stumbles across the road, staggers down the sidewalk, brushes off an accosting sleazebag before entering a dimly-lit park.

There she finds a bench and gingerly lays down on her back, staring off into the night sky with the stupid grin of a smashed drunk. Mission accomplished. The clip segues to her tumbling endlessly down a circular staircase with no bottom, then fades to black with Barber’s strings overlaid, or something similarly funereal.

It’s a beautifully balanced piece, with the protagonist’s role convincingly played by a professional who’s obviously done some serious character preparation on binge drinking. Scary yet enthralling.

So, I’m wondering if anyone knows this clip and can tell me who’s it by...

UPDATE : Doh ! Googling for Rage unearthed the tune. It's called Live With Me, Massive Attack's latest single. Full video or interruptus version.

UPDATE 2 : Reader Herman finds the actress, 'I wasn't acting, I was really drunk'.

Comments

[Nick Thomson]

Wow!!! Jesus, that struck a chord. All I can sya is that I haven't had a music video knock me for a six in awhile.

[Jo]

Geeeeeze... how sad is she. She certainly doesn't mind a drink, not that I don't mind one myself although bourbon is my preferred choice. Don't think I could drink a whole bottle before going out though, don't think I would even make it to the front door let alone the park bench.

[travis B]

lettuce,fancy you accusing someone else of making political comment(pot calling the kettle black)

[sTeph]

who would have thunk it? You're a Massive Attack fan!

[Nick]

I am back again. I have a freind who just went to rehab here in the U.S. Her boyfriend sent her there. She was putting away as much as a quart of vodka everyday. She is only 32. Some drink to remember , some drink to forget. Cliched... Sorry...

Anyway don't generally post twice but that song rocked.

[a]

I'm a huge massive attack fan, and i'm also going through a very difficult breakup, lubricated by alcohol - though not quite to that extent. i hadn't seen that video yet or heard the song. it really had an effect on me. thanks.

[Herman8]

Great song, great video....very haunting.

Found an article here;

Looks like a dreadful newspaper!

[adrian]

Well done Herman, great get! As she says, a tragic short film.

'a', Go easy on yourself mate, people who love you care. Have faith.