Saturday, April 19, 2008

The Siren: Brendan Fraser in the Underworld


The last great wave of music video revolved around the Techno movement of the late 90s. It was a musical revolution that never really came, but it marked the use of computer technology coming into its own in the service of video spots. Oftentimes, the videos were much more interesting than the songs they accompanied.


This video - "Lifeforms" by the Future Sounds of London - is fascinating for two reasons. First of all, it reflects an aesthetic that reminds me of Synchromystic philosophy in general, and some of the video work that Jake Kotze and Steve Willner have done in particular. It calls to mind the Entheological worldview, something that was certainly compatible with the rave culture that spawned videos such as this.

Second of all, the video itself is yet another piece in a real-life Synchromystic manifestation I've chronicled on the Secret Sun, that being the tragic romance of Elizabeth Fraser and Jeff Buckley, and how the Siren archetype played into that drama. This song came out around the same time Buckley and Fraser began their relationship and hearing her glossolalia accompany yet more underwater imagery on the single version of this song (which can be seen here) is chilling in hindsight. 

The constant repetition of the Siren archetype in relation to Fraser in general, and to Fraser and Buckley's relationship in particular would almost be ridiculous, had the story's end not been so heartbreaking.

 

Speaking of Steve Willner, his latest videos touch upon the very rich symbolic strands of Brendan Fraser's career. Brendan Fraser seems to be the symbolic counterpoint to the real-life dramas of Elizabeth Fraser - his eternally resurrecting Osiris to her eternally mourning Isis.

In the above clip from 2001's Monkeybone, Fraser plays a comatose cartoonist named Stu Miley who descends into the underworld after a car accident on a rain soaked street highly reminiscent of Osiris' journey to death on the Nile - or Jeff Buckley's journey to death on the Mississsippi. There Fraser meets Miss Kitty, played by Marilyn Manson's former squeeze (and TV witch) Rose McGowan.

The Bast-resonating Kitty is decked out not only with an ankh, but a revealing top decorated with the falcon form of Horus and his Sun Disk. Extremely strange attire in the context of the story, but a perfect foreshadowing of Stu's resurrection. Stu is the pet form of Stuart, which recalls the Scottish House of Stuart, whose restoration to the British throne was a cause celebre for certain Masonic sects. Almost predictably, Stu's companion/alter ego/Id is a Thoth-resonating primate.

Speaking of water, Irish legend has it that Saint Brendan crossed the Atlantic Ocean with 17 other monks. The name Brendan means "Prince," which of course Horus is. So we have fresh evidence here of Egyptian Mystery symbolism having an influence on the early Celtic church.

I still have to finish up the Eloah-Isis-Beth Fraser series, even though the entire story has been told. If you haven't yet, check out the posts in chronological order. The appearance of archetypes from the ancient dramas makes the heart-rending synchronicity of the story all the more compelling to me. When I lay it all out in bullet point format I hope you guys will agree.