Dolores On The Dotted Line

I don't appreciate my literary and cinematic masterpieces messed with, even via an obvious Marilyn Manson music video.

First off, I don't care that 38-year-old Manson is dating one-step-from-20 actress Evan Rachel Wood (who was impressive in 13). Big deal. Plenty of pushing 40 (or older) musicians, actors, directors and dentists find new love with much younger women. Hell, Humphrey Bogart fell for Lauren Bacall when she was a fresh 19 to Bogie's 46. And let's not forget Charlie Chaplin, Roman Polanski, Oliver Reed, Elvis, and Jerry freaking Seinfeld who once dated a 17-year-old. Seriously, if Jerry's beat you in the shock department then you better re-think your idea of subversion.

But Manson and Wood seemingly love flaunting the age gap via her ubiquitous Lolita-esque heart shaped glasses and his new song and video (starring Manson and Wood), not surprisingly entitled, "Heart Shaped Glasses." Reportedly, the title inspired Manson after watching Kubrick's movie, in which a sunbathing Sue Lyon takes James Mason's breath away. A teeny-bopper vision in her bikini and heart shaped glasses, Lo's mother, played by Shelley Winters, memorably utters "my cherry pie" to Dolores Haze's smirky smile. Mason is immediately smitten.

It's a hilarious, subversively sexy and weirdly heartbreaking moment, and one so iconic that yes indeed, the film's poster used that very visage. We all know it. And though I'm going to give the 38-year-old Manson the benefit of the doubt by guessing he's probably seen Lolita before (honestly, if you know anything about movies, you went through Kubrick's canon by the age of 25, and for some of us by the age of yep, 19), I’m wondering--is the scene lost on him? Does he understand how much control Lolita will have over Humbert Humbert? Does he remember that Lolita's true love is Peter Sellers' Clare Quilty? Does he recall Lolita's hausfrau status at the end of the film (and novel) while she’s barely out of her teens? And the guilt and heartbreak Humbert feels for her (much more underscored in the book)?

And again, can he grasp the fact that in Nabokov's genius novel, his "light of my life, fire of my loins" was a mere 12-years-old? And in the movie, her age was raised to a scant 14? Though Humbert’s love for Lolita is more complex than just the desire for young flesh, Evan Rachel Wood would be yesterday's papers to Hum-Baby.

So the real point of this post? Methinks Manson needs to bone up on his Nabokov and Kubrick before throwing around his "edgy" Lolita references in regard to a young actress of legal age. And I know, I know. Lolita has become a common appellate to any woman vastly younger than her mate, regardless of her non pre pubescent status. And yes, it's a fantasy one indulges behind closed doors, or at strip clubs via exotic dancers donning the favorite and incredibly tired Catholic School Girl get-up. And yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm being way too literal concerning a music video that has barely anything to do with Nabokov or Kubrick. But, sorry. I'm just sick of those heart shaped glasses being worn by someone other than my beloved young Sue Lyon.

And while I'm not suggesting Manson should have sought out say, Dakota Fanning, I'm just saying that he's not achieving what he so desires--shock. Sure, sure. The video ends with coitus and blood! And he snaps photo's of his beloved in a speeding car while she holds a knife (which just made me think of that crazy and much more daring scene in Berry Gordy's Mahogany during which Anthony Perkins takes near death pictures of a terrified Diana Ross while their car is careening off the road). But it's so. damn. forced. And there's nothing provocative about forced shock.

Marilyn Manson needs to read more. The Annotated Lolita might explain a few things. And he should listen to some Nelson Riddle. The vastly sexier and strangely more dangerous “Lolita Ya-Ya” song is a good one to begin with. Let's all listen and watch, shall we?

Originally published at my blog entry at The Huffington Post

Comments

[theron]

Manson might need a lot of things, but one thing he definitely needs is to have his head examined. Not to take anything away from Ms. Wood, but Manson was married to a goddess. Maybe the problem was that they were married. Marriage is real; an affair with a teenager isn't...

[Felix]

WEll done Kim.

I've always found it funny how:

Young man dating older woman: Cool.
Older man dating younger woman: Perverse.

Woman teacher has affair with male student: Score... but perverted!
Male teacher has affair with female student: Disgusting! Hang the pig!

Kim, this is why I'm a fan of yours. You raise actual intelligent debates and subjects.

This is probably my favorite entry of yours so far... unless you make an entry honoring Steve McQueen.

[theron]

Also, if I'm not mistaken (which I may be), wasn't the character of Lolita symbolizing the English language? The whole point of the novel was Russian-born Nabokov expressing his relationship with his adopted language.

[Robert]

While Marilyn Mason is a negative creep, I do admire his original capacity at thumbing his nose at convention and authority while pissing off people who don’t understand him. Dudes got balls. I don’t particularly enjoy his music or own a MM CD and to stand back and look at his catalog, “The Beautiful People” was his only song with any rock value and that release was over ten years ago. Shock is all he has. It’s what he is famous for. Manson will never produce anything as musically significant as “Let It Bleed”, “Sergeant Pepper” or “Bitches Brew” and he knows this. He has based his whole career on the mantra of more shock and less rock. Most artists with any merit approach each new project with the goal of creating something new and fresh in the musical form. Manson has the same approach, however his goal is trying to come up with new and improved ways to shock. This latest and failed attempt to shock while aligning himself with the likes of Stanley Kubrick is forced, but ultimately it falls flat and makes him look foolish.

Manson can’t play the shock game forever. Shock minus musical talent will always fail. He should heed the warnings from Jane’s Addiction that “nothing’s shocking” and take what Bono Vox said to heart…“There’s nothing you can throw at me that I haven’t already heard.”

I share your views on the age gap difference when it comes to falling in love. Age is meaningless in the context of affairs of the heart. Just keep it above 16 (legally, 21 in my book) and all will be smooth sailing. Also, I never truly bought the fact that Humbert was in love with Lo. I know men are visual creatures and she is sexy as Hades, but doesn’t the object of anyone’s desire have to bring something to the “intellectual table” as well? I’m not calling Lolita dumb but it must be obvious to any viewer that these two people have nothing in common except lust “American Beauty” style and a massive “daddy complex.” Lust is one thing, love is something quite different, it’s deeper and more psychological than mere physical lust.

By the way Kim, “Coitus and Blood!” is a sweet name for a blog. ”Slowly Going Insane” does have a certain poetic imagery, but “Kim Morgan Presents “Coitus and Blood!” would be…shockingly good.

[Lola]

I... find May-December relationships hot. A friend of mine married our HS English teacher a few years after graduation. The only thing weird about it was getting used to calling her husband by his name and not Mr. Soandso.

But I agree with Robert - these relationships only work when it's real, not when it's forced for shock value (and it's not even shocking anymore).

I saw Lolita once... but I don't think I ever saw the end. I wonder if it's on OnDemand...

[Resolver]

Manson is a fraud, an appropriator selling recycled outrage to Middle America.

He's like Hot Topic is to an S&M store, or Hooters is to a strip joint.

Remember Stephen Colbert's term "truthiness," describing that which seems like truth but really isn't?

The following terms similarly apply to Manson:
"shockiness"
"outraginess"
"transgressiness"
"surrealliness"
"scandaliness"

I'm sure the whole business with Wood was dreamed up in a publicist's office. Made you look, didn't it?

[burritoboy]

"I know men are visual creatures and she is sexy as Hades, but doesn’t the object of anyone’s desire have to bring something to the “intellectual table” as well? I’m not calling Lolita dumb but it must be obvious to any viewer that these two people have nothing in common except lust “American Beauty” style and a massive “daddy complex.” Lust is one thing, love is something quite different, it’s deeper and more psychological than mere physical lust."

I'm not entirely certain Nabokov believes that love actually exists. There's not much in his fiction to indicate he takes the concept very seriously.

That said:
a. it's fairly clear that HH does not have the capability to love (at least, in any mature way).
b. Nabokov considers HH to be a fake intellectual. He's closer to Lola's intellect than HH is able to admit to himself.
c. You sure Nabokov believes that love is possible in America?

Manson........a fool repeating the racier aspects of Baudelaire's life (but not his artistry) 120 years too late. Manson shouldn't shock anyone born after 1860 or so.

[FJ Torres]

MM shocking? If and only if re-cycling Alice Cooper is shocking.

[Lola]

"Manson shouldn't shock anyone born after 1860 or so."

lol

[Kroesen]

I read that Marilyn Manson used James Camerons new 3D HD technology to shoot the video. In order to view the 3D effect you need to wear polarized glasses. Considering that the video is played on TV and the web thus negating the 3D effect why did he shoot it this way? He also mentions that there was his crew and then a 2nd crew that hated him. Any know from a technical standpoint why there needs to be two crews. Lastly great points about Kubrik and Lolita by Kim but the best point of all has to be this "Seriously, if Jerry's beat you in the shock department then you better re-think your idea of subversion."