Perils of Point of View: Placebo and Technology
Placebo is a fairly well-known band, and they certainly are not scared to test the waters on a number of taboo subjects. I want, however, to discuss their criticism of voyeurism, tracking, monitoring, artificial intelligence, paranoia (as studied through multiple points of view,” and stalking.
There’s no easy way to say that Placebo’s “Infra-red” is creepy. And that’s the point. Showing UV footage of people, in tandem with the line “You can run but you can’t hide / no one here gets out alive,” are startling. This song delves into the negative, and serious qualities inherent in stalking, voyeurism, and violence. While many people wear rose-colored glasses, Placebo are showing warning signs of technology even when it was slightly more than embryonic.
On the theme of voyeurism, these unsettling qualities also multiply to the idea of stalking. In “The Bitter End,” the line, “Reminds me of the second time / That I followed you home,” should surely strike fear in the listener. And for good reason — by writing about horrific things, they are trying to invite anyone who is listening about the dangers of technological advances: this is illustrated because the band plays on a giant satellite with access to a grid. Stalking becomes a part of a theme of toxic, horrific behavior that is either started by, or fully illustrated by technology.
“Too Many Friends,” is a great example of technology gone wrong. By communicating en masse the most human way how, Placebo is demonstrating an important concept — technology is actually distancing us further. With “too many friends,” one cannot keep track of people or form meaningful attachments.
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Lyrics that show this include:
“My computer thinks I’m gay / I threw that piece of junk away.”
“I got a reason to declaim / the applications are to blame / for all my sorrow / and my pain of feeling so alone.”
“My computer thinks I’m gay / What’s the difference, anyway? / When all that people do all day is stare into a phone”
Finally, Placebo’s latest album NEVER LET ME GO, is a great study of the perils of technology. Their analysis is also close to the bone — they discuss monitoring by politicians, and other positions of authority. This is a welcome discussion to approach, considering the fact that facts are “debatable,” and where we are being watched all the time as a means of keeping people in line. They ask important questions: why do they need this footage? What is the consequence of this? In their documentary NEVER LET ME GO, they discuss this further — showing videos unknowingly shot on film while interviewees talked. “Surrounded by Spies,” is just as the title suggests, and “Went Missing For a Living” is a harrowing song about how someone who has gone off the grid for safety. In reality, each of the songs on the album help to reinforce the idea of “control,” and lack of privacy.
These statements are welcome, important, and more memorable than an AI image.
