” he says. But he is completely serious about the ideas behind his work. Britney's Womaniser, in particular, fulfilled his working philosophy. With several nods to Toxic, their massively successful 2004 video, it also has a stylized verve all its own as Britney (mainly naked in the beginning) transforms into several personalities - office vamp, waitress, chauffeur - to uncover her boyfriend's unfaithfulness. The bewildered chap is zapped from one scenario to another, and the cartoon-like rollercoaster quality is breathtaking.
So how does he manage to deliver something the audience want, but not what they expect, in a Britney video when the marketing pressure must be intense? "You try to figure out what everyone’sagenda is, then filter that information and turn it into as radical a package as possible, with a feeling for the pop Culture,” he explains.
“(Britney) wanted specifically to do a sequel to Toxic. I had to process that, and address the two main problems -the boring stuff about how to do it in two days on a limited budget. |
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And then the fun stuff: why does she want to do this? You realise there's a pulse going on there - about not trusting boyfriends. Then you figure out how she comes through as a strong person."
Kahn refuses to underestimate the power and cultural significance of pop - which leads to a somewhat unlikely reference-point. "A pop song doesn't just sound good- it relates. Why is Britney so popular? She sings about things that girls, and gay guys, relate to. Song is ultimately storytelling and has been going on a long time. Something like Beowulf - they weren't just telling that story, they were singing it.”
He goes on to explain that working with Eminem works rather differently - thereby avoiding any comparisons with medieval literature. We Made You was another sequel of sorts to a previous 2002 collaboration, the Grammy-winning Without Me - a scabrous, cartoony satire on pop and celebrity culture, with Eminem playing numerous characters himself. |
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