Karina’s Capsule: Filipino Prison “Thriller”
When I first become aware of a funny YouTube clip that’s been making the rounds, I rarely watch it more than once, but I can’t stop watching this Filipino-prisoners-doing-”Thriller” thing. Obviously, I’m not the only one–as of Sunday morning, the clip has been viewed over 553,000 times, which means it’s been seen about 550,000 times since I discovered it via Boing Boing on Friday. What makes a video like this so sticky, and why am I, a cynic who is usually fairly resistant to the lure of globalism kitsch, totally helpless in the face of its charms?
I think first we have to throw Michael Jackson out of the equation. I’m not going to say that the well for Michael Jackson jokes has completely, conclusively dried up, but I do think Keith Olbermann’s use of puppet reenactments during Jackson’s child molestation trial brought the idea of Jacko-as-walking-joke full circle.
This video isn’t funny because the inmates are emulating Michael Jackson specifically (though some of their choreography is certainly lifted straight from John Landis’ epic music video, the inmate coded as the protagonist also seems to throw in some moves of his own), and even if they were, it’s probable that Jackson’s products have the ability to move through other cultures free of the baggage of his personal problems.
There’s a small genre of Thriller spoof clips on YouTube, such as this version done in Lego, and this Bollywood take made for Indian TV. I don’t think the Filipino clip really fits into that genre; those videos seem to be more about faithfully recreating a classic with a winking conceptual twist.
The pleasure those videos produce is located in their rendition of the familiar; Filipino prisoner “Thriller” is much more about the element of surprise. The fact that a video exists of Filipino prisoners performing “Thriller” is itself a surprise; the fact that they’re so good at it is another. And there are little moments of shock all throughout, some generated by the performers, others by the impeccably timed camera work. From the first shot, you understand that the prisoner in the halter top seen from behind has to be a man, but there’s no substitute for seeing her spin around and being able to behold her full-on, tranny streetwalker weirdness.
This clip apparently represents a kind of Filipino prison tradition–there are several other videos on YouTube of inmates from the same prison performing choreographed renditions of American pop songs en masse. So why would this one catch on with viral video watchers, instead of, say, CPDRC Inmates doing the Sister Act?
I have to conclude that it’s in no small part due to the fact that these guys are really good at pretending to be zombies, and considering that it’s quite possible a portion of this group have been incarcerated for murder, rape and/or other violent crimes, the skill with which they mimic the undead is incredibly frightening. The sheer visceral experience of watching actual criminals enact some kind of zombie prison rape in homage to Western culture? That tops any experience I’ve had on YouTube … this week.
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WOW…. Michael Jackson is the most famous entertainer ever…
Brandon - Slovakia on July 23rd, 2007 at 2:37 am - Permalink
[...] still writing a weekly column for NewTeeVee. Recent installments: Filipino Prisoner “Thriller”, The West Side, and Next to [...]
Vidiocy » BlahBlahBlah Self-Promotion on July 23rd, 2007 at 5:42 am - Permalink
[...] Obviously Michael Jackson is internationally recognized and his music can transfer and transcend cultures. The best part is at 4:15 when the prisoners turn into [...]
Philippino Prisoners Dance To Thriller « Sarah Meyers on July 23rd, 2007 at 7:11 am - Permalink
The end of the prison version is quite creepy.
Don’t forget about the wedding version: http://youtube.com/watch?v=OPmYbP0F4Zw.
Chris Akahvan on July 23rd, 2007 at 10:01 am - Permalink
So what ad agency do you think is behind this one? And what products are they pushing? Its far too professionally choreographed to be a bunch of misfits!
Chris Gilmer on July 23rd, 2007 at 3:58 pm - Permalink
hey karina, saw ur article during the daily morning reads and had to make this for you.. and yes, i did actually make this for you:
“evolution of filipino dance”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e4Dc-Qc1dM
joe on July 23rd, 2007 at 6:52 pm - Permalink
wow joe. just wow.
Liz Gannes on July 23rd, 2007 at 7:42 pm - Permalink
They were our political colony since Spanish American War in 1989. Looks like our culture is still messing with their penal colonies.
Stuart Gannes on July 24th, 2007 at 6:04 am - Permalink
All this is really a part of their exercise routine.
‘Inmates at the CPDRC are required to go through a workout regimen. While the goal is to keep the body fit in order to keep the mind fit, such may not actually happen if it is not done in a manner deemed pleasurable. Music, being the language of the soul, is added to that regimen,’
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/static/ceb/2006/07/07/oped/byron.f..garcia.consultant.on.security.cebu.provincial.government..html
Beth Loggins on July 25th, 2007 at 2:59 pm - Permalink
[...] store, a sign on one shelf reads “Zombies are the new pirates.” From Zombie Flanders to the Philippines to Cannes to the Wii to New York Times Bestsellers, zombies are in the zeitgeist like a macabre [...]
NewTeeVee Friday Vid Picks: Zombies! « on August 10th, 2007 at 11:41 am - Permalink
it is all sick sick sick that we treat people this way. people in prison are not animals in a zoo and are not entertainment. we can view this clip with a post-modern distance of ‘isn’t it nuts that micheal jackson is so well known, the world is truly flat, that takes me back to when i was in grade school’ - or we can wonder at the monsters we have become, and at the fact that we are beyond privileged to watch this and believe in our pop culture as a thing important
dan on October 2nd, 2007 at 9:43 pm - Permalink
Michael jackson is my best artist in the world and he will always remain the best to me
mogambo on November 7th, 2007 at 10:24 am - Permalink
Zombie Culture…maybe YouTube is symptomatic of the new evolution.
peter mantello on January 13th, 2008 at 5:22 pm - Permalink
Nice Article !!! Very Informative Indeed.
BTW…Philippine Recruitment Agency for abroad is the name of the search facility that I’ve developed. It specifically designed to enable Filipinos to find jobs abroad.
Try it out - http://philippinerecruitmentagency.co.nr
Joe Davis on May 24th, 2008 at 11:17 am - Permalink