The Artist Explains: Charlie Taylor - 'Bored'
Charlie Taylor talks to us about her surreal, vintage visuals for ,‘Bored’, which uses creepy, dark humour to explore the theme of being in a relationship with a partner who is vacant.
Where was the video for ‘Bored’ filmed?
’Bored’ was filmed in an amazing apartment in Beverly Hills called "The Graceland Inn." The owner of the space hand-decorated every last square inch with vintage furnishings and velvet fabric on the walls. It's a magical place and after weeks of location scouting, I discovered it and knew it was perfect for the video.
How does the video connect with the song?
I wrote ‘Bored’ one night after being stood up by a date. As I was entertaining myself in my own living room, still dressed up, I started waltzing around with my guitar. The lyrics started as a joke with myself, and they became progressively more honest. Once the song was recorded, I knew what the video needed to be. The idea of being bored and ignored by men manifested into visuals of me dragging around my "dead husband," trying to get him to participate in mundane domestic activities, like eating cake.
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share with us?
I am bad at asking for help, and all my life I've approached my art from a one-man perspective. When I decided to direct and act in this music video, I didn't anticipate how much work it was going to be. Because my vision felt so specific and personal, I didn't include anyone else in the pre-production. I went to every vintage store in town to find the perfect outfits. I dressed the set with vintage records and went through a hundred magazines until I found the perfect eyes and lips to cut out and tape to Evan's face. On the day of filming, I had a nervous melt-down just before I got to set. I didn't think I was going to pull it off. When I got there, I saw that my parents had both taken work off to surprise me and help. They had no idea what I was even filming, they just knew it was important to me. When I started dragging Evan around and trying to shove cake down his throat, I saw my dad's horrified face. It was really funny to me. I think it was in that moment that I realised people might think I'm crazy after they see this video.
Could you tell us about the ideas/ themes/ imagery used?
There was such a specific tone to this video for me. I wanted everything to reek of vintage golden hues, all things feminine as well as all things dark and twisted. I found a really creepy old record album cover of a doll. I cut a slit in the album so I could push my hand through (what looks like) the doll's mouth. As a director, I really love playing with concepts that are surreal without being high production. For instance, I loved how effective it was to simply tape on magazine eyes and lips to Evan to indicate that he was dead.
Is there a message the video is trying to convey?
I don't know if the video is a message, or more of just an experience. In a strange way, I never thought about what I wanted people would take away, or if they would like or hate it. It was really just a cathartic art project for me to express myself. I think most people have experienced what it feels like to be in a relationship with someone who is vacant, and thus it is the idea of dating a dead person. Is that too dark?
Interview by Karla Harris