Tim Burton rewatch! On the commentary track for Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Burton says he doesn’t think he could ever direct a music video. But he later directed three of them. “Here With Me” and “Bones” by the Killers, and “Blind Kings” by Chelsea Grin. I’m not a music expert, but let’s take a look and see what we can see.  

In “Here With Me,” a young man goes to some sort of underground theater/nightclub/circus, where he becomes enamored with a woman performing there (played by Winona Ryder). Sometimes she’s in human form, but she’s often portrayed as a mannequin. It’s in this form that we see the young man dating and romancing her. It ends on an odd note with the man and the woman transforming into candles, complete with lit wicks on their heads.

Because so many Burton characters are outsiders, unrequited love is a recurring theme in his work. And in fantasy, unrequited love can mean falling in love with a supernatural being of some kind. All this business with the mannequin, however, suggests that fantasy in this case exists in this young man’s mind. What’s with the ending, then? Fantasy and reality meet halfway, making a happy ending of sorts. At least that’s my guess.

Next is “Bones.” A young couple (one of whom is played by Devon Aoki) enjoys a night at the drive-in, watching clips from classic films on the big screen while the Killers play in front of it. The couple then become part of the movies they watch. Throughout all this, both the couple and the band members periodically peel off their own skin to reveal their skeletons underneath. The song’s lyrics, about wanting to touch each other so deeply you can feel bone, is aggressively, uncomfortably sexual. But I wonder if it’s also romantic, about truly understanding our partners on a deep emotional level.

Then there’s Burton’s direction. My whole thesis about his work isn’t about the fantasy worlds he creates, but it’s about the real world always trying to break through the fantasy. In “Bones,” we have a young couple who escape the real world and become part of the movies they watch. But escapism can only go so far before they reveal their skeletons – their true selves – to one another.

That brings us to “Blind Kings.” Are we certain this was directed by Burton? All signs point to yes, but this is the least Burton-y thing I’ve seen on this rewatch so far. I know director David Lynch directs a lot of non-Lynchian TV commercials for extra income and to keep up with the newest filmmaking tech. Maybe that’s the case for Burton here. Or maybe he just wanted to make a Western. Because oh boy is this a Western.

The premise here is simple. The guys in the band are cowboys, doing all the cowboy things. Horseback riding, gunfights, saloon brawls, you name it. These rockers are clearly having fun living out their cowboy fantasies, another case of the bizarre thing where rockers want to go country while country musicians want to play rock. I don’t know that images such as cowboys riding across the prairie at sunset match the song’s fast pace and growling-yelling-screeching vocals, but it’s amusing enough to keep non-fans interested.

Next: His skin was pale, and his eye was odd.

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