Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right

[This post contains spoilers from “Reservoir Dogs”]

   God save the 70s, ladies and gentlemen. Four years before “Afternoon Delight” reached the top of the US Hot 100, another song was unexpectedly elbowing its way through the chart’s Top 10. The tune was the legendary “Stuck in the Middle With You” [1.], and its popularity totally surprised the Scottish band, Stealers Wheel, who were relying on “Late Again” and “You Put Something Better Inside Me” as the singles on their album.

   It’s common knowledge that Gerry Rafferty, guitarist and lead vocalist along with Joe Egan, didn’t hold the music industry in such high esteem (to say the least); so it’s not surprising at all that some of their songs depict such a decayed world through the use of very obvious, almost brazen lyrics. Within these satirical songs there’s “Stuck in the Middle With You”. The hit was born after a pre-signing dinner, which, in words of Rafferty, felt “like one of those scenes from the Last Supper” (I’m pretty sure you already know by now who the clowns and jokers are, don’t you?). “A few days later, Joe and I wrote this humorous little ditty, never thinking it would go to No.1 in America”.

   The structure of the song is a very simple one: four chords distributed in one verse and one bridge, which are repeated a few times throughout the course of the piece. This simplicity, far from resulting in a monotonous, repetitive trip (trip, the 70s, hilarious), is what makes the hit such an admirable composition. The only bands I thought could transform a simple rhythm into a masterpiece are Free (please, take a look at “Ride On a Pony”) and AC/DC.

   If you’re a part of this marvelous place called Western society you know about Quentin Tarantino and his blood-y passion for the ancient practice of mutilation. Sadism aside, Tarantino is one of the greatest contemporary movie directors and writers. The film-maker has shown his potential since the very beginning of his career with the film responsible for the awakening of my love for cinema: Reservoir Dogs (1992). Every single minute of footage is a piece of art. Every single one. It started as an attempt by Tarantino to make the most minimalist project ever imagined: a jewellery heist occurred off camera and loads of brilliant dialogues which can take place on a single set. Again, simplicity wins the game, and the first relationship between the song and the movie gets established.

   Meet Mr.Blonde, one of the most deranged, merciless characters Tarantino has ever created (Michael Madsen, an impeccable casting choice). He’s the star of a scene so iconic that almost everybody will have probably seen it [2.], whether in isolation or parodied by The Simpsons [3.]. The scene starts off with a kidnapped policeman, who has been unfortunately left alone with Mr. Blonde. Tape on hand, the yellow dog announces what is going to happen: “Listen kid, I'm not gonna bullshit you, all right? I don't give a good fuck what you know, or don't know, but I'm gonna torture you anyway, regardless”. Mr. Blonde points to the officer with his gun just to mock him and turns the radio on. After a brief introduction from a fictional DJ called K-Billy (voiced by Steven Wright, by the way), “Stuck in the Middle With You” starts to play (Just as an anecdote, it ‘was’ a common practice among US military personnel to play some music before and during torture sessions at prisons in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo).

   Let’s go with proven facts first. Tarantino chose Stealer Wheel’s hit thoroughly. He explains himself in Jeff Dawson’s book “Quentin Tarantino: The Cinema of Cool”: “The [torture] scene would not be as disturbing without that song because you hear the guitar strain, you get into it, you go "Yeah, yeah," and you're tapping your toe and you're enjoying Michael Madsen enjoying his dance and then voom! it's too late, and you're a co-conspirator”. Also, in an interview in Rolling Stone magazine he said: "That was one of those things where I thought [the song] would work really well [...] The first time somebody actually did the torture scene to that song, the guy didn't even have a great audition, but it was like watching the movie. I was thinking, 'Oh my God, this is gonna be awesome!' ". So on the one hand, our lovely director wants the viewer to be an accomplice in the atrocity. On the other hand, he found the fact that the cheerful soft-rock song (sorry for the labels) played while torture was being carried out just majestic. And here, to this second part, is where I wanted to arrive: the wonder of the complete opposite.

   The contrast between what we’re seeing and what we’re listening is so striking that it literally blows up your brain (this is one of those times when you use the word ‘literally’ but of f*cking course you don’t mean it). You’re enjoying the sound of “Stuck in the Middle With You” while watching Mr. Blonde rip off the defenseless officer’s ear with total brutality; so, your cognitive system is not capable of processing both pieces of information at once, making you feel completely shocked. Without a doubt, Tarantino is one of the most meticulous guys when it comes to his work. That’s what makes him one of the biggest. That’s why I love him so much. 


[1.] Stealers Wheel's Stuck in the Middle With You
[2.] Torture Scene
[3.] The Simpsons' Parody