Black River Killer

Lyrics:

"It was just a little while past the Sunset Strip

They found the girl's body in an open pit

Her mouth was sewn shut, but her eyes were still wide

Gazing through the fog to the other side

They booked me on a whim and threw me deep in jail

With no bail, sitting silent on a rusty pail

Just gazing at the marks on the opposite wall

Remembering the music of my lover's call

So you make no mistake

I know just what it takes

To pull a man's soul back from heaven's gates

I've been wandering in the dark about as long as sin

But they say it's never too late to start again

Oh when, oh when

Will the spirit come a-callin' for my soul to send

Oh when, oh when

Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

It was dark as the grave, it was just about three

When the warden with his key came to set me free

They gave me five dollars and a secondhand suit

A pistol and a hat and a worn out flute

So I took a bus down to the Rio Grande

And I shot a man down on the edge of town

Then I stole me a horse and I rode it around

Til the sheriff pulled me in and sat me down

He said you make no mistake

I know just what it takes

To pull a man's soul back from heaven's gates

I've been wandering in the dark about as long as sin

But they say it's never too late to start again

Oh when, oh when

Will the spirit come a-callin' for my soul to send

Oh when, Oh when

Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

Well the sheriff let me go with a knife and a song

So I took the first train up to Oregon

And I killed the first man that I came upon

'Cause the devil works quick, you know it don't take long

Then I went to the river for to take a swim

You know that black river water is as black as sin

And I washed myself clean as a newborn babe

And then I picked up a rock for to sharpen my blade

Oh when, oh when

Will the spirit come a calling for my soul to send

Oh when, oh when

Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

Oh when, oh when

Will that black river water wash me clean again

Oh when, oh when

Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?"

This song by Blitzen Trapper is chilling, twisted, and undeniably malicious. The narrator repeatedly sets out into several different states simply to kill random individuals. No reason, just because. Yet each time, he seems to get caught by the Sheriff, who simply gives him a stern talking-to and then lets him on his way. Not once does he learn his lesson, that killing people is bad and against the law, but he does it maliciously, seeing each kill and return to freedom as his success.

Fear and Loathing.... and Failure

Named after and based on the novel written by Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas has to be one of the most qualified examples of malicious failure. The story begins as a reporter, Raoul Duke (Johnny Depp), and an attorney, Dr. Gonzo (Benicio Del Toro), head to Las Vegas to cover the Mint 400 motorcycle race. Without sparing much time, the real reason the two are heading into the desert is revealed: the trunk of their car is filled with countless psychoactive drugs, ranging in intensity from cocaine to andrenochrome, that the two plan to take full advantage of. Continuously throughout the movie, both Duke and Gonzo ingest more drugs than their bodies and minds can handle. Countless blackouts and destroyed hotel rooms result from their behavior. Despite the damage they have done, they still continue to do more and more drugs, caring less about the story or the race and more about their trip. They fail over and over just to experience their feeling of success.
Slightly ironic, the film was considered a massive box office failure.

Art Reflection

All art is an expression of an artist's ideas, opinions, and imaginations. Many artists choose to portray the angsty, rebelliousness of malicious failure. Banksy, a street artist from Bristol, UK, displays this theme throughout the majority of his artwork. Using incredibly distinctive stenciling graffiti techniques, Banksy creates pieces that expose the negative aspects of politics promoted by the mainstream media. His piece “CND Soldiers” shows the image of two soldiers wielding massive guns, clearly finding it important to guard their backs. Ironically, the soldiers are not fighting any war; they are simply painting a giant, red peace sign. They seem hasty, worrying less about drips or preciseness and more about the message they are shoving in everyone’s face. The soldiers choose to fail maliciously against their orders to make and support war and violence by displaying their utter cry for peace. Stefano Corso is a contemporary Italian photographer based in Rome. His photographs often capture many examples of urban surrealism as well as irony. In his photograph shown on the left, an airplane makes an immense statement. While in reality the airplane is massive, here it is shown bravely and defiantly approaching a seemingly gargantuan statue of an angel. Even as the angel stretches to signal the airplane to stop, it continues onward, despite its negative odds. It maliciously fails to comply with any command, despite its oppressor’s advantage. Both pieces of art successfully express the idea of malicious failure resulting in a skewed view of success.

Psychotic Girl - The Black Keys

The song "Psychotic Girl" is one of those songs that almost everyone who has ever been in a relationship can relate to; that is, if your lady is crazy and loves to make you miserable. The first words of the song express the true despair of a man stuck in a relationship like this:
"I heard you threw your man around
Pick him up just to let him down..."
The girl mentioned by Dan Auerbach, vocalist of The Black Keys, is nothing more than a malicious fiend, setting out to fail in a relationship and taking her victims' pain as her success.