Side Effects
This audio/visual piece is from a seminar I taught, as my contribution to the class’s creative output. In this class, called Devised Performance, we use written word- in this instance, Don DeLillo’s novel, White Noise- as the inspiration for new creative works. Thematic elements from the novel become the basis for mixed media creative works including music, sound, video, and visual art pieces.
White Noise is a dark and wickedly funny, yet deadly serious novel that is a critique of a whole smattering of modern social and cultural phenomena. (One of DeLillo’s biggest targets being academia, which is why it’s a fun novel to teach in a university.) The plot revolves around the middle-aged protagonists finding a mysterious and experimental new drug called Dylar, which cures the fear of dying (of which they are obsessed and terrified). But as is often the case, a cure also comes with a host of side effects.
One day after a class meeting I was eating at the supermarket cafeteria down the hill from campus. On the muted TV there was a prescription drug commercial displaying the voice-over in big closed captions: “Hair loss. Dizziness. Nausea and vomiting.” And on and on; Side effects writ large. Seeing these displayed plainly in print only amplified the inherent dread of each.
White Noise is obsessed with the modern supermarket, TV, tabloid media, and manufactured food products. My moment in the supermarket cafeteria, eating pre-packaged sushi, felt too appropriate to the novel to ignore. And thus, this little piece was born.
It takes surprisingly little video editing to turn a prescription drug commercial into a dystopian hallucination. It’s less a reimagining or remix than a slight reframing of the not-so-latent horrors of the imagery and messages embedded in the commercials. (…And my not so subtle sound is nudging it in a certain direction…)
My research for this piece consisted of watching way too many archived drug commercials, transcribing their never-ending lists of side effects. This is research that leaves one feeling sort of odd after a long session.
This piece is not meant to demean illness, the very real pain people experience, and the treatments we seek. But rather a statement on the marketing and sales pitch that big pharma bombards us with, and a questioning of the complicated relationship between helping people, and the drive for profit.
Changes in behavior, Hostility, Agitation, Depressed mood, Allergic or serious skin reactions, Swelling of face mouth throat, Rash, Nausea, Trouble sleeping and vivid unusual or strange dreams, Use caution when driving or operating machinery
Vomiting, Hair loss
Aggressiveness agitation hallucinations or confusion, Allergic reactions such as tongue and throat swelling occur rarely (and may be fatal)
Unpleasant taste headache dizziness, Morning drowsiness
Increased rick of death (or stroke), High fever, stiff muscles and confusion, Uncontrollable muscle movements, Increased cholesterol, weight gain, decreased white blood cells, Dizziness on standing, seizures, trouble swallowing and impaired judgment or motor skills.
Chest pain, shortness of breath, diarrhea, severe stomach pain or tenderness, severe nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue constipation excessive thirst or urine swollen ankles loss of appetite rash itching headache confusion hallucinations muscle or joint pain. Flushing, fever or weakness
These are not all the possible side effects