Dark Deviations: TV On the Radio’s “Wolf Like Me”
The language and aesthetics of horror are all around us and seem to pop up when we least expect it. “Dark Deviations” is Haunted MTL‘s dive into those moments.
TV On the Radio
First of all, sit back, relax, and enjoy one hell of a song.
TV on the Radio is an indie rock band from Brooklyn that hit the scene around 2001. The current line-up consists of Tunde Adebimpe, David Andrew Sitek, Kyp Malone, and Jaleel Bunton. Gerard Smith, the bassist at the time of the release of “Wolf Like Me,” would later succumb to lung cancer in 2011.
TV on the Radio’s sound is eclectic. Some of the acts the band claims influence include Earth, Wind & Fire, Brian Eno, the Pixies, Prince, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.
“Wolf Like Me” was the first single from their album Return to Cookie Mountain.
Werewolves
Werewolves are a fairly common trope in music. Clearly Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” immediately come to mind. There are other great songs that touch on themes of lycanthropy. The Cramps’ “I Was A Teenage Werewolf,” Ozzy Osbourne’s “Bark At The Moon,” and First Aid Kits’ “Wolf” are some great examples.
Lycanthropy can be defined in a few different ways. Most common is the folkloric concept of humans undergoing transformation into bestial forms. Often this is a wolf-like transformation. However, we see lycanthropy displayed in all sorts of forms across literature and folklore. Asia, in particular, has several instances of werecats.
But really, it is all about the werewolf in the context of western media.
“Wolf Like Me” and Lycanthropy
Both the song and video for “Wolf Like Me” use tropes of lycanthropy for metaphorical purposes. Particularly key to the song is the association of werewolves being a release. The chorus states this pretty clearly:
My mind has changed
My body’s frame, but, God, I like it
My heart’s aflame
My body’s strained, but, God, I like it
We see instances of inhibitions being released in the video. Examples include the car-ride, the dancing at the club, and finally the girl biting the lead male.
That of course also evokes one of the more… interesting associations of lycanthropy; that of lust. Werewolves are second only to vampires when it comes to being objects of desire. I mean, a search of Wattpad really showcases this.
Is lust all over that video?
How about in the song itself?
Dream me, oh dreamer
Down to the floor
Open my hands and let them
Weave onto yours
Feel me, completer
Down to my core
Open my heart and let it
Bleed onto yours
Feeding on fever
Down all fours
Show you what all that
Howl is for … a, yep. Check.
Wrap it up
TV on the Radio is not really a horror band. They’ve got a wide variety of amazing tracks and a song about werewolves isn’t entirely out of their stylings. Even still, “Wolf Like Me” is just one of those little offbeat tracks by an offbeat band that would be a great addition to any horror fan’s playlist. It evokes werewolves, and we think that is awesome.
So here is our last installment of our AI journey exploring the idea of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad wolf being one and the same. All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva. Feel free to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of this exploration if you missed them.
A non sequitur I know, but I couldn’t resist. If you picked up where we left off you’ll get it.
Seriously?! Again with the cropped off head cop out…
Finally! That was a journey. And not even worth the result, in my opinion.
Anyway, here is a bonus montage I made out of a bunch of additional Red Riding Hood prompts for an article that never happened…
Prompts for Montage:
1.) What if Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf were one and the same being?
2.) Her wolf face peering out of her red cloak, fangs dripping with the blood of another victim, lost in the forest and never found.
3.) Little Red Riding Hood closes in for the kill, lunging from her red cloak, her wolf fangs dripping with blood.
4.) I am Little Red Riding Hood. I am the Big Bad Wolf. I am coming for you.
5.) Howling within, the rage sears forth from the red cloak, discarded in the deep woods. Red Riding Hood succumbs to the lycanthropy.
6.) Heaving breaths. Dripping blood. Red Riding Hood is not what she appears. She is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
7.) Her red cloak masks the fangs hidden below the surface.
8.) It starts with a long sighing breath. Waiting. The wolf within stirs.
9.) Red Riding Hood trembles. She succumbs to the lycanthropy.
10.) The wolf bursts forth from within. It takes over Little Red Riding Hood’s mind, her body, her being.
11.) Red Riding Hood howls. She is ravenous with hunger for blood. The wolf within has taken over. Mind, spirit, body. She feasts on the blood of the moon.
12.) Big Bad Wolf Red Riding Hood ravenous blood moon feast
13.) Blood moon beckons. I. Little Red Big Bad Riding Hood Wolf. Freedom howling night curse.
14.) Beware. Bewolf. BeRedRidingHood. Betwixt. Beyond.
15.) I pad quietly as the forest dissolves around me. Red Riding Hood and Wolf, one and the same.
16.) Wolf within howling dark recesses of the mind, Red Riding Hood lost
17.) Red Riding Hood HOWL wolf bane true existence polymorph within-and-without.
18.) Red howl Riding Wolf dark existence brooding within
So thank you for joining us on another AI art journey. You can still catch the last AI art journey on Haunted MTL here. To see more such devolutions into AI generated art, check out the Will the Real Jennifer Weigel Please Stand Up? blog.
Continuing our AI journey from last time exploring Little Red Riding Hood herself as the Big Bad Wolf… All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva.
How very… Phantom of the Opera predatory… this is definitely not what I had in mind. Maybe something more cutesy?
Ugh. Maybe not.
Wow, that seems like such a cop out, cropping off the head so you don’t have to depict it. And I don’t want to lose the Little Red Riding Hood reference completely.
So no surprise there, I knew that was too many references to work.
And we continued to devolve, join us again next week for the final installment to see how this ended… And again, if you want to catch the last AI art journey, you can find it on Haunted MTL here. To see more such devolutions into AI generated art, check out the Will the Real Jennifer Weigel Please Stand Up? blog.
And as promised in Big Bad Poetry, we shall embark on our next AI journey, this time looking at Little Red Riding Hood. I had wanted to depict her as the Big Bad Wolf one and the same, although maybe not so big nor bad. But it just wasn’t happening quite as planned. All of these are based upon the AI generated art and prompts using NightCafe and then created as posters in Canva.
So I actually like this even better than my original vision, it is playful and even a bit serene (especially given the Sinister style). The wolf is just being a wolf. It’s quite lovely, really. But it wasn’t what I had in mind, so I revisited the idea later to see if I could get that result…
Well, that’s not quite right…
Yeah more of the same…
And as you can see this is starting to devolve quickly. Join us again next week to see how this continued to develop… And if you want to catch the last AI art journey, you can find it on Haunted MTL here. To see more such devolutions into AI generated art, check out the Will the Real Jennifer Weigel Please Stand Up? blog.
