According to Weintraub, "Real autobiography is a weave in which self-consciousness is delicately threaded throughout interrelated experience." (Weintraub 824) It is not until the very end of, "Stan," that we get to listen to Marshall Mathers rap through a persona that is not Stan. It is here that the wisdom gained by Marshall throughout his lifetime living as Slim Shady is imparted to himself. When Marshall tells him, "You got some issues Stan I think you need some counselin, to help your ass from bouncin' off the walls When you get down some," he is reaching out to himself and trying to impart advice on how he should deal with problems instead of turning to drugs and other addictions. Marshall also says, "I really think you and your girlfriend need each other Or maybe you just need to treat her better," he is talking about his own relationship and how he believes that he should treat his spouses better and look to them for support rather than wanting to murder them.
What makes "Stan" an autobiography is that Marshall is able to impart the wisdom he has gained after a lifetime of trauma and living as Slim Shady and apply it to his actions of the past throughout his life. The interesting element is that in the song, Stan still drives the car over the bridge, killing himself and his entire family. It suggests that although Marshall knows everything he needs to do to fix his life, ultimately the path he is going down he has no control over and will result in the destruction of everything he loves. The soft expletive "damn" at the very end of the song does not express frustration or anger at the situation, it seems to suggest a quiet realization and acceptance that this is the path his life will take and he has no control over it.
This would ultimately ring very true as years later he would be brought into a hospital after a large overdose on drugs that put him two hours away from his own death. Despite being able to recognize the knowledge an autobiographical look at one's life affords the autobiographer, he feels powerless to apply it.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Mirrors in Music Videos
Mirrors are a common theme in the music videos of Eminem
The first sighting of a mirror in "Stan" is when Stan is looking in the mirror and imagining himself as Slim Shady looking back. A blurry view of Slim Shady can be seen posing back at him. This represents Marshall's initial desire to become Slim Shady, but his unclear vision as to exactly what that meant. He felt that he wanted to be something different than what he was, a stronger persona, but was still unclear as to exactly what that Slim Shady character would become.
The second sighting of a mirror in "Stan" is when Stan is driving his car and continuously looks in the rear view mirror to see his own reflection staring back at him while a picture of Slim Shady hung underneath the mirror in the window. The idea of looking into a rear view mirror and seeing himself represents the idea that when Marshall looks to the past (rear view mirrors show you where you have already been) Marshall Mathers is looking him back in the face. However, the future he is looking toward (when he looks forward out the window to what's coming he sees the picture of Slim Shady) is one dominated by Slim Shady. Because he drives his car over a bridge and kills himself and his entire family it represents that driving toward the future of becoming Slim Shady leads to destruction every time. After Stan crashes his car into the water he and his entire family are dead, but a shot of the picture still intact is shown. In order for Slim Shady to survive and keep living, Marshall needed to die. It shows that Slim Shady will ultimately win out over Marshall if that is the direction his life takes. Marshall does not stand a chance.
The final use of mirrors in "Stan" is the final scene when Slim Shady (played by Marshall Mathers) is writing back to Stan on his tour bus. He has the knowledge to help Stan and is imparting it upon him. He is very calm and seems in complete control of knowing how to live a good life. However, the final scene is a lightning strike and the reflection in the bus window is of Stan. This reflection represents that no matter how in control Marshall may think he is in of his life, the part of him that longs to be Slim Shady will always exist. He will always battle the demons of wanting to do drugs, live by impulse, forget about his family, and slip into oblivion. The reflection of Stan at the end is indicative of this idea.
In the video for, "When I'm Gone," the final scene shows Marshall looking into a mirror and seeing Slim Shady staring back at him and Marshall reaches out and breaks the glass and when he does this he is transported to a dream world where he is sober and his wife and kids are both happy. When I'm gone is the realization that in order for Marshall to survive Slim Shady must die, "Tonight it's shady rockabye baby." In breaking the mirror, Slim Shady is metaphorically killed and Marshall is able to be free of this demon and live his life. However, in the song when Slim Shady is killed, Marshal talks about it being a dream. At that point in his life, Slim Shady was not something he had completely gotten rid of as part of his personality.
The final use of mirrors in a music video is in, "Not Afraid," which came from Marshall's Recovery Album about being clean and sober. In the video Marshall is trapped in a maze of mirrors and he is surrounded by distorted images of himself that he cannot get away from. He finally puts his head down and dives through the mirrors and lands in the middle of a street in what seems to be a part of town he has never been to. Unlike, "When I'm gone," this breaking of a mirror has no mention of being in a dream and it seems to suggest that the identity conflict Marshall often suffered when he looked into a mirror as to whether he was Marshall Mathers or Slim Shady has been solved and is no longer an issue. Neither Slim Shady nor Marshall Mathers has to die in this instance because he is no longer feuding with being two different sides. The shattering of a mirror represents the shattering of a need for him to reflect upon his own identity. He finally seems free to be who he is, whoever that may be.
The first sighting of a mirror in "Stan" is when Stan is looking in the mirror and imagining himself as Slim Shady looking back. A blurry view of Slim Shady can be seen posing back at him. This represents Marshall's initial desire to become Slim Shady, but his unclear vision as to exactly what that meant. He felt that he wanted to be something different than what he was, a stronger persona, but was still unclear as to exactly what that Slim Shady character would become.
The second sighting of a mirror in "Stan" is when Stan is driving his car and continuously looks in the rear view mirror to see his own reflection staring back at him while a picture of Slim Shady hung underneath the mirror in the window. The idea of looking into a rear view mirror and seeing himself represents the idea that when Marshall looks to the past (rear view mirrors show you where you have already been) Marshall Mathers is looking him back in the face. However, the future he is looking toward (when he looks forward out the window to what's coming he sees the picture of Slim Shady) is one dominated by Slim Shady. Because he drives his car over a bridge and kills himself and his entire family it represents that driving toward the future of becoming Slim Shady leads to destruction every time. After Stan crashes his car into the water he and his entire family are dead, but a shot of the picture still intact is shown. In order for Slim Shady to survive and keep living, Marshall needed to die. It shows that Slim Shady will ultimately win out over Marshall if that is the direction his life takes. Marshall does not stand a chance.
The final use of mirrors in "Stan" is the final scene when Slim Shady (played by Marshall Mathers) is writing back to Stan on his tour bus. He has the knowledge to help Stan and is imparting it upon him. He is very calm and seems in complete control of knowing how to live a good life. However, the final scene is a lightning strike and the reflection in the bus window is of Stan. This reflection represents that no matter how in control Marshall may think he is in of his life, the part of him that longs to be Slim Shady will always exist. He will always battle the demons of wanting to do drugs, live by impulse, forget about his family, and slip into oblivion. The reflection of Stan at the end is indicative of this idea.
In the video for, "When I'm Gone," the final scene shows Marshall looking into a mirror and seeing Slim Shady staring back at him and Marshall reaches out and breaks the glass and when he does this he is transported to a dream world where he is sober and his wife and kids are both happy. When I'm gone is the realization that in order for Marshall to survive Slim Shady must die, "Tonight it's shady rockabye baby." In breaking the mirror, Slim Shady is metaphorically killed and Marshall is able to be free of this demon and live his life. However, in the song when Slim Shady is killed, Marshal talks about it being a dream. At that point in his life, Slim Shady was not something he had completely gotten rid of as part of his personality.
The final use of mirrors in a music video is in, "Not Afraid," which came from Marshall's Recovery Album about being clean and sober. In the video Marshall is trapped in a maze of mirrors and he is surrounded by distorted images of himself that he cannot get away from. He finally puts his head down and dives through the mirrors and lands in the middle of a street in what seems to be a part of town he has never been to. Unlike, "When I'm gone," this breaking of a mirror has no mention of being in a dream and it seems to suggest that the identity conflict Marshall often suffered when he looked into a mirror as to whether he was Marshall Mathers or Slim Shady has been solved and is no longer an issue. Neither Slim Shady nor Marshall Mathers has to die in this instance because he is no longer feuding with being two different sides. The shattering of a mirror represents the shattering of a need for him to reflect upon his own identity. He finally seems free to be who he is, whoever that may be.
Marshall's Descent into Slim Shady
The music video begins with the initial transformation of Stan into Slim Shady as he dies his hair blond to be like his idol. It is also clear when Stan barks, "don't call me that," at hearing the name Stanley that he is beginning to disassociate himself from reality and become obsessed with becoming Slim Shady. However, he still shows his girlfriend courtesy in the way that he opens the toilet lid for her and gestures for her to sit down as he leaves the room. The gesture is somewhat forceful but not mean spirited, and he seems more embrassed than anything to be caught in the transformation. It has not yet dominated his life.
Dido then sings the chorus. The chorus talks about life being hard and then the line, "hang your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it's not so bad" references looking at the face of one's obsession and life becoming easier. This seems to represent the idea that when life gets difficult for Marshall he was able to look at the Slim Shady persona (his fame and being Slim Shady) and it made him feel like it wasn't so bad. The chorus suggests that being able to retreat temporarily into Slim Shady makes life more bearable for Marshall.
When Stan descends into his basement you can see the pictures of Slim Shady hung up all over his wall. This shows the great desire that exists to become Slim Shady, although at this point his actions do not necessarily reflect that this transition has occured.
In the line, "I sent two letters back in Autumn you must not have got 'em, there probably was a problem at the post office or something," a sense of calm rationality is conveyed. Stan (Marshall) in the beginning was still rationally thinking, forgiving and calm. The syntax, "or something," suggests a calm demeanor and ease of manner in that no conclusions are being jumped to and nobody is being blamed. The line, "sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em," is important because it shows Marshall taking personal fault for shortcomings that occur in his life. As Marshall Mathers, he is more exposed to personal criticism and openly accepts being vulnerable and wrong in situations. This is a clear distinction from the actions of Slim Shady who is never wrong, always has somebody to blame for any shortcomings, and always has a plan for how to make that person pay for the fault. In the beginning of the song, the desire to become Slim Shady exists but it has not yet manifested itself in the actions of Marshall, which runs parallel to his life experiences. Stan's initial look at himself in a mirror is indicative of the change he hopes to see.
In the second letter a significant upgrade in the transition of Stan (Marshall) to Slim Shady can be seen. The first camera angle is shot looking up at Stan with shadows on his face. The shadows on Stan's face represent the darker personality he is taking and and that he is more susceptible to evil doing. The camera shooting up at him also suggests that he is more powerful now than he was at the beginning. As he transitions deeper into becoming Slim Shady his power and the influence he is capable of exerting in a negative way becomes greater. He also says, "I think it's messed up you don't answer fans," now shifting the blame from nobody to the Slim Shady he is writing to. Stan continues to recede further into the Slim Shady persona as he gets a Slim Shady tattoo. The verse after he gets his tattoo is not part of rational thought but a tangent, which highlights the psychosis and lack of control that comes along with becoming Slim Shady. Stan goes from an intense demeanor to a calm one when he says, "sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds." By using the word sometimes and keeping a calm voice the image is given off that he is very calm, one aspect of Slim Shady is being immune to pain, both emotional and physical. This immunity to pain is leading Stan (Marshall) to destroy himself as he begins cutting his body.
In the line, "p.s. we should be together too," Marshall is trying to connect his real persona with the persona of Slim Shady. He is trying to find a peace between the two worlds and make them into one person that can co-exist. By saying, "p.s." the phrase stands off as an independent idea. Ultimately, Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers cannot both exist and one must die for the other to survive.
Before the last message to Slim Shady, Stan's girlfriend finds Slim's picture taped over a picture of her. This signifies that becoming Slim Shady is now more important to Stan (Marshall) than his family. He has become completely obsessed with this escapist persona and has lost complete control of his life as Slim Shady is now completely in charge. The thunderstorm sound effects also get louder during this portion, signifiying the dark road Stan (Marshall) is now uncontrollingly barrelling down. It can be seen that Stan has completely become Slim Shady in his emulation of the actions of Slim Shady from the song, "My Name Is," by saying, "I drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?" Stan (Marshall) is now the incarnation of Slim Shady. He is now completely reckless for his own life and the life of his family and responds to whatever impulses he pleases. Despite being emotionally hurt by rejection, he is attempting to dive deeper into the Slim Shady persona than he ever has before, and ulimately it causes his death.
His dive into becoming Slim Shady is ultimately manifested in the death that he chooses for him and his family. By tying up his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk he is recreating the scene from "97 Bonnie and Clyde" where Slim Shady slits his daughter's mother's throat and drops her into the river after having her in the trunk. Stan references this by saying, "I ain't like you, cuz if I don't slit her throat she'll suffer more, then she'll die too." Stan has completely become Slim Shady and it costs him and his young family their lives.
Stan's descent into madness represents Marshall's own descent into the Slim Shady persona. As Marshall loses greater touch with reality he becomes more involved with drugs and fame and ultimately almost destroys himself and his family.
The song, "Deja Vu," chronicles Marshall's real life struggle with drug addiction and is meant to represent the night he went to the hospital and was two hours from death.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Similar Backgrounds
In the line, "I never knew my father neither, he always used to cheat on my mom and beat her," Stan references not knowing his father just as Marshall does not know his real father, and also acknowledges the difficulties of his childhood.
The past difficulties of his life create a situation where he feels that the reality of life is too difficult and Stan and Marshall both find it easier to retreat into the Slim Shady character. Slim Shady is not hurt by the pain of losing someone he loved and he is unaffected by a difficult childhood. The drawback of becoming Slim Shady is losing touch with reality and slipping into a life of addiction and never facing reality. The similar backgrounds and identical solutions serve to represent Stan as being Marshall, and turn the song not into a story of a crazed fan, but into an autobiography.
97 Bonnie and Clyde
In the song, "Stan," the line, "If I have a daughter, guess what I'm gonna call her? I'ma name her Bonnie," shows the connection between Marshall and the dark side of Slim Shady. After the line is rapped thunder can be heard, which shows that it is a bad thing to associate with Slim Shady and this connection will prove to be a detrimental one.
The song is about a trip Marshall and his daughter Haley make to the docks to throw the body of Haley's mother and Marshall's ex lover into the water. Rapped as Slim Shady, Slim once again shows his irreverence to an emotional situation with his dialect and calm demeanor when speaking to his daughter. The line, "C'mon Hai-Hai we goin to the beach Grab a couple of toys and let da-da strap you in the car seat. Oh where's mama? She's takin a little nap in the trunk," is a great example of this. By using nicknames in the rap such as, "Hai-Hai," and ," da-da," it grants a very light attitude from the speaker to the situation of having Hailey's dead mother in the trunk.
Another aspect of Slim Shady evident in the song is that his ex-lover was a problem for him, so rather than dealing with the situation emotionally and working toward a rational solution, he kills her. This shows the impulsive nature of what Slim Shady is capable of. His use of baby talk to his daughter when he lies also shows the irreverence he has for exposing his daughter and family to the cruelties Slim Shady is capable of. The line addressed to his daughter Hailey, "Mama's messy isnt she? We'll let her wash off in the water and me and you can pway by ourselves, can't we?" is an example of this. By using baby talk in a lie to his daughter he shows the calm attitude Slim Shady is capable of while committing atrocities. He also shows the damage Slim Shady causes to his immediate family and the lack of care he has for damaging his family.
This song becomes significant to the song, "Stan," in that the final scene is Stan (Marshall) driving his car into water with his pregnant girlfriend locked in the trunk. The significance of the Slim Shady persona created in "97 Bonnie and Clyde" manifests itself again in Stan, an autobiographic look by Marshall at the tailspin of his life and is the validation that he sees the danger of becoming Slim Shady. "97 Bonnie and Clyde" just like, "Stan," are an acknowledgment by Marshall that Slim Shady will damage not only himself, but completely scar his family with no reverence if he is left in charge to run Marshall's life.
The song is about a trip Marshall and his daughter Haley make to the docks to throw the body of Haley's mother and Marshall's ex lover into the water. Rapped as Slim Shady, Slim once again shows his irreverence to an emotional situation with his dialect and calm demeanor when speaking to his daughter. The line, "C'mon Hai-Hai we goin to the beach Grab a couple of toys and let da-da strap you in the car seat. Oh where's mama? She's takin a little nap in the trunk," is a great example of this. By using nicknames in the rap such as, "Hai-Hai," and ," da-da," it grants a very light attitude from the speaker to the situation of having Hailey's dead mother in the trunk.
Another aspect of Slim Shady evident in the song is that his ex-lover was a problem for him, so rather than dealing with the situation emotionally and working toward a rational solution, he kills her. This shows the impulsive nature of what Slim Shady is capable of. His use of baby talk to his daughter when he lies also shows the irreverence he has for exposing his daughter and family to the cruelties Slim Shady is capable of. The line addressed to his daughter Hailey, "Mama's messy isnt she? We'll let her wash off in the water and me and you can pway by ourselves, can't we?" is an example of this. By using baby talk in a lie to his daughter he shows the calm attitude Slim Shady is capable of while committing atrocities. He also shows the damage Slim Shady causes to his immediate family and the lack of care he has for damaging his family.
This song becomes significant to the song, "Stan," in that the final scene is Stan (Marshall) driving his car into water with his pregnant girlfriend locked in the trunk. The significance of the Slim Shady persona created in "97 Bonnie and Clyde" manifests itself again in Stan, an autobiographic look by Marshall at the tailspin of his life and is the validation that he sees the danger of becoming Slim Shady. "97 Bonnie and Clyde" just like, "Stan," are an acknowledgment by Marshall that Slim Shady will damage not only himself, but completely scar his family with no reverence if he is left in charge to run Marshall's life.
Marshall Mathers: The Rise and Fall of Slim Shady
"Stan" is an autobiographical song performed by Marshall Mathers under the persona of Slim Shady in order to comment on his desire as Marshall Mathers to completely become Slim Shady. The song chronicles Marshall's struggle as he slips further from the difficult reality of his life and problems and retreats deeper into the persona of Slim Shady and the tailspin that he sees his life spiraling into, but ultimately feels helpless to stop.
Stan represents the part of Marshall's personality that longs to be Slim Shady. The first lyric that suggests the link between Stan and Slim Shady is in reference to the song, "97 Bonnie and Clyde." Marshall knows that becoming the impulsive and dangerous Slim Shady ultimately leads to self destruction and hurting people that he cares about.
There are also several links that correlate Stan to Marshall Mathers in the backgrounds that they share. The progression of Marshall's fall into becoming Slim Shady can be charted through the contact Stan tries to make with Slim shady. Stan's communication becoming more and more psychotic represents the movement of Marshall in his life to becoming the Slim Shady character and abandoning his ego completely.
As Stan (Marshall) becomes more and more like Slim Shady he ultimately loses complete control of his life and destroys not only himself but his entire family. What makes, "Stan," an autobiographic is that it is not until he goes through the traumatic experience of almost losing everything that he is able to gain the perspective of knowing how to properly reflect on the events of his life, and ultimately the wisdom to fix everything that had gone wrong. What makes Marshall's autobiography interesting is that although he has the wisdom to know what is right, he acknowledges that Slim Shady will always be a part of him and that the danger of that persona will always be a reality.
Stan represents the part of Marshall's personality that longs to be Slim Shady. The first lyric that suggests the link between Stan and Slim Shady is in reference to the song, "97 Bonnie and Clyde." Marshall knows that becoming the impulsive and dangerous Slim Shady ultimately leads to self destruction and hurting people that he cares about.
There are also several links that correlate Stan to Marshall Mathers in the backgrounds that they share. The progression of Marshall's fall into becoming Slim Shady can be charted through the contact Stan tries to make with Slim shady. Stan's communication becoming more and more psychotic represents the movement of Marshall in his life to becoming the Slim Shady character and abandoning his ego completely.
As Stan (Marshall) becomes more and more like Slim Shady he ultimately loses complete control of his life and destroys not only himself but his entire family. What makes, "Stan," an autobiographic is that it is not until he goes through the traumatic experience of almost losing everything that he is able to gain the perspective of knowing how to properly reflect on the events of his life, and ultimately the wisdom to fix everything that had gone wrong. What makes Marshall's autobiography interesting is that although he has the wisdom to know what is right, he acknowledges that Slim Shady will always be a part of him and that the danger of that persona will always be a reality.
Childhood
Marshall Mathers had a difficult childhood. Growing up in Detroit Michigan, his father left when he was 6 months old and his mother had a history of drug abuse and negligence that plagued Marshall growing up. Being forced to switch schools two to three times a year, Marshall found it difficult to make friends and often found himself the victim of bullying.
Anderson Cooper's 60 Minutes interview reveals a lot about the rap superstar's childhood and the difficult times he experienced. The video also contains a good amount of insight into Marshall's life and fame.
Another good insight into the difficult things Eminem experienced is a Rolling Stone Interview done at the release of his fifth album, Encore. It paints a picture of not only the pains of his childhood, but the difficulties experienced by his family as well.
Anderson Cooper's 60 Minutes interview reveals a lot about the rap superstar's childhood and the difficult times he experienced. The video also contains a good amount of insight into Marshall's life and fame.
Another good insight into the difficult things Eminem experienced is a Rolling Stone Interview done at the release of his fifth album, Encore. It paints a picture of not only the pains of his childhood, but the difficulties experienced by his family as well.
Who is Slim Shady
A persona created by Marshall Mathers, listeners are first introduced to the emotionless, impulsive, ignorant Slim Shady character in the song, "My Name Is."
"My Name Is," does an excellent job of introducing the Slim Shady character. Growing up Marshall had a difficult childhood and a combination of being bullied and having to deal with very difficult situations is most likely the reason for the creation of the Slim Shady character.
Unlike Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady cannot have his feelings hurt. He communicates this by addressing issues as Slim Shady that bothered Marshall Mathers growing up. In, "My Name Is," he says, "Well, since age 12, I've felt like i'm someone else Cause I hung my original self from the top bunk with a belt."I feel this represents the change Marshall felt in his life as he transitioned from not being able to deal with the difficulties of his childhood, to creating a new tougher persona that would be able to deal with the harshness of his reality. Age 12 is the birth of Slim Shady as the old Marshall whose feelings can be hurt dies. The dialect of the rap signifies the non caring attitude Slim Shady brings when he communicates things that would make most people emotional. By beginning the line with the word, "Well," Slim indicates a very laid back and cool demeanor that does not connote emotion. This calm style of diction throughout emotional memories and lyrics is how Marshall illuminates in his art that Slim Shady cannot be hurt.
Another example of Slim Shady not being subjected to emotion is in the line, "99% of my life I was lied to. I just found out my mom does more dope than I do (damn)." By not wavering from his calm demeanor in this line Slim Shady makes it clear that this does not emotionally hurt him. In the expletive (damn) uttered by a third party voice that is not Slim Shady it is clear that people outside of this character are viewing the true events of Marshall's life to be harsh and difficult. This signifies that events that would make normal people emotional, do not affect Slim Shady.
In addition to not being affected by emotional experiences, another aspect of Slim Shady is that he retaliates against those who have tried to hurt him. A good example of this is the line, "I told her I'd grow up to be a famous rapper. Make a record about doing drugs and name it after her." He is referencing taking revenge on his mom for the difficult childhood she put him through. Where Marshall submissively went through childhood at the mercy of his mother, Slim Shady is able to step up and show the world the horrible mother that Kim Mathers was. Slim possesses the ability to fight the battles and say the things that Marshall is unable or unwilling to carry out.
Another example of this is the line, "And by the way when you see my dad, tell him that I slit his throat, in this dream I had." Although Marshall submissively had to accept the absence of his father from his life and was in a very vulnerable position, Slim Shady is able to lash out at his dad and tell him that he wants to slit his throat. Slim Shady is able to take the dominant roles for Marshall where Marshall was forced to be submissive. This alter ego allows him to transcend having to take abuse from all of the people in his life and places him in a position of power where he is able to make others suffer just as he has.
Slim Shady also has a very destructive side. The destructive element of Slim Shady revolves around the fact that he has little to no regard for consequences and is completely impulsive in all of his actions. In the 60 Minutes special a major downfall of Marshall Mathers proved to be his drug habit. In, "My Name Is," Slim says, "Wanna copy me and do exactly like I did? Try 'cid and get fucked up worse than my life is?" This acknowledgment of drug abuse shows that Slim Shady is one to do any drug that he wants, and is irresponsible enough to encourage young kids to do it. The willingness of Slim Shady to do drugs proves to be one of Marshall's greatest downfalls as he recedes deeper into the character
Another example of the destructiveness of Slim Shady comes with the line, "I just drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?" The use of the term, "dare," suggests a light hearted, care free attitude toward extreme drunk driving, as daring is associated with something young kids normally do in a non-threatening environment. This line connotes a general lack of care for his life or the life of others he may put at risk. This line re-occurs in the song, "Stan," and becomes intrical in the song to the idea that Stan is in fact Marshall in a tailspin after adopting the Slim Shady persona. Slim Shady has no regard for responsibility or reason, he only does what will make him happy at the time.
As Marshall Mathers retreats further into the Slim Shady alter ego his regard for reason in his actual life decreases. As noted in the 60 Minutes interview, when the main focuses of Marshall's life became impulsive living, he almost lost his life and as a result brought his entire family down with him. The downfall of Marshall Mathers is becoming Slim Shady.
"My Name Is," does an excellent job of introducing the Slim Shady character. Growing up Marshall had a difficult childhood and a combination of being bullied and having to deal with very difficult situations is most likely the reason for the creation of the Slim Shady character.
Unlike Marshall Mathers, Slim Shady cannot have his feelings hurt. He communicates this by addressing issues as Slim Shady that bothered Marshall Mathers growing up. In, "My Name Is," he says, "Well, since age 12, I've felt like i'm someone else Cause I hung my original self from the top bunk with a belt."I feel this represents the change Marshall felt in his life as he transitioned from not being able to deal with the difficulties of his childhood, to creating a new tougher persona that would be able to deal with the harshness of his reality. Age 12 is the birth of Slim Shady as the old Marshall whose feelings can be hurt dies. The dialect of the rap signifies the non caring attitude Slim Shady brings when he communicates things that would make most people emotional. By beginning the line with the word, "Well," Slim indicates a very laid back and cool demeanor that does not connote emotion. This calm style of diction throughout emotional memories and lyrics is how Marshall illuminates in his art that Slim Shady cannot be hurt.
Another example of Slim Shady not being subjected to emotion is in the line, "99% of my life I was lied to. I just found out my mom does more dope than I do (damn)." By not wavering from his calm demeanor in this line Slim Shady makes it clear that this does not emotionally hurt him. In the expletive (damn) uttered by a third party voice that is not Slim Shady it is clear that people outside of this character are viewing the true events of Marshall's life to be harsh and difficult. This signifies that events that would make normal people emotional, do not affect Slim Shady.
In addition to not being affected by emotional experiences, another aspect of Slim Shady is that he retaliates against those who have tried to hurt him. A good example of this is the line, "I told her I'd grow up to be a famous rapper. Make a record about doing drugs and name it after her." He is referencing taking revenge on his mom for the difficult childhood she put him through. Where Marshall submissively went through childhood at the mercy of his mother, Slim Shady is able to step up and show the world the horrible mother that Kim Mathers was. Slim possesses the ability to fight the battles and say the things that Marshall is unable or unwilling to carry out.
Another example of this is the line, "And by the way when you see my dad, tell him that I slit his throat, in this dream I had." Although Marshall submissively had to accept the absence of his father from his life and was in a very vulnerable position, Slim Shady is able to lash out at his dad and tell him that he wants to slit his throat. Slim Shady is able to take the dominant roles for Marshall where Marshall was forced to be submissive. This alter ego allows him to transcend having to take abuse from all of the people in his life and places him in a position of power where he is able to make others suffer just as he has.
Slim Shady also has a very destructive side. The destructive element of Slim Shady revolves around the fact that he has little to no regard for consequences and is completely impulsive in all of his actions. In the 60 Minutes special a major downfall of Marshall Mathers proved to be his drug habit. In, "My Name Is," Slim says, "Wanna copy me and do exactly like I did? Try 'cid and get fucked up worse than my life is?" This acknowledgment of drug abuse shows that Slim Shady is one to do any drug that he wants, and is irresponsible enough to encourage young kids to do it. The willingness of Slim Shady to do drugs proves to be one of Marshall's greatest downfalls as he recedes deeper into the character
Another example of the destructiveness of Slim Shady comes with the line, "I just drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?" The use of the term, "dare," suggests a light hearted, care free attitude toward extreme drunk driving, as daring is associated with something young kids normally do in a non-threatening environment. This line connotes a general lack of care for his life or the life of others he may put at risk. This line re-occurs in the song, "Stan," and becomes intrical in the song to the idea that Stan is in fact Marshall in a tailspin after adopting the Slim Shady persona. Slim Shady has no regard for responsibility or reason, he only does what will make him happy at the time.
As Marshall Mathers retreats further into the Slim Shady alter ego his regard for reason in his actual life decreases. As noted in the 60 Minutes interview, when the main focuses of Marshall's life became impulsive living, he almost lost his life and as a result brought his entire family down with him. The downfall of Marshall Mathers is becoming Slim Shady.
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