Critical Analysis of "At the Drive In's" Music Video: Invalid Litter Dept.

"Rock and roll" is a lifestyle. The crowds of screaming fans, loud music, insane costumes, and enough pyrotechnics to burn down small buildings are among a few of the things that are definitive in the schema of rock culture. The slogan, "sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll," functions as an anthem for those who live the "rock star" lifestyle. One thing that does not come to mind, however, is politics. Even more so, the addressing of important issues is not something that typically defines the stereotype of the rock music scene. Nevertheless, rock artists often challenge political, social, and ethical issues. Whether it is preaching to an audience about registering to vote, or singing lyrics that express moral standards, rock music certainly does contain elements of political influence.

The band At the Drive-In (ATDI) is a strong example of a group that challenged the issues. In 2000, the band released their final full-length album Relationship of Command. In the following year the band would split forming two current groups, The Mars Volta, and Sparta. Relationship of Command was an album that sent ATDI on their way to success, leaving a huge cult following in the wake of their breakup. The album featured a single titled, "Invalid Litter Dept." The songs lyrics address a series of rapes and murders that occurred (and continue to occur) near Juarez, Mexico, a town across the border near El Paso, Texas, which happens to be the bands' home town. ATDI later produced a music video for this song that further addresses the issue. Studies have shown that music videos have a drastically greater affect on viewers than do their audio only counterparts (Rubin, 355). These studies show that music videos influence people that watch them in many different ways (Walker, 1994).

In the music video, strong visual images are used as well as textual inserts that detail facts of the Juarez controversy. Some of the visual images are newspaper clippings, open graves, dark alleys, dilapidated buildings, and maquiladoras (American owned factories that use cheap Mexican labor). Images of the band are also inserted frequently. The artifact as a whole argues in a variety of ways. Lyrics, music, and visual imagery are all working together towards the development of argument. The rhetorical, dialectical, and logical perspectives will all express different points of interest. First, that evidence is a key concern in the argument represented. Second, that considering all possibilities is imperative. Lastly, considering the audience is an important factor in analyzing this text. The At the Drive-In music video, "Invalid Litter Dept.", expresses a multi-faceted argument that attempts to influence an audience through visual and audial messages.

From a logical perspective, the music video flounders and is seen as being argumentatively incomplete. The logical perspective focuses on the accuracy of the evidence. Not to say that the evidence is inaccurate, however much of the visual imagery misuses the evidence that is used visually. The quick flashing of headlines in a certain order implies evidence with out any support. For example, three consecutive shots of newspaper clippings show the word "authorities," followed by another clipping that focused simply on the word "could." The final clip stated "not explain," implying to the viewer the phrase "authorities could not explain." Just previous to this, a segment of video included text that stated "Many accuse the Mexican State Police of being disorganized, indifferent, and failing to investigate rigorously." This shows that implications through visual tactics are easily made. A logical look at this piece would prove that it functions poorly. This perspective would claim that this music video attempts to influence viewers through unsupported evidence, and influences irrationally through the allure of emotion. The sad slow music evokes pity. The images of sandals and handbags left behind, and news paper articles showing pictures of victims are all emotionally attractive metaphors. Therefore, this video lacks sufficient logical support for its argument.

Dialectically examining this artifact will introduce new problems. The dialectical perspective seeks to examine every possible point in the issue and derive a conclusion based on those points. This video only scrapes the surface of the controversy surrounding the Juarez murders. The video only has enough time to spit out a handful of facts, when truthfully understanding the issue would take much more. Simply introducing the basis of the issue will prove to be insufficient under the dialectical perspective. Things like the point of view on the people involved should be discussed. For example, parents, police, citizens of the community, and other people have different attitudes to relate. Also, the viewpoints of American owned companies should be considered. The dialectical perspective would find that too much of the video implies that the Mexican police are to blame. It would also find that there are many facets of the Juarez murders that are not addressed. For example, the major news media in the area rarely give any of the murders attention. When the stories are covered, the articles typically portray the victims as prostitutes or drug dealers. The dialectical perspective argues that the video would need to include such theories in order to fully attain its best conclusion.

The last perspective that the article can be looked at is the rhetorical perspective. This perspective allows the meaning of the video to be examined in even more ways. The rhetorical perspective deals more with the context of an argument, and its address to a specific audience. Dealing with circumstances under which the argument develops is important to this perspective. "Invalid Litter Dept." is directed toward the audience that will watch their music video. The majority of these viewers are undoubtedly Americans. Therefore, it is accurate to assume that their target audience is unaware of the murders in Juarez. Under the rhetorical perspective the video argues that Americans should be aware of this issue, they should have certain emotions about the issue, and they should seek an end to it. These points are argued through the visual and audial messages used in the music video.

The idea that Americans should be aware of the Juarez murders is displayed simply in the group's choice to create a music video with such strong implications. Not only that, but the video has even served as a means for initially becoming aware of the topic. Upon experiencing the artifact, Americans are instantly challenged to be aware of this matter. Also, the video addresses the subject in the public sphere, immediately eliminating the middleman, so to speak, and thrusting the subject out into public discourse.

Americans are lured into having certain emotions about the issue. The softer music implies a feeling of pity for the victims, while the harder breakdowns evoke an angry feeling toward the unidentified guilty party. A ton of visual representations in the film influence certain emotions. For example, they show clips of a dark old bus and they inform the viewer that the maquiladora workers must ride these buses home. The buses look rough and scary. They make the viewer scared for the girls that must ride them. Another example is the viewing of the scandals and handbags that appear as if they have been left behind. An emotion of guilt is also prevalent. Early in the video, maquiladoras are defined as American owned factories that take advantage of cheap Mexican labor. A strong implication is constituted by this. The suggestion that American over-consumption is far reaching enough to play part in a devastating murder plot across the border is powerful. American citizens that view this video will likely feel some form of guilt. Lastly, a feeling of anger toward the Mexican police is suggested to the American viewers.

One final implication is that the American viewers should desire for these crimes to cease. The opining and closing shots have a very significant thing in common. They both show signs that have "ALTO" on them. The Spanish word "alto" means "stop." The inclusion of these shots delivers a message that there needs to be a stop to this devastating crime.

The At the Drive-In music video, "Invalid Litter Dept.", expresses a multi-faceted argument that attempts to influence an audience through visual and audial messages. The rhetorical, dialectical, and logical perspectives all express different points of interest. First, that evidence is a key concern in the argument represented. Second, that considering all possibilities is imperative. Lastly, considering the audience is an important factor for analyzing this text. All in all, the music video presents a good argument to Americans that have never heard of the Juarez murders. However, upon close examination there are a lot of discrepancies in the display of evidence in this video.

Ballard, M.E., Dodson, A.R., Bazzini, D.G. (1999). Genre of Music and Lyrical Content: Expectation Effects. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 160, 476-487.
Goldberg, M.E., Chattopadhyay, A., Gorn, G.J., Rosenblatt, J. (1993). Music, Music Videos, and Wear Out. Psychology & Marketing, 10, 1-13.
Gow, J. (1993). Music Video as Persuasive Form: Case of the Pseudo-Reflexive Strategy, Communication Quarterly, 41, 318-327.
Linderman, J. (2005). A Good Kind of Stress. Canadian Musician, 27, 58.
Rubin, R.B., Rubin, A.M., Perse, E.M., Armstrong, C., McHugh, M., Faix, N. Media Use and Meaning of Music Video. Journalism Quarterly, 353-359.
Walker, G.B., Bender, M.A. (1994). Is it More than Rock and Roll?: Considering Music Video as Argument. Argumentation & Advocacy, 31, 64-80.