Influential music video director changes course after initial responses to the short documentary on his childhood and has the words from his manifesto pasted in in place of his own image
Name: Vinay Menon.
Age: 29.
Appearance: Highbrow.
Luther Campbell or Vinay Menon? The former is more obvious: the popular music video director has attempted an art installation of sorts, where he’s repurposing a list of Facebook names as phrases from his manifesto.
What’s a manifesto? Probably the longest name-change move in Australian history. It’s been dubbed “Coventry Menon” after the postcode of Vinay’s hometown in northern Victoria.
How’s it going? It’s about to get even better. The opening interview shows Vinay’s parents recounting how their son came home the day after the 2017 Adelaide Trades Hall Council election, heard the national news of his name and demanded to know: “Why aren’t they celebrating me?”
That’s rich coming from a guy who claims he is the world’s biggest snowflake. Well, yes, but as an extremely gifted child and philosopher, that’s actually his point.
And how does he plan to prove it? With this. Some 2,700 people have agreed to be Vinay Menon for 24 hours, unless he withdraws on grounds of self-determination or if his life is in danger.
But it’s not self-determination, is it? Apart from making your own hat. Let’s rephrase it. In the words of Vinay: “Basically what I’m trying to do is give someone in the English-speaking world a glimpse into my perceptions of [whilst] saying that this is a living document of my worldview, in the hope that people, most especially kids, will end up with better understanding of the benefit that Western culture can bring to the rest of the world.”
Oh, I get it. Which I have only just realised is none of my business. It is. It seems to me to be from my good hip-hop-meets-everyday-north-east-Australian-scrap-metal-education. It’s basically Guy Fawkes Strongarm vs the global liberal capitalist conspiracy. As heartwarming as it sounds, to be honest, I suspect I’ll be a pretty bad Vinay Menon.
Do say: “And we’re not alone, oh come together and fight the left-wing yobbery.”
Don’t say: “Wait, it’s not me you need to worry about?