30 Seconds To Mars‘ racy, 13-minute short film “Hurricane” is now up at MTV.com (and still not really SFW), but singer Jared Leto says he almost gave up on making an edit the networks would touch. “I had always planned on having an explicit version and then a version that was not so explicit,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “The version that we were trying to get on broadcast is not the explicit version, and that’s still having a really difficult time.” The final version, which has the band menaced by profound iconography and violent men in leather masks while Jared applies various straps and constraints to a female partner (oh mama), is also graced by Leto’s photographer pal Terry Richardson and subliminal shots of erotic naughtiness, some covered by red bars or stills reading “CENSORED,” a la Nine Inch Nails‘ “SCENE MISSING” captions in “Closer.”
Leaking a memo that lays out exactly which shots could only be shown after certain hours, (“Woman runs finger over other woman’s g-string clad bottom and touches her anus” had to go entirely), Leto’s expressed disappointment that he had to justify his oh-so-artistic venture at all. “I’m not interested in provocation for provocation’s sake. I just think it’s interesting that when you turn on the news or whatever else catches your interest, how much violence and negativity is available out there. As soon as it comes time for sexuality, it’s a big shock that people are sexual beings. It’s an interesting double standard to me.” Fair enough, Jared. We just wish your scintillating exploration of America’s issues with sex and violence wasn’t so damn long! Next time, don’t bother with sexy subplots for the band members who didn’t play Jordan Catalano on My So-Called Life.
