humanities Article ‘Muzak for Frogs’—Representations of ‘Nature’ in Decoder (1984) Eva-Maria Hanser Independent Researcher, 1090 Vienna, Austria;
[email protected] Abstract: This paper examines the various representations of ‘nature’ present in Decoder (1984), a German experimental cyberpunk film that was inspired by William S. Burroughs’ thoughts on utilising tapes as revolutionary weapons. Though Decoder is not a film one would easily associate with labels, such as ‘green’ or ‘environmental’, signs and images that represent or refer to ‘nature’ and non-human life are not omitted. Through a close reading of the film, the paper first explores the ways in which these representations convey and evoke certain meanings and associations and then elucidates the themes at play in the context of these representations. Keywords: experimental film; cyberpunk; nature; sound; control Citation: Hanser, Eva-Maria. 2021. ‘Muzak for Frogs’—Representations of ‘Nature’ in Decoder (1984). Humanities 10: 67. https://doi.org/ 1. Introduction 10.3390/h10020067 In this article,1 I will focus on the various representations of ‘nature’ that are present in Decoder (Muscha 1984), a German experimental cyberpunk film directed by Muscha Received: 7 February 2021 and written by Klaus Maeck. The film was inspired by William S. Burroughs’ thoughts on Accepted: 7 April 2021 utilising tapes as revolutionary weapons, which he elaborated in The Electronic Revolution, Published: 9 April 2021 The Revised Boy Scout Manual and The Job.2 Though relatively unknown, Decoder has attained cult status, especially among fans of Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral industrial and noise music, not least because of its infamous cast members FM Einheit (a with regard to jurisdictional claims in former member of Einstürzende Neubauten), Christiane Felscherinow (known to the wider published maps and institutional affil- public for her autobiography Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F.), Genesis P-Orridge (a iations.