Kanye West to Photographer: "You Bully! You Fuckin' Mosquito Bully!"
I really hope that in a few months' time, we don't find out that Kanye West has some personality disorder or other mental-health issue, because watching him react to the world is just too damn fun and I never want to feel bad about enjoying him.
Take, for example, this video filmed earlier today, in the wee morning hours: A shithead paparazzo attempts to get a comment on Kanye regarding his feud with Jimmy Kimmel, and Kanye out-assholes him with a temper tantrum during which he says, "Shut the fuck up, it's 4 am, you blood suckin' mosquito!" And then he says, "You bully! You fuckin' mosquito bully!" Mosquito bully! The imagery alone is absurd enough to undo Kanye's cause.
Kanye, by the way, was just yesterday addressing his despised paparazzi with benevolence. TMZ wondered if it was Opposite Day. Good question. Definitely feels like a grade-school spirit week event.
It is only on rare occasion that Kanye is not entertaining — he has what at times feels like a compulsive way with words. Things just come out funny, even when he's seemingly serious (#NODISRESPECTTOBENAFFLECK). His career of outbursting comes with at least a shred of awareness, though. Kanye knew that by saying the stuff he did in the BBC interview that ran earlier this week and inspired Kimmel's spoof video, he'd get a reaction. He has commented on said reactions several times, in music and his performance art as an interviewee. He knew that by replying to the reaction via Twitter, he'd get more of a reaction. Along with Kanye's child-like idealism and temper comes an obsession with fame and what fuels it. After last night's Twitter assault on Kimmel, several people wondered if it all wasn't some sort of hoax (it wouldn't be the first time). The thing is that it's a put-on performance regardless of whether Kimmel is in on it. What makes Kanye so compelling is the gray area between his awareness and his expressed opinion. How much of this is controllable? How much of it is legitimate expression?
He seems real mad in the video above, though.
Update: TMZ says that Kanye is going to press trespassing charges against at least one of the photographers that showed up at his house this morning.