Marshall's Descent into Slim Shady

The music video begins with the initial transformation of Stan into Slim Shady as he dies his hair blond to be like his idol.  It is also clear when Stan barks, "don't call me that," at hearing the name Stanley that he is beginning to disassociate himself from reality and become obsessed with becoming Slim Shady. However, he still shows his girlfriend courtesy in the way that he opens the toilet lid for her and gestures for her to sit down as he leaves the room.  The gesture is somewhat forceful but not mean spirited, and he seems more embrassed than anything to be caught in the transformation.  It has not yet dominated his life.
Dido then sings the chorus.  The chorus talks about life being hard and then the line, "hang your picture on my wall, it reminds me that it's not so bad" references looking at the face of one's obsession and life becoming easier.  This seems to represent the idea that when life gets difficult for Marshall he was able to look at the Slim Shady persona (his fame and being Slim Shady) and it made him feel like it wasn't so bad.  The chorus suggests that being able to retreat temporarily into Slim Shady makes life more bearable for Marshall.
When Stan descends into his basement you can see the pictures of Slim Shady hung up all over his wall.  This shows the great desire that exists to become Slim Shady, although at this point his actions do not necessarily reflect that this transition has occured.
In the line, "I sent two letters back in Autumn you must not have got 'em, there probably was a problem at the post office or something," a sense of calm rationality is conveyed.  Stan (Marshall) in the beginning was still rationally thinking, forgiving and calm. The syntax, "or something," suggests a calm demeanor and ease of manner in that no conclusions are being jumped to and nobody is being blamed.  The line, "sometimes I scribble addresses too sloppy when I jot 'em," is important because it shows Marshall taking personal fault for shortcomings that occur in his life.  As Marshall Mathers, he is more exposed to personal criticism and openly accepts being vulnerable and wrong in situations.  This is a clear distinction from the actions of Slim Shady who is never wrong, always has somebody to blame for any shortcomings, and always has a plan for how to make that person pay for the fault. In the beginning of the song, the desire to become Slim Shady exists but it has not yet manifested itself in the actions of Marshall, which runs parallel to his life experiences. Stan's initial look at himself in a mirror is indicative of the change he hopes to see.

In the second letter a significant upgrade in the transition of Stan (Marshall) to Slim Shady can be seen.  The first camera angle is shot looking up at Stan with shadows on his face.  The shadows on Stan's face represent the darker personality he is taking and and that he is more susceptible to evil doing.  The camera shooting up at him also suggests that he is more powerful now than he was at the beginning. As he transitions deeper into becoming Slim Shady his power and the influence he is capable of exerting in a negative way becomes greater.  He also says, "I think it's messed up you don't answer fans," now shifting the blame from nobody to the Slim Shady he is writing to. Stan continues to recede further into the Slim Shady persona as he gets a Slim Shady tattoo.  The verse after he gets his tattoo is not part of rational thought but a tangent, which highlights the psychosis and lack of control that comes along with becoming Slim Shady. Stan goes from an intense demeanor to a calm one when he says, "sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds."  By using the word sometimes and keeping a calm voice the image is given off that he is very calm, one aspect of Slim Shady is being immune to pain, both emotional and physical. This immunity to pain is leading Stan (Marshall) to destroy himself as he begins cutting his body.
In the line, "p.s. we should be together too," Marshall is trying to connect his real persona with the persona of Slim Shady.  He is trying to find a peace between the two worlds and make them into one person that can co-exist.  By saying, "p.s." the phrase stands off as an independent idea.  Ultimately, Slim Shady and Marshall Mathers cannot both exist and one must die for the other to survive.

Before the last message to Slim Shady, Stan's girlfriend finds Slim's picture taped over a picture of her. This signifies that becoming Slim Shady is now more important to Stan (Marshall) than his family.  He has become obsessed with this escapist persona and has lost control of his life as Slim Shady is now totally in charge. The thunderstorm sound effects also get louder during this portion, signifiying the dark road Stan (Marshall) is now uncontrollingly barrelling down.  It can be seen that Stan has become Slim Shady in his emulation of the actions of Slim Shady from the song, "My Name Is," by saying, "I drank a fifth of vodka, dare me to drive?" Stan (Marshall) is now the incarnation of Slim Shady. He is now reckless for his own life and the life of his family and responds to whatever impulses he pleases. Despite being emotionally hurt by rejection, he is attempting to dive deeper into the Slim Shady persona than he ever has before, and ultimately it causes his death.
His dive into becoming Slim Shady is ultimately manifested in the death that he chooses for him and his family. By tying up his pregnant girlfriend in the trunk he is recreating the scene from "97 Bonnie and Clyde" where Slim Shady slits his daughter's mother's throat and drops her into the river after having her in the trunk. Stan references this by saying, "I ain't like you, cuz if I don't slit her throat she'll suffer more, then she'll die too." Stan has completely become Slim Shady and it costs him and his young family their lives.

Stan's descent into madness represents Marshall's own descent into the Slim Shady persona. As Marshall loses greater touch with reality he becomes more involved with drugs and fame and ultimately almost destroys himself and his family.



The song, "Deja Vu," chronicles Marshall's real life struggle with drug addiction and is meant to represent the night he went to the hospital and was two hours from death.