Justin Hawkins compared to Dot Cotton in new music video – but he’s making a point
It's a simple concept.
Justin Hawkins looks incredibly different in his new music video for I Hate Myself, with fans even comparing him to Dot Cotton. But this reaction was all part of the plan.
The Darkness frontman, 49, can be seen with a seriously prominent jawline in the second release from the new album Dreams on Toast, which will drop in March.
The I Hate Myself music video sees Justin simply just looking at the camera and smoking cigarettes with some uncharacteristic luscious freshly blow dried locks, and angular shaped eyebrows.
He looked worlds away from his usual self, without his mousey brown devil-may-care lid and bold features – which grace YouTube almost daily.
But that was the point.
Days after premiering the music video on his YouTube channel Justin Hawkins Rides Again, the I Believe in a Thing Called Love hitmaker took to the microphone again to share the contrasting reactions to the video.
I Hate Myself is the second track released from The Darkness’ new album Dreams on Toast (Picture: YouTube/Justin Hawkins Rides Again) Justin’s new look was compared to EastEnders’ Dot Cotton, played by the late June Brown (Picture: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES) Justin read out the reactions to I Hate Myself on his YouTube video (Picture: YouTube/Justin Hawkins Rides Again)Starting off light-hearted, Justin shared the top comment on the video with 352 likes, which simply said: ‘I didn’t realise Dot Cotton was such a great singer.’
Justin reflected: ‘Obviously that sort of gaunt, boney visage coupled with luxurious hair and probably having a cigarette burning throughout did give an air of Dot Cotton.’
He then quipped: ‘Good comment. I’m choosing to focus on the positive aspect, which is great singer.’
Then Justin explained – contrary to reports – that through this video The Darkness were not ‘exploring gender roles’ as some critics had thought.
‘I don’t think gender roles were anything we ever considered when creating the character,’ Justin clarified.
Dreams on Toast drops in March (Picture: Steve Thorne/Redferns)‘We didn’t think for a moment people would imagine I was pretending to be anything but a man.’
Other comments were ‘abusive’ though, Justin said. So much so, The Darkness’ producer deemed it necessary to delete them.
One particular comment stood out to Justin as particularly brutal, in which a user ripped the video to shreds, before adding: ‘Pete Burns absolutely loves this video though.’
The former frontman of Dead or Alive died aged 57 in 2016 from sudden cardiac arrest. The You Spin Me Round hitmaker had 300 plastic surgery procedures over his life, and reflected that his constant hunt for perfection left him with depression.
The Darkness formed in 2000 (Picture: Patrick Ford/Redferns) Justin called out a commenter for bringing up Pete Burns (Picture: WireImage)He tried to take his own life on multiple occasions, and shortly before his death Burns revealed the surgeries almost killed him after he suffered blood clots and pulmonary embolisms.
‘I wonder why you’re pulling the dearly departed Pete Burns into this,’ Justin said in response to the comment.
‘If anybody looks at Pete Burns and at the work we did on this video and is unable to extend some empathy toward the character I’m portraying in light of what happened to Pete Burns, you’re not displaying the qualities of a good person, are you?’
But one analytical fan on TikTok called Ducky summed up Justin’s intention with the music video.
‘I’ve seen comments going, “What in the AI is this?”‘ noted Ducky, continuing: ‘What turns [the music video] into this real performance piece is the posting of it on social media as well.
‘So it’s not only a commentary on pop culture, self-image, it’s also a commentary on social media. And we, the viewers, are part of that performance in the commentary, making comments about the plastic surgery and how things are different.’
Justin reflected that he ‘agreed’ with ‘every’ point Ducky made. So there’s a salient reason for the new look, folks.
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