Works By Famous Artists That Won’t Be Released for Decades
It’s hard enough to live with the existence of lost media you’ll never get to experience; some of these mofos are out here creating works of art for that express purpose. Maybe it’s a publicity stunt or a metaphor, or maybe they’re just trying to escape bad reviews, but whatever the case, some of us aren’t living to see…
‘My Place in History’ by Dolly Parton
Buried somewhere in Dollywood is the song Parton intends to be her last, not to be dug up until her 100th birthday in 2046. Nobody else has ever heard “My Place in History,” and it’s entirely possible they never will. “I figure it’ll probably disintegrate and nobody will ever hear it, that’s what bothers me,” Parton has said, adding, “I don’t know whose damn idea that was.” After all, it’s not like she won’t still be writing songs at 100.
‘100 Years’ by Pharrell
Only 100 people have heard Pharrell’s “100 Years,” a song that’s “a statement about the disastrous effect humans have on the environment” in both form and apparently content. Basically, if you wanna hear new Pharrell jams (or, more realistically, you want your grandchildren to), you’d better start driving a hybrid or we’ll never make it to 2117. It was also a collab with Louis XIII 100-year cognac, but mostly that environment stuff.
John Malkovich and Robert Rodriguez’s ‘100 Years’
Meanwhile, John Malkovich and Robert Rodriguez put up no facade about their own promotional tie-in with the cognac brand. In fact, it’s in the company’s cellars that 100 Years, a short film originally produced as a commercial, is being kept in a safe that will automatically unlock in 2115, when nobody cares about John Malkovich or Robert Rodriguez anymore. They’ve released a teaser trailer, and it looks a lot like a cognac commercial.
‘Once Upon a Time in Shaolin’ by the Wu-Tang Clan
The Wu-Tang Clan’s secret album was recorded as a statement on the commodification of music, so they prohibited its “commercial exploitation” for 88 years. Until 2103, it can only be played in exhibitions, though its current owner, digital art collective PleasrDAO, has begun selling partial ownership of the album as NFTs. For one dollar, you get a five-minute sample, and the album’s release date moves up by 88 seconds. This is clearly in line with RZA’s vision.
‘Scribbler Moon’ by Margaret Atwood
The only thing we know about Margaret Atwood’s book Scribbler Moon is its title, “and that’s the only part of it you will know for 100 years,” according to the Handmaid’s Tale author. It’s part of a Norwegian project called the Future Library, which also includes works by David Mitchell (Cloud Atlas) and a bunch of Scandinavian authors you’ve probably never heard of. The project included the planting of 1,000 trees in 2014, intended to be cut down in 2114 to print the books on. As if we’ll still have trees in 2114.
