After it was removed from the website shortly after being released, YouTube reinstates the artist's controversial video.
- May 9, 2013
AceShowbiz - David Bowie fans can now breathe a sigh of relief after the legendary glam-rock singer's controversial video for new single "The Next Day" has been put back on video hosting site YouTube. The three-minute clip was pulled shortly after it was released online on Wednesday, May 8 for reportedly violating YouTube's terms of service, but the site's bosses confessed to having made a "wrong call" and decided to reinstate the video with an adults-only rating.
The short ban was apparently made based on the religious theme of avante-garde filmmaker Floria Sigismondi's video, where Bowie is made to look as a Christ-like character singing in a bar filled with other familiar character references to the Christian faith such as a nun, a self-flagellating monk, and a cardinal handing out cash to several half-naked women.
Critically-acclaimed actor Gary Oldman plays a priest who picks up a prostitute portrayed by actress Marion Cotillard who develops the Stigmata while dancing with Oldman, spewing out blood on a topless dancer. After all the commotion, Bowie thanks everyone in the pub then disappears out of thin air, contentiously depicting Christ's ascension.
"With the massive volume of videos on our site, sometimes we make the wrong call," a YouTube representative said about their quick action regarding Bowie's new video. "When it's brought to our attention that a video has been removed mistakenly, we act quickly to reinstate it."
