30 Seconds to Mars – Up in the Air video

Just so that you know - Jared Leto is 41 years old! He’s the front man of both 30 Seconds to Mars and my teenage dreams (mostly as Jordan Catalano but let’s not get into it now). My love for him has endured countless douchey hairstyles and extremely weird styles choices but it’s still going strong.

Jared can do it all: act, sing, direct, be vegan and totally gorgeous! I’m pretty sure somewhere out there in an attic there’s a painting of him getting really old in the close vicinity of those of Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr.

A few weeks ago I was coming home from the office and my sister was super excited to show me the new 30 Seconds to Mars video Up in the Air. So there I was, exhausted after a long day of work, but prepared to be amazed. And boy was I! This video and song are just mind blowing! 

You need to watch it at least 20 times in order to catch the complexity of everything that is going on - which I was happy to do. Leto described the clip and song as a “hallucinogenic journey through an incredibly surreal landscape. It's a song that has a lot of energy, a lot of optimism, a lot of life in it.”

The track is the first release from the band's new album Love Lust Faith and Dreams. I have to agree with Jared that this new album is going to be “stronger, better, more evolved. It's a complete transformation. I really think that this could be the best thing we've ever done.”

The launch of the song was very original: they sent their single into space as "Up in the Air" was first heard on March 4th by the crew of the International Space Station aboard the S-2 SpaceX CR mission. It then had the world premiere on NASA TV on March 18^th. Jared explained that: “My brother and I, our grandfather was in the Air Force and FAA so aviation was always a big part of our lives. We used to come visit him in Houston and always used to drive by NASA, so there's a bit of a history there.”

The band made a call for casting for the video on their official website requesting some very special talents they needed. Up in the air is really visual art rather than just a video: the symbolism, the colors, the motions, the religious undertones and emotions - they all make you think and leave an impact long after the music ends.

The video includes a wolf, a lion, Cirque du Soleil performers, burlesque legend Dita Von Teese, American model Ashley Smith, author Neil Strauss, Damien Hirst art, photographer Maxwell Snow, Russian model Anastasia Krivosheeva, tattooed sensation Harlow von Brethren, Olympic Gold medalist Jordyn Wieber, artist gymnast McKayla Maroney, actress/DJ Natalie Loren (who was also cast in the video for Hurricane), zebras, birds, butterflies, drummers, mechanical bulls, a python and a line of soldier who paint!

 "Up in the air" was shoot at a massive aerospace manufacturing building in Los Angeles which is now closed. Jared Letoaka Bartholomew Cubbins (Jared's director name) was the producer, director and editor of the short film. I love the artistic look of what he has created - I feel like I’m in this very strange world that's all together scary, amazing an exciting. The song is good as well and I’m quite impressed with Leto`s directorial skills.

Visually the short film (over eight minutes long) is very intense with striking colors and mesmerizing scenes. And talking about striking how about Shannon Leto? He looks really strange in this one – even more than usual. He is a very weird dude! Hotly so!!!

So, yeah, Up in the air is artistic and abstract, one of those beautiful things that really get to me and I though it deserved an article here. I’m also using any excuse to “research” pictures of Jared Leto (Shannon Leto and Tomo Milicevic as well).