The Art of Stalking

The New South Wales Police Force offers this regarding the crime of Stalking:

Stalking is a crime…and…includes: ‘the following of a person about or the watching or frequenting of the vicinity of, or an approach to a person’s place of residence, business or work or any place that a person frequents for the purposes of any social or leisure activity’.  Stalking involves a persistent course of conduct or actions by a person which are intended to maintain contact with or exercise power and control over another person. These actions cause distress, loss of control, fear or harassment to another person and occur more than once.  Stalking can involve threats or sexual innuendo and the stalker generally tries to intimidate or induce fear in the person they are stalking.

The person being stalked may only realise they are being stalked once they identify a pattern of strange or suspicious incidents occurring, such as:

• phone calls
• text messages
• messages left on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter etc.
• notes left on the their car
• strange or unwanted gifts left at their home
• an awareness that they are being followed
• being continually stared at or gestured to by another person.

The person being stalked can often develop a sense of loss of control over their lives and can be forced into changing their routine and behaviours. [https://www.police.nsw.gov.au/crime/domestic_and_family_violence/what_is_stalking]

This got The Varnished Culture to thinking…so we had an expert gather some Art that might come under this umbrella:

FILMS

The Cable Guy (1996) – Where a customer finds that no-cost premium cable channels do come at a cost…

The Fan (1981) – The one where Lauren Bacall’s biggest fan turns into a critic. [see main image]

Fatal Attraction (1987) – The one where Glenn Close is not “going to be ignored” and she emphases this by making a nice rabbit stew.

The Great Gatsby  (various versions) – the one about the chap who goes to great lengths to get near to Daisy Buchanan.

Klute (1971) – The perp might be the one hiring the detective.

One Hour Photo (2002) – These days you get trolled for your phone images. Then you had to put up with the stalker from the photo lab.

Play Misty for Me (1971) – Don’t Play it Again, Clint.

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) – The one where, once again, the journalist becomes the story.

SONGS

All For Leyna (Billy Joel) “Now I’m in my room
Watching the tube
Telling myself she still may drop
Over to say
She’s changed her mind

So, I wait in the dark
Listening for her
Instead of my old man saying stop…
Kidding yourself
Wasting your time”

Angie Baby (Helen Reddy) “Stopping at her house is a neighbor boy
With evil on his mind
‘Cause he’s been peeking in Angie’s room
At night through the window blind
I see your folks have gone away
Would you dance with me…”

Creepin’ Up On You (Darren Hayes) “Creepin’ up on you is the wrong thing to do
I found your address got your phone number too
Visit all the stores where you buy all your clothes
Been to secret places you think nobody knows
If I have to breathe without you nobody should
I need to be around you watchin’ you
No one else can love you like I do”

Don’t You Want Me? (The Human League) “Don’t, don’t you want me?
You know I don’t believe it
When you say that you don’t need me

It’s much too late to find
You think you’ve changed your mind
You’d better change it back or we will both be sorry…”

Every Breath You Take (The Police) “Every breath you take, every move you make,
Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you;
Every single day and every word you say
Every game you play, every night you stay, I’ll be watching you” (This has been known to be played at weddings, ye gods!)

Helter Skelter (The Beatles) “When I get to the bottom I go back to the top of the slide
Where I stop and I turn and I go for a ride
Till I get to the bottom and I see you again”

In the Shadows (The Stranglers) “Walking down the streets at night
Turn around and you can die of fright
Walking on the streets at night
Turn around and die of fright
What’s that in the shadows?
What’s that in the shadows?”

The Intruder (Peter Gabriel) “I know something about
Opening windows and doors
I know how to move quietly
To creep across creaky wooden floors
I know where to find precious things
In all your cupboards and drawers…”

I Put a Spell on You (“Screamin’ Jay” Hawkins) “You know I love you
I love you
I love you
I love you anyhow
And I don’t care if you don’t want me
I’m yours right now

I put a spell on you
Because you’re mine”

I Want You (Elvis Costello) “I want you
The truth can’t hurt you
It’s just like the dark
It scares you witless
But in time you see things clear and stark
I want you
Go on and hurt me
Then we’ll let it drop
I want you
I’m afraid I won’t know where to stop
I want you
I’m not ashamed to say I cried for you
I want you
I want to know the things you did that we do too
I want you
I want to hear he pleases you more than I do…”

Nights on Broadway (BeeGees) “Here we are
In a room full of strangers
Standing in the dark
Where your eyes couldn’t see me

Well, I had to follow you
Though you did not want me to
But that won’t stop my lovin’ you
I can’t stay away…”

One Way or Another (Blondie) “One way or another, I’m gonna see ya
I’m gonna meet ya, meet ya, meet ya, meet ya
One day, maybe next week, I’m gonna meet ya
I’m gonna meet ya, I’ll meet ya…”

Rubberneck (Toadies) “I find a window in the kitchen, and I let myself in
Rummage through the refrigerator, find myself a beer
I can’t believe I’m really here, and she’s lying in that bed
I can almost feel her touch, and her anxious breath!”

She Will Be Loved (Maroon 5) “I don’t mind spendin’ everyday
Out on your corner in the pourin’ rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved, and she will be loved”

Stalker (Goldfinger) “Sometimes she says she’s my mom,
Looks like she doesn’t belong
She’s my own peeping tom
Flowers every day
The cops they tell her to stay
500 feet away
She’s sleeping on my doorstep
She hasn’t hurt me yet”

Stalker Song (Danzig) “no one knows my name
where I come from
no one sees my face
sees me coming
you can never hide
if I want you
you can’t even try
keep from crying”

The Stalker (Piebald) “Don’t think I don’t know what suits you well. Don’t think I don’t know.
I’ll be in every smoky corner you’ve seen counting your drinks.
I’ll be the guy who drives past your house.
I’ll be hiding behind your mirror watching you crimp your hair.”

Sunglasses at Night (Corey Hart) “I wear my sunglasses at night
So I can so I can
Watch you weave then breathe your story lines
And I wear my sunglasses at night
So I can so I can
Keep track of the visions in my eyes”

They Can’t Take That Away From Me (Ira Gershwin) “The way your smile just beams
The way you sing off key
The way you haunt my dreams
No, no they can’t take that away from me…”

Turn Around, Look at Me (The Vogues) “There is someone walking behind you
Turn around, look at me
There is someone watching your footsteps
Turn around, look at me”

You Can’t Change That (Raydio) “You’re the only one I love
And you can’t change that
You’re the only one I need
And you can’t change that

Now you can try if you want to, woo

You can change your telephone number
And you can change your address too
But you can’t stop me from loving you
No, you can’t change that, no, no…”