Ghost lead singer plays a preacher with shock value.
Ghost has released the song “He Is” complete with a video.[/tweetit] A clip shows Papa Emeritus playing a memorable preacher who blesses, baptizes, and more importantly collects money from the predominantly female congregation. The actual name of Papa Emeritus has recently been revealed as Tobias Forge. The video and the song are derived from their album Meliora, released in 2015.
The Band Ghost Releases Their Religion-Filled Video For “He Is”[/tweetthis]
The video itself was done to complement one of the band's more delicate and softest tracks, which is also playful and bright. The camera is like a satyr, following the footsteps of Papa Emeritus, the band's lead singer, around his church. The central figure portrays the role of sensitive church man or cult leader. He twirls a rose around his fingers. The camera shows a congregation filled with multiple beautiful women, who are happy to be in the cult leader's presence.
The editing is as campy as expected. Every frame has a certain dreamlike aspect to it. The frames are drenched in light. The song is sung by every member of the congregation. Papa Emeritus and his cohorts walk around to collect money from churchgoers. The ending of the video shows him baptizing a number of women. The complete video can be described as a wild one, with a few NSFW snippets added in.
The director of the video set out to shoot a far out Christian country music chronicle. It was a conscious decision to shoot a linear storyline. Forge wanted to make a video where it is possible to create something which could be easily mistaken for things that it wants to criticize.
Still the best Ghost song in years, glad it got an awesome video. https://t.co/vTa4WzWuu3
— Sam Marx (@smarx_) August 24, 2017
Papa Emeritus recently released a photograph of himself sans make-up. The deed was done during a comprehensive interview where the singer spoke about his personal life. He had described in detail the relationship with his siblings and specifically with his mother. Forge, in a separate interview, was forthcoming about his relationship with Iron Maiden and Metallica, both tour mates. When asked what he gained by touring with such icons, he said that he learned a lot. He said that he was inspired to play with them. The singer mentioned that his late brother's list of favorite band included Metallica. There have been moments where he felt the presence of his brother on his stage.