In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Kanye explained his new and unquestionably bizarre video for hit single “Love Lockdown” by saying that he was inspired by the character of Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho.” Kanye said he liked the “clean aesthetic” and “just the way he was all about consumption and labels... and the way he watched porn and stuff like that... Not that I would ever do that.” Sure, Kanye dresses pretty sharply and has a swank apartment in this video, but from there, I think he loses me.

The video certainly has a promising start. It opens with Kanye, dressed entirely in white, sitting on a couch covered with a white sheet in a room that is—of course—completely white. Then we see shadows of people with elaborate headdresses behind the blinds (also white—whaddya know!). For the rest of the video, the shots cut between large groups of tribe members—with face paint, wooden weapons, and instruments—and Kanye, looking miserable in his white apartment. From there, it goes just about nowhere. The number of painted primitive dancers and drummers seems to increase tenfold. Two glowing alien women appear toward the end and begin to gyrate against each other. The final shot shows Kanye attempting to sleep on that white couch, and the elapsed four minutes feel like 30.

So what’s the hidden message here? Is Ye planning his own misogynistic murder spree? Maybe making some broader social commentary involving the late 80s recession and the current credit crunch?

The erratic nature of the video might relate to Bateman’s weakening grip on reality in “American Psycho.” After watching “Love Lockdown” a few times, I couldn’t help but wonder if Kanye hadn’t gone a little crazy himself. It probably wouldn’t be the first time.

—Samantha C. Cohen