I was watching the video for “Tightrope” by Janelle Monae and recognized characters from her video in a 1974 film I started watching with the Jazz composer, Sun Ra, called “Space Is the Place.”
The grim reaper characters with mirrors on their faces also appear in a 1943 short film called “Meshes of the Afternoon,” which Maya Deren and Alexander Hammid directed and starred in. The surrealist film might have influenced director of the Sun Ra film, John Coney. I like that these three works reflect on the concepts of reality, dreams and sanity.
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 
Hey, I was just peepin’ a Janelle Monae interview on Qtv the other day….she seemed like a really chilled personality
here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Qtv#p/u/7/KMxQEIGmDww
Wow, great interview! She’s so mature and insightful for her age. Some people think she is crazy, but I love her! The again artists do need to be a bit crazy to be artists.