See Edward Snowden Cameo in Peter Gabriel’s ‘The Veil’ Video
Peter Gabriel has shared his new music video for “The Veil,” a track inspired by and written exclusively for Oliver Stone’s Edward Snowden film Snowden. In addition to photos from Snowden’s past and footage from the upcoming biopic, the video features a cameo by the whistleblower himself, who is seen walking through the woods and gazing at his computer monitor.
“As we become so visible in the digital world and leave an endless trail of data behind us, exactly who has our data and what they do with it becomes increasingly important,” Gabriel said in a statement. “Snowden’s revelations shocked the world and made it very clear why we need to have some way to look over those who look over us. With increasing terrorist attacks, security is critical, but not without any accountability or oversight.”
The lyrics also draw from Snowden’s story. “Some say you’re a patriot / Some call you a spy / An American hero / Or a traitor that deserves to die,” Gabriel sings on the track. “There’s no safe place to go / Now you’ve let that whistle blow / Show exactly what is going on / Show exactly who was looking on.”
“The Veil” is Gabriel’s second new composition following a three-year hiatus, arriving after the singer’s Muhammad Ali tribute “I’m Amazing.”
Snowden is out in theaters Friday. “I was very happy to learn Oliver Stone had decided to make a film about Edward Snowden and believe this is a powerful and inspiring film,” Gabriel added. “Oliver takes his music very seriously and I have always enjoyed collaborating with him and [music supervisor] Budd Carr.”