Zoltar is a prominent character from the Carnival of Rust music video, portrayed by Marko Saaresto. His face is caked in white, cracking makeup with a black vertical rectangle crossing his left eye. He wears brown scruffy rags and a brown bowler hat. When the lady in the gasmask enters the Carnival and inserts a coin into the machine, Zoltar comes to life and is illuminated. Large boards to either side of his box then display Tarot cards throughout the video while he sings. When he has finished singing, he falls over again and the light goes out. The fortune card is delivered, which says "Cor cordis" - Latin for "Heart of hearts".
Marko's Zoltar is based on the fortune telling automaton cabinet of the same name, popularised in the 1988 film "Big" - but with an appearance much closer to the Commedia dell'Arte stock character Pierrot. To be more practical for use on stage, the Zoltar costume and makeup later evolved into Jeremiah Peacekeeper.[citation needed]
Trivia
- The Moscow live version of Carnival of Rust includes the following intro lyrics that give a little more insight into the character of Zoltar:
Down behind the gates of darkness dwell
The man in the box, between heaven and hell
With his broken heart sings a song of love