Tech N9ne – We Just Wanna Party (Feat. Rittz & Darrein Safron)
Tech N9ne “We Just Wanna Party” ft. Rittz & Darrein Safron
Preorder – http://bit.ly/1USivFm
Official Hip Hop Song | Strange Music
Strangeulation Vol. 2 | 11.20.2015
Tech N9ne “We Just Wanna Party” featuring Rittz and Darrein Safron
taken from the album – Strangeulation Vol. 2, in stores 11.20.2015
preorder from strangemusicinc.net for a SIGNED copy
and 2 bonus tracks! – http://bit.ly/1USivFm
Q:You’ve been a Juggalo and collector of ICP gear for such a long time. What treasures do you have in your vault of freshness?
A:That’s a damn good question. They are many items near and dear to this Juggalo’s heart. One of them started out as a rumor I had heard in the mid-’90s that there was a subdivision just north of where Comerica Park now stands, that there was an original “Carnival of Carnage: Available Now” poster that had been put up on one of these abandoned buildings in the very early ’90s. I went searching for this multiple times and came up empty. Well, it was at the Hallowicked of 2003, we happened to be out in front of the Fillmore because, you know, ICP was just having their Hallowicked, you know? A very, very old-school Juggalo approached me and had said, “Vinnie, just so you know, that poster is real, I have found it. I’m willing to give you the information of where it’s at.” I immediately made a decision that this mission needed to pop off right now. So I went and assembled a little crew of four ninjas, including myself, so a tactical force of five, you know? This was still hours before doors opened. We went across and we located it immediately. It sure as shit was there just like he explained. The only problem was now, is that because it had just been zoned for demolition it was all fenced off and literally barbed wire at the top of the fence and really, really, really firm fencing just to make sure no one came in or came out.
I put this ninja on lookout just to make sure the coast was clear and we just went at it military-style. We ended up having two larger ninjas literally rip the metal ties from the bottom of the fence line up and curled it nicely so that me and another real ballsy Juggalo military rolled underneath the wired fence. We put our boots against the building and we tugged until this solid slab of wood came off with the original 1992 Carnival of Carnage poster. We took that bad boy off the wall, we slid back under the damn metal fence, we rolled it back down if you will, and that baby went right into my trunk.
And it’s real, real fresh. You figure, at that point, it had approximately 11 winters and 11 summers to really age it. However, it is still completely intact, it is still completely obvious that this is a true “Carnival of Carnage: Available Now” poster. I’m very proud to say that it is most definitely one of my most coveted treasures. Yeah, that baby means the world to me, just due to its rarity and how it was just rumored to exist. That was my going behind enemy lines and really saving a rare artifact. That is a very, very, very rare artifact, you know?
There’s something else that is really, really near and dear to my heart and not too many people know as well that I have. It’s a real oddball piece of freshness that I acquired approximately 15 years ago through the almighty powers of eBay: An official Shaggy 2 Dope aka Joey Utsler high school yearbook. Not only does it have Joey Utsler’s picture, it also has his brother, John Kickjazz, and it has an inscription from Joey, which is definitely legit. That is an extremely rare artifact.
Vinnie Monastiere, 34, is a longtime Juggalo living in Roseville. He’s better known as Vinnie the ICP Kid, who was interviewed in his bedroom “museum” in the 1997 ICP film Shockumentary.
Spaide Ripper ft Stevie Stone & Frizz – Accelerator (Official Video)
Spaide Ripper and Stevie Stone re unite for the latest single from “Zombiie 3” the new album from Spaide Ripper available for pre order here:http://spaiderippermusic.bigcartel.co…
Prozak extends his dark winning streak with ‘Black Ink’
Rap-rocker Prozak fits right in at Strange Music, and besides being a good fit, he also has a strong catalog with them that just got bigger with the addition of Black Ink (Oct. 9), his fourth solo LP and fifth studio release with the KC imprint. On Black Ink, the Michigan-bred rhymer, who gained fame in both the Bedlam and Project: Deadman groups, is still enveloped in darkness and shrouded in blackness as he mixes it up with new collaborations and new combinations of hip-hop and heavy metal, yet still, he fights to live another day, avoid eternal sleep and find a way through life’s maze with his motivational mental pick-me-ups.
Unlike We All Fall Down, his last album, which had no guests, Black Ink is more social and a company affair, featuring various Strange Music artists and a good number of stylistically in sync outsiders. Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, CES Cru, Mackenzie O’Guin, and Bernz and Wrekonize of Mayday all get turns boosting the Strange likeness, but on the flip side, Twiztid, Kate Rose, Zodiac MPrint, Madchild and Tyler Lyon also show some nice external support for their friends at the label and their mission. For every morbid view of life, each depressing tone, there is a coping strategy and an understanding. Though Prozak and his bunch may seem to tolerate wading through muddy waters, settling for a life of despair and confusion, their intent is never as serious as to hurl listeners into throes of sadness, just to describe the feelings.
Black Ink is no new terrain for Prozak, but it has strength in numbers, aided also by applaudable vocal performances and a balanced ratio of rock to rap beats. The attraction is not necessarily in what is said but in how it is said here. Black Ink is a masterpiece of vocal technique and a paradise for fans of rap-rock music, an updated take on the classic cocktail of those two genres. The course is changed in each new song, and it never gets boring, cut into thirteen tracks and trimmed down to forty-seven minutes for a pristine, hurtling ride that stops smoothly and right when it needs to.
One of the most wicked duos in hip hop blesses Prozak with killer verses on his latest album Black Ink.
The close-knit bond between Twiztid and Prozak is inevitable, appearing on each other’s songs and even performing on the same tour. Now, with the release of Black Ink, Twiztid makes an appearance on “Do You Know Where You Are?”. The duo had a chance to speak about their relationship between the artists, the track, and what to expect in the future.
You guys and Prozak go back a little bit, how did you guys initially start doing music together?
Madrox: As far back as I can remember Prozak has always been a cool dude. He’s about his craft and he respects the underground music industry, and every time we get together on a track it’s an instant underground classic!
Monoxide: We all kind of come from the same place. So it’s been something that’s…I guess we’ve all ran in the same circle, but through other people, through the R.O.C., is how I really met Prozak and really got to find out about him as a dude, because we don’t do a lot of features. We’re just very un-trusting. He was a cool-ass dude – he’s just a genuine dude. That’s what I look for in a person. We’ve been doing this long enough that within five or six minutes, I can tell if you’re just a phony-ass or you’re just kissing ass, or if there’s a genuine friendship that could be built, and that’s kind of how it went with him, and here we are. It’s been a minute.
What’s your relationship been like with Strange Music as a whole?
Monoxide: It’s kind of like a home away from home. I can call Travis, I can call Tech, I can call Krizz, just on some phone call shit. Like, “Hey, man, what do you think of this?” or “Have you seen this movie?” It’s way past the music. That’s why we cherish that kind of friendship, because it’s very rare. It’s kind of like our home away from home, almost.
Madrox: Strange has always showed us love! From Travis to Krizz, Tech those dudes are like family to us and we are extremely proud of them and all of their success.
How did it come to be that Prozak approached you to do this song?
Madrox: He usually texts us as we are both very busy but he’s fam so we always find time to make it happen.
Monoxide: He just calls me, hits me up. He’s like, “Here’s the plan, want to do this, this, and this?” This one was a little harder because I told him last night, “Prozak, Steven Lavernius Shippy, I have never ever, in my 81 years of living, have been this busy.” I wish I could’ve spent more time, I wish we had more communication, but he’s like, “Motherfucker, you nailed it!” It’s just one of those things, man. I’d do anything for Prozak or anybody on Strange.
What do you think about Prozak as an artist? Like you said, you guys came up in the same circle. What kind of kinship do you guys have?
Monoxide: We spit the same, just differently. Fuckin’ T.I. and Tity Boy, or everyone call, 2 Chainz. They do the same thing, just do it differently. There’s a kinship there, because what we do is extremely rare and extremely unaccepted. To find somebody else that does that, you build your own crew. We had each other’s backs out here because that’s all we had. Everybody else does that kind of music, and us and Prozak and a handful of people that do our kind of music. We watch each other’s backs. It’s very brotherhood-oriented. That’s every one of them.
What’s this song about?
Madrox: That’s more of a question for Prozak himself, but my take on it is that be careful of your surroundings when you’re talking shit…know where you are.
Monoxide: To me, this song is kind-of people being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Coming into our world and not respecting that, and acting any ol’ way. We kind of have to put you in your place. We spit the wicked shit, so people think we’re trouble-makers, but we’re not. Trouble just seems to find us.
The city of Detroit, what kind of territoriality comes into place when you’re coming up in that city?
Madrox: Much like anywhere else in the planet, you learn very quickly where to and not to go and who to not fuck with.
Monoxide: Detroit is like the jungle. The worst part of the jungle you could be in. When you’re raised in the jungle, you have this mentality. It’s either a “pack-mentality” or an “alpha-mentality.” From the time you’re raised, 3, 4, 5, 6, all the way up, that by the time you become an 18 to 19-year-old rapper, you have this jungle mentality to “fuck everybody.” You had to go through so much just to get where you are. Nothing is right or wrong, but that’s just what it was. It was more of a cutthroat thing. Everybody climbing over everybody.
Through time, that has changed immensely. I’m not exactly sure why, but I can call a lot more people in the city now and get whatever I need than I could fucking 15 years ago. That’s how you have to be raised to survive in that motherfucker. It transcends from life, to whatever business you’re doing – if you’re running a club, being a rapper, or running a record label, that mentality never leaves you. To this day, shit, I ain’t lived in the city for almost fucking 20 years, but that mentality comes out every now and then.
Do you guys have any specific experiences that you were able to pull from to fuel your verses?
Madrox: Mainly life. We have had people, who will remain nameless, talking shit under their breath to us…and it’s like, “Motherfuckers…you are a mighty long way from home right now to be so cocky.”
Monoxide: No, I just love the concept. It doesn’t have to necessarily have to be about one particular situation, but I just painted a picture of a situation I wouldn’t want to be in.
Instances where people were a bit out of line?
Madrox: Sure, but in this business, that’s an everyday thing. There will always be habitual line-crossers – the key is keeping a level head and letting them fall off.
What did you think of the production?
Monoxide: Michael “Seven” Summers. That motherfucker, man. [laughs] I’ve said it a million times. There is nobody else – nobody else in the game that can touch him. I want him to explode, but I don’t want him to explode. He can do anything, anything well. Not just like, “Okay, I see.” He is absolutely the most talented producer I’ve ever worked with. I don’t even want to work with anybody else, really. It’s tough because I know Seven’s got ten bucks out of goddamn plane, but he’s never ever let me down, ever. I talk to Seven more than I talk to anybody else from Strange. I talk to him a lot.
Madrox: Seven always kills it. He is like the underground P Diddy, or Timbaland. What I mean is he is at the top of his game and it’s always an honor to work with him.
Seven’s someone that you guys have worked with a lot, why do you guys work so well together?
Madrox: I think he has the ability to tap into the artist, artists’ personal vibe and make music that is a custom fit for them. That is absolutely amazing, in my opinion.
Monoxide: Because he gets it. He gets it. He finds a way to take Twiztid to the next level, and we just kind of follow him. That Abominationz record, that changed the game. That reinvented Twiztid. It modernized Twiztid. It made us current – it made us today. He has a lot to do with that. I love ya, Michael!
What do you think about the record? How do you like how it came out?
Monoxide: Ooooh, top-to-bottom, not just the song we’re on, the record is really good. The first video is fan-fucking-tastic. It’s like, man, if you’re a lover of independent music or wicked shit or underground, grab it! Grab it! It’s amazing!
What do you have in store for the near future?
Madrox: Many things, project, show etc. Blessed to keep grinding, ya know?
Monoxide: 2016 is the release of 3 artists on the record label, I think we’re releasing 5 records next year and a movie. We’re going to be fucking ridiculously busy, but in a good way. It’s all good. It’s all good exhaustion. It’s good to be mentally tired like this, none of it’s bad, but it’s just so much.
It’s got to be rewarding to be doing it on your own like that.
Monoxide: Right, just to prove to everyone that we’re not bullshitting. It’s not like, we just thought of this overnight. We know what the fuck we’re doing. Just give us a little bit of trust and believe me. We’re about to have an amazing ride and we’ll see what happens.
Anything you want to say before we get out of here?
Monoxide: Yup! I do! And this is it: Tech N9ne, Krizz, CES, Stevie, I love you guys – Prozak – I love you guys. We’re going to get together, let’s go do something big! Let’s go do something big next year! Be safe. All the Strange Music fans: I love you guys. You guys have turned Strange into something that I’ve always expected it to be. That’s awesome. Congrats.
Madrox: Congrats to Prozak on his Black Ink release, make sure to pick it up! And thanks to y’all for taking the time to chop it up with us. Much, much family love, y’all!
What do you think of Twiztid’s guest appearances on Strange Music records?
First things first, please introduce the members of Kottonmouth Kings.
We have D-Loc, Daddy X, and The Dirtball on vocals, Lou Dog on the drums, and Mikey Bonez on guitar.
Let’s hop right into this latest studio collection Krown Power — conceptually, what this title represents both to and for you all?
Having been through a tumultuous past few years, and now finally ready to work this record, we couldn’t be more proud! Music is what we do and channeling emotion and message through it is the goal. You definitely hear on Krown Power our best work to date, with bold, “can’t f— with us” type attitude. There is such a variety of bangers on the record, it takes you on a sonic journey no doubt. In short, Krown Power represents us as an undeniable, headstrong unit. We simply pushed hard and created the best material of our lives.
How does Krown Power either differ or compare to previous Kottonmouth Kings’ efforts?
Every Kottonmouth record brings with it a new sound, new attitude and new attempts at reaching goals personally for us all as vocalists. We have a great production team that allows us to really create and shape the vibes of each track. Our main man on the tracks, and everything KMK, is Mike Kumagai. He has produced most every Kottonmouth track from day one, and continues to evolve ahead of the game, delivering us magic to rap on. It’s an honor, and the sound is undeniable. Big monster beats. Krown Power is just what the name says. Powerful beats in a new era of the Kottonmouth Kings.
The set’s recent single is titled “KRONITRON” How did it actually come to fruition?
We wrote this track to take you on a cannabis driven flight through the kingdom of marijuana. Our good friend and animator, Doug Bressler, created a killer cartoon for this video that is a must see. Again, Kumagai put together such a smashing beat for this song, we all brought severe raps to the plate. Take a trip on the Kronitron and you will stay high for days.
How did you all first discover your musical talent?
I think for each individual it comes differently. How we discover and then shape the talent is something that requires determination and dedication. Especially in the music business. D-Loc, Daddy X, and myself were all collegiate athletes at times in our lives, and it’s ironic to see how it comes to play in shaping what we do. I think that is the vehicle that drove our talents to where we are today. It says a lot when you want to win, and know how from experience. Most of all when you apply it in another area of life like music. Each member has a different story, and we are all driven to succeed. Losing is not an option.
Who have been your greatest inspirations musically and why?
Again, hard to answer for each guy, but I would have to say Bob Marley on a cumulative for his freedom fighter-positive vibrations and feel good music that hits the soul … Willie Nelson, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane’s Addiction, Dr. Dre, Guru and others for myself. Daddy X has an intense punk rock and musical background that certainly has many inspirations as deep as you wanna go. N.W.A. for D-Loc for their proper representation of their city so boldly, and the self-confidence they brought with their music. Any of that hard-core punk rock with fast guitars and drums. We love it all and it all impacted us.
How then would you all describe or define the style of music that you all create and perform?
It’s punk-rock/hip-hop. Intense banging beats with punk rock breaks swimming through a clear, fast moving river of bass. Live shows are as intense, if not more than the record. We go in!
What do you all feel you offer the music industry that we don’t already have in other performers?
We represent a suburban lifestyle and focus on the marijuana movement, always have. We offer a sound and a place to twist up the chronic, and really sink in. Kottonmouth Kings bring a message of freedom, choice, and positive vibes. We advocate for the plant, and continue to do so as cannabis becomes legalized in America. It’s an exciting time for us, and we have a lot in store for our fans.
Have you all encountered any problems in getting to this point in your career?
Yes. I’m sure every artist would agree it is a tough sail, even with clear glassy ocean in front of you. Your ship can be sailing just fine, and look perfect above water, but below lurks the scum and underbelly of the industry. Trust is thrown out the window in this realm, unless its your closest friends. Peek below the surface to see big sharks eating at your boat. It’s real. We had our life’s work stolen from us and abused heavily. After realizing, and working through a long maze of hell to get the shells of our work back, we now know what not to do. If you are an upcoming artist, make sure you protect yourself and your music!
What do you all want people to get from your music?
An eargasm. We want the listener to relate! To be able to sit back, fire up a joint, and ride the roller coaster. How you felt when you first listened to a record like Dr. Dre’s Chronic album. One that you can listen to over and over and over. I think that’s what we create. Especially for our die-hard legions of KMK supporters around the world. It’s a movement.
On a more serious note, are you all happy with the current state of hip-hop? And, even more specifically, where exactly do you all “fit in” when it comes to today’s trending soundscape?
Personally, I have a hard time listening to a lot of hip-hop that’s on the radio, unless its dark and street. Dre’s Compton record just took the sound back to a West Coast tone, so I am now satisfied. I think I touched on it above, but when you make music in the hip-hop arena you absolutely have to be up to par on both production and lyrical skills. Kumagai makes tracks for us that transcend the sounds of today. Always pushing the limits and crafting sounds that we’ve never heard. Then you hear them a year later. We rely heavily on this, and at the same time it pushes us to write to the best of our ability. It’s great to have a relationship like this for both business and artistry.
Longevity, what do you all attribute yours to?
Dedication and hard work. We all enjoy life to the fullest!
With that being said, how has not only the industry itself, but even more-so Kottonmouth Kings, either changed and/or evolved since your whole inception into music?
It goes without saying that the industry, and the ways of the music business have drastically changed over the last few decades. Format changes like tape to CD, CD to digital, and whatever else comes next, guide how things change. Once the digital world opened up, much became obsolete, and new ways of thinking, marketing, and releasing music emerged. It’s now a constant to see new, fresh ways artists can make something of themselves in this field. Record labels alike have shifted how they can push their artist, so in all, it’s a brand-new world out there. KMK has always evolved to allow itself to stay fresh and on top of our game. Whether members leaving the band, or new blood coming in, KMK is a lifestyle movement and goes deeper than the music. That is what separates groups like us. We have a family of fans that keep us going.
Do you all have any other outside or additional aspirations, maybe even completely away from music?
Lou Dog is heavily involved in the cannabis fight in L.A. representing NORML. D-Loc is a killer graphic artist, and great father, Daddy X is as well an awesome father, and record mogul that played collegiate basketball, and I love to hunt big game and cut rocks.
What has been your greatest achievement(s) so far?
Well, the group has had so many pinnacle moments over the course of the last 20 years, it would be hard for me to say, but I would have to say on a whole getting to where we are today has been the greatest of all achievements! Daddy X got us away from an evil group of people and got all of our masters back, which is, to me, the greatest achievement one can make. There have been countless “pinch me” moments, and insane tours and crowds, as well. What an awesome ride!
If you all could collaborate with any one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?
Bob Marley. He touched the soul root of feel-good music and message. It would be amazing to soak some of that in.
If you all could play any venue in the world, which one would you choose and why?
Madison Square Garden smoked out to the ceiling. Why? Well … because … we would be playing Madison Square Garden, smoked out to the ceiling!
One track of yours that you think defines you all and why?
Man, that’s a tough one. All songs define us, but the punk rock tracks really let the definition fly. “Full Throttle” is a great one. It and others portray and show the “we don’t give a f—” mentality. We do our own thing, and keep it that way. We don’t go half in, we go all in — all the time.
Is there anything I left out, or just plain forgot to mention?
Kottonmouth Kings have been here for years, and will be here for years to come. We love our fans, and love music! A lot has happened throughout the evolution of KMK, and we are excited to continue to bring our sound to the world, especially the sounds of Krown Power. Always swing by kottonmouthkings.com, and unitedfamilymusic.com to see what we have going on. Lots of free music and videos always jumping off so dip through and say whuttup.
Any closing thoughts for our readers?
Love your life, your friends, your craft, and smoke cannabis! We got you!
Juggalos of the Juggalotus… I Have freshness to report! Well ninjas, after Friday’s post of turmoil and confusion, all was resolved with a simple phone call. Jamie Madrox and Monoxide reached out and called us direct late last night and we had a great conversation. Anyway I’m glad to report that Twiztid has indicated to us that they plan on performing at Gathering 17 and negotiations are underway. We even have a new, special show planned to debut. For the first time ever, ICP, Twiztid and Blaze plan on performing in it’s entirety… “The Wizard of the Hood” complete with changing stage sets and all kinds of freshness. How dope is that shit? We think it’s pretty damn dope. Twiztid and Blaze are our brothers. All family has arguments, fortunately for us, our arguments never seem to last beyond a phone call! Whoooooop Whoooooop! –Violent J
What happens when freak-show guests are more experienced freaks than the hosts?
There is a wonderful line in the musical Passing Strange about the protagonist’s life being determined by a series of choices he made as a stoned teenager. I think about it sometimes when I think about both Insane Clown Posse and Rob Zombie—grown men and savvy businessmen whose aesthetics are defined by the scary-silly personas they developed as kids. These are men in their forties and, in Zombie’s case, early fifties, who are locked into being publicly known as “Shaggy 2 Dope,””Violent J,” and “Rob Zombie” for life. Zombie’s successful reinvention as a filmmaker afforded him an opportunity to shuck off a silly stage pseudonym and direct under his own name, but he instead doubled down on being an adult with the last name Zombie.
Against long odds, these curious pop icons have emerged as strangely resilient elder statesmen of musical horror. That’s partly attributable to Insane Clown Posse and Zombie’s gift not just for creating music but for building worlds, whether it’s Insane Clown Posse’s Dark Carnival mythology or the complementary universe of Zombie’s provocative horror movies. Yet underneath the lovingly depicted depravity lies an incongruous innocence. Shaggy 2 Dope, Violent J, and Rob Zombie all clearly never stopped being the weird, spooky kids who sincerely believed in the spirit of Halloween like Linus believes in the Great Pumpkin.
So it makes sense that when the people behind the Rob Zombie-designed Great American Nightmare haunted house in Villa Park, Illinois were looking for an act to perform between Zombie’s two shows on October 2 and 4, they chose Insane Clown Posse. On October 3 I took a forty dollar Uber ride from the north side of Chicago to the suburban no man’s land of Villa Park so that I could experience this magical fusion of clown and zombie myself.
The problem with pitching a freak show to Juggalos is that Juggalos are much more accomplished freaks than the professionals ostensibly entertaining them.
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In the process of writing You Don ‘ t Know Me But You Don ‘ t Like Me, my 2013 book about ostracized musical subcultures, I went from being a skeptic—who more or less lazily bought into the public conception of Insane Clown Posse as the worst of the worst—to an Insane Clown Posse fan. I ultimately came to love the casual ambition of its worldview and mythology, the weirdly inclusive vibe of its yearly “Gathering of the Juggalos” festival, and its goofy, wildly self-deprecating humor and sneaky pop appeal. . While Insane Clown Posse’s earnest message song “Miracles” may have been the source of universal mockery, most of the time, Insane Clown Posse is supposed to be funny. They are most assuredly in on the joke.
In true carny fashion, before any scares could even be attempted, a little hard-selling first had to occur. My group of four spook-seekers were offered an opportunity to take photographs of ourselves being terrified by one of the house’s low-rent ghouls. Thirty-five dollars for three large photos and several smaller ones. How could we refuse?
We were then instructed to place hoods over our heads as we felt our way through a blackened corridor. I semi-acquiesced to these belligerent fake monsters’ angry demands by putting the hood down over most of my face, but leaving enough uncovered so I could at least see the floor. This enraged the profane sass-mouths in ghoulish garb. “Put the WHOLE hood over your head, or the next door you enter will be the exit door!” a monster-for-pay yelled exasperatedly. Haunted houses are great because they combine fantastical fears of zombies, serial killers and monsters with the universal, more grounded fear of being thrill-killed by under-employed teenagers.
To make it to the next exhibit, we had to exit through a small, tight opening. So I pushed on and was finally allowed to remove my hood, at which point an unseen but very insistent voice yelled, “Exit through the vagina! Exit through the vagina!”
The employees at the American Nightmare were a strange combination of undead ghoul and amateur insult comedian—half Leatherface, half Don Rickles. Apparently the employee handbook that comes with snagging the plum role of Guy Insulting Strangers Despite Oozing Viscera From a Huge Gash in His Chest instructs spookateers to take full advantage of the rich comic possibilities endemic in hairlessness and aggressively questioning male patrons’ sexual orientation and gender. (Thus mocking comments about my baldness competed with even crueler comments about the nature and constitution of my genitalia.)
While the hooded component of the house relied on the cheap if eminently dependable shock of complete darkness for its effectiveness, the Great American Nightmare was pretty non-scary—likely because scare technology seemingly hasn’t advanced much beyond the tried-and-true “jump out and yell boo!” technique. At Great American Nightmare, however, it was often more like, “Crawl out of a disgustingly violent tableau and scream ‘Fuck you!'” Same principle, but a little more aggressive. Then came Captain Spaulding ‘ s 3-D Clown School, an attraction based on a beloved fixture of Zombie’s films that would only need a few minor tweaks to become Shaggy 2 Dope & Violent J ‘ s 3-D Clown School.
The problem with pitching a freak show to Juggalos is that, with their clown make-up and ghoulish, self-created personas, Juggalos are generally much more accomplished freaks than the professionals ostensibly entertaining/terrifying them. Their make-up is better, they’ve put more thought into their characters, and they embrace being a freak as a central component of their existence, and not as seasonal part-time labor. When I saw a fat man in underwear surrounded by a pair of women in skimpy Day-Glo attire in a gaudy neon backlight wonderland, I realized this wouldn’t be an unusual tableau at the Gathering of the Juggalos—except that there the fat guy would be twice as obese and an albino and he would never charge people to gawk at him. It wouldn’t be sporting.
Rob Zombie is a smart man, and a man who’s clearly thought about the political aspects of violence in entertainment (he’s a vegan, for chrissakes) and how it both reflects and comments upon real-world bloodshed. There’s a deep strain of social commentary in Zombie’s films. But it’s harder to express ideas in a realm of pure gothic spectacle like a haunted house, where his ideas are most likely executed by poorly compensated teenagers who got into character by toking up in the parking lot.
A sign bragged we were in “DuPage County’s Largest Sports & Expo center,” and boy, did it ever feel like DuPage County’s Largest Sports & Expo center.
And, of course, you’re not supposed to think in a haunted house. You are actively discouraged from thinking, from pondering the connotations of the fake bloodbath in front of you, and instead encouraged to feel just a single intense emotion—fear. Still, it’s difficult to be told to put a hood over your head and not think about the hooded prisoners of Abu Ghraib. And even in this fictional context, it’s distressing to see so many women faux-abused; the essence of so much horror comes down to monstrous men doing horrible things to sexy women, but when one of the countless women being fake-tortured by a leering creep desperately implored visitors to help her and the leering creep leeringly insisted no one would, my mind immediately went to Kitty Genovese.
But before I could think too hard about things the haunted house probably did not want me thinking about, the haunted house was over, and the concert part of the evening began. Behind the performers was a giant rendering of the hideous Mighty Missing Link, the title character from the duo’s last two albums, and Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope, accompanied by sinister clown hype-men in clown suits festooned with the group’s Hatchet Man logo, proceeded to instantly transform a sluggish show in a grim industrial venue (a sign in the space bragged that we were currently in “DuPage County’s Largest Sports & Expo center,” and boy did it ever feel like DuPage County’s Largest Sports & Expo center) into a roaring spectacle.
The venue was only half full, but even that ended up working in Insane Clown Posse’s favor. The sparsely populated high school gym-style bleachers cleared out almost completely as the entire crowd surged to the front of the stage both so that they could get the best possible view—and be sprayed with Faygo, the off-brand soda that is central to the group’s mythology and is officially, unofficially, the official beverage of discriminating Juggalos everywhere. Insane Clown Posse shows resemble old-time vaudeville or live variety shows more than typical concerts, and they even have commercials in the form of regular “Faygo breaks” where clown hype men spray the audience with Faygo while a demented Faygo jingle from somewhere in the gothic past plays.
At any Insane Clown Posse event, damn near every song is a sing-along, although at the Great American Nightmare show, the energy level was so high that the songs became more like shout-alongs.
In recordings, songs from Insane Clown Posse’s almost perversely positive, cheerful, and childlike new album The Marvelous Missing Link: Found (an album so sincere in its earnest endorsement of faith that it feels almost like Christian rap at times) like “Juggalo Party,” “Get Clowned,” and “I Fucked a Cop” sound a little like tepid rehashes of previous anthems with suspiciously similar titles. (Not surprisingly, the words “Clown” and “Juggalo” reappear over and over again in Insane Clown Posse song titles.) Onstage, however, these new songs roared to life and fit in perfectly with chestnuts from the Insane Clown Posse back catalogue. Insane Clown Posse’s music is built for live performance, not bedroom headphone listening. It’s about profane, foul-mouthed celebration, not subtlety or sophistication. Like Zombie, they’re showmen above all else.
Insane Clown Posse ended the show with “Bang! Pow! Boom!,” a rousing fixture of their live performances (at the Gathering they often made the chorus gloriously literal by pairing it with a fireworks display) that finds delirious joy in the prospect of total oblivion. Then the crowd, ecstatic to have been a part of this simpatico semi-collaboration between oddly ingratiating icons of tongue-in-cheek spookery, left, leaving the floors of DuPage County’s largest Sports & Expo center behind them covered in a soupy, sticky combination of confetti, empty bottles, and dried Faygo.
After missing the first few show dates, our homie Stitches has had to officially drop out of the Marvelous Missing Link tour due to family health issues. Stitches’ beautiful wife just gave birth to their son but he was born prematurely and is going through some serious health issues. So Stitches has left the tour to be with his family during this difficult time. And WE TOTALLY UNDERSTAND! He is doing the right thing and being a responsible husband and father and putting his family first.
But thankfully we have secured a DOPE replacement for Stitches…our homie DJ Paul, who’s debut solo album on Psychopathic Records “Master of Evil” drops on Friday, October 30. We’re psyched as fuck to have a legend like DJ Paul—co-founder of both Three 6 Mafia and Da Mafia 6ix as well as a member of the Psychopathic supergroup The Killjoy Club—joining us on our national trek. Plus, the camaraderie of having Paul on the road is going to be fuckin awesome because all of us are still in shock over the sudden passing of Da Mafia 6ix/Killjoy Club member Koopsta Knicca. Together we will get through this dark sad time and at least we can celebrate that Koopsta is now in Shangri-La getting mad angel neden.
