Hey Homies, Ellen Cushing from East Bay Express wrote a review for the Mighty Death Pop Tour show she attended in Oakland, ca.! It’s an interesting review that we thought we should share with you. Read the full review below and decide for yourself what kind of review this is. We would like to hear your thoughts on this review, so leave us a comment telling us what you think.
Here is the full review from East Bay Express:
To be clear: I wasn’t expecting this. When I told people I was going to an Insane Clown Posse show, it was always with that mixture of mock-sheepishness and eye-rolling dismissiveness we reserve for cultural events like this — cultural events that are populated by people that are, on some demographic or maybe existential level, different from us; cultural events that are really, really easy targets; cultural events that, you know, feature as prominent motifs murderous clowns and wanton misogyny and horrible, horrible music.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how a huge portion of both the fascination about and distaste for ICP is bound up in class: Juggalo culture has, for whatever reason, come to be pretty synonymous with a specifically blue-collar, white, male, often midwestern, archetype, one that’s been pushed out of manufacturing jobs by recession and globalization and marginalized by lack of education — as Violent J told me on the phone a couple weeks ago, “we’re not the college demographic,” and as Cord Jefferson eloquently argued in a 2011 Good piece, making fun of Juggalos is one of the last acceptable forms of class bigotry. Which is significant generally, but also to the way I came into this show: I was fully expecting to be an elitist asshole about this, basically. I was going to tweet bitchy, condescending things and be somewhere disgusted by the whole affair. Because I’m a Berkeley-born, liberal-arts educated feminist with a somewhat-embarrassing-but-very-real-investment in the idea that I Am Defined by my Taste and That Said Taste is Generally Good. Because that’swhat peoplelikemearesupposed to make of ICP.
But a really weird thing happened, which is that sometime after the EIGHT THOUSAND opening acts (best name, btw: Kung Fu Vampire) but before I was showered head-to-toe with Faygo — ICP’s soda/prop of choice, the spraying of which figures verrrry prominently into the show — I realized I was having an actually, unironically great time. The music is still horrible, just so we’re all on the same page, and the whole thing is deeply strange, and I did manage a few bitchy tweets. But ICP are nothing if not great showmen. And everything I’d been led to believe about who and what Juggalos are — meaning that they’re violent, and angry, and sexist, mostly — just wasn’t really born out by my experience, even though that would’ve made for a better story (and even though the Bay Area Juggalo sample is probably skewed!). There was some moshing, and as a woman I was certainly in the minority, but by and large, the defining characteristic of all the Juggalos I met last night was that they were just really uncommonly nice, nicer than nearly every audience at every show I’ve been to. They painted my face! When I got clocked in the head with a two-liter of Faygo (seriously), they asked me if I was okay! When I accidentally semi-groped a guy who looked alarmingly like my boyfriend (from behind), not only did he not, like, attack this crazy woman grabbing his arm, he helped me find my actual boyfriend. They were without exception polite, warm, and enthusiastic. (It helps that “whoop whoop my ninjas” is apparently an appropriate response to literally anything anyone says at an ICP show.)But I think the most interesting — and important — thing about the whole experience was the sheer degree to which everyone was completely, demonstrably overjoyed to be there, in a way that you almost never see at a concert. People don’t even take smoke breaks, they’re so enthralled. There is no apathetic foot-tapping at an ICP show. There is no idle iPhone scrolling or halfway head-bobbing or hipster posturing. There is no irony. Just a sea of grown men covered in off-brand soda and melted clown makeup who are positively losing their shit at the mere prospect of being in the same room with these guys. It was — and I mean this completely sincerely, even though I myself can’t really believe it — an amazing, life-affirming thing to see. It did what music is, I guess, supposed to do but rarely ever really does: It took me out of myself. I’m not an ICP fan, and I’m certainly not their target demographic, but in some small, weird way, I sort of get the whole thing now: These aren’t my people in any real or lasting sense, but for a couple hours, I was theirs. At this point, it’s been about ten hours since I walked out of the Metro, covered head-to-toe in confetti and paint and Faygo. I’m hungover, and I’m pretty sure I still have soda in my hair, so this is the best I can muster, but: Next time ICP is in town, you really should go.
Whoop whoop, my ninjas.
Faygoluvers Comments
LTB
Comment posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 10:39 pm GMT -5 at 10:39 pm
I fucking loved that. Props to this chick, and props for posting it. That seriously made me smile.
wonka69
Comment posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 10:44 pm GMT -5 at 10:44 pm
she’s a retard/dumb ass !!!
Violentdope
Comment posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 10:47 pm GMT -5 at 10:47 pm
hell ya good read..only if more people were open minded like this chick..
Uncle Steve
Comment posted on Friday, May 31st, 2013 11:07 pm GMT -5 at 11:07 pm
I want to piss all over her
Guest
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 09:16 am GMT -5 at 9:16 am
Pretty weak review. Main complaints: It comes off as a little pandering, the writing isn’t the level I would expect from a professional journalist, and it really simplifies Juggalo culture. The exaggerations and questionable use of the word “literally” are not helping this article.
Lack of any real reporting plagues her writing. She made it more about herself and the crowd than the show she was reviewing . The only real information she relays about ICPs actual performance is that they throw Faygo.
The worst: “Just a sea of grown men covered in off-brand soda and melted clown makeup who are positively losing their shit at the mere prospect of being in the same room with these guys” what a clumsily phrased vapid statement! At this point I realized her review wasn’t fit for wiping butts.
If I had to pick a high point it would be this line: “These aren’t my people in any real or lasting sense, but for a couple hours, I was theirs” This rings a little truer than the rest of the article.
I looked over her Twitter. It amazes me sometimes how the ability to publish frictionlessly online has made “journalists” out of some of the most uninteresting and talentless people you can imagine.
One star.
Mr.Bitches
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 12:52 pm GMT -5 at 12:52 pm
Another example of someone not giving a shit about the messege in the music…Just dickriding the culture born around it.
rudemark1
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 01:44 pm GMT -5 at 1:44 pm
Totally agree wit guest,bitch is still in the end all bout her dumb twat self! If these people aren’t in anyway going to last in that squirrel sized brain of urs or the show wouldn’t really live on except to feed her own self delusions, i ask wut wuz the point in this stupid bitch going?!
bramptonjuggalo
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 01:45 pm GMT -5 at 1:45 pm
That’s cool she had a good time an all, but how in the Fuck do you claim juggalo and not even like the music? Makes zero sense.
Violentdope
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 03:31 pm GMT -5 at 3:31 pm
wow…yall just proved my first post..too much negative shit..
Mr.Bitches
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 04:39 pm GMT -5 at 4:39 pm
Chicks like that are why the juggalo culture is heading in the shitter….When the messege in the music is lost,everything is lost.All your gunna have left is people that “wanna be down” But have no fuckin idea why.They just enjoy the acceptance of the group but have no respect for were it came from….Do some history on the origins of some gangs.A few started out as Groups built on the idea of helping out there community…But. A few dipshits with no respect for the history of it, took that idea and flipped it into somthing else.I fear the same shit is slowly happening to us.I mean c’mon…Motherfuckers were throwing shit at blaze at The gathering Last year.No respect at all.
Guest
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 05:38 pm GMT -5 at 5:38 pm
Violentdope you crack me up. Take a class in logic. No one proved your “point”, it was just an opinion. You’re saying if someone doesn’t like her review its because they are to close minded? Your huffing gas that does not compute. It is quite possible to not like her review and still have an open mind. Do me a favor and look up “subjective” and get back to me when you finally get it. No one has to like this article to prove they are open minded. Reading it and formulating your own opinion is quintessentially open mindedness.
LTB
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 07:07 pm GMT -5 at 7:07 pm
I just liked it cus unlike most hoes who don’t get us she enjoyed herself instead a hatin
rudemark1
Comment posted on Saturday, June 1st, 2013 08:31 pm GMT -5 at 8:31 pm
If that’s really her n that pic, then she truly defines a duck!
Jeffalo
Comment posted on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 03:28 am GMT -5 at 3:28 am
Fuck these assholes just going to a show to write a story… don’t fucking whoop whoop me cunt.
Violentdope
Comment posted on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 11:41 am GMT -5 at 11:41 am
my point mr guest is that Juggalos need to be opened mined to outsiders..there will always be new people wanting to come into the juggalo world and we shouldnt be fucking assholes to them..hence the negative shit on here..she wasnt bashing icp or juggalos her review was positive and you assholes have to put her down…that aint juggalo…
Old Mr Dangerous
Comment posted on Sunday, June 2nd, 2013 07:26 pm GMT -5 at 7:26 pm
Mixed feelings on this. I just don’t respect how these bland hipster types have to try and rationalize and explain their enjoyment of something. That’s why she wrote the article, apparently lol… why does she feel so guilty about having fun? Guess what? I went to a fucking HANSON concert with a girl just because she dug their tunes. And I had fucking fun, mostly because the fans were feeling it. Do I follow them? Hell no. But they play and write their own shit, do shit for charities, and probably fuck more women in their life by age 18 than I will in 100 years. Its a positive thing going on, despite the cheesiness (my opinion) of most of their brand of music. I’m not ashamed at all of my enjoyment. Perhaps being ashamed of enjoying oneself is an American mass hysteria. Fucking hipsters, fuck outta here. Hipsters should be the target of “socially acceptable class bigotry”. The class of optimistic human beings that don’t hate on everything that doesn’t match their perception of “cool”. Go to a third world country war zone. How’s “cool” working out for you there, hipster?
JuggaloShorty
Comment posted on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 03:32 am GMT -5 at 3:32 am
Juggalos shouldn’t hate on this chick for this article. I took my girlfriend to her first ICP show in Columbus last month and she was skeptical about it at first. She wasn’t familiar with ICP or their music but she knew how down I am and decided to go to support me. Guess what?…she had a great time and CAN NOT WAIT to go to her next show. I remember my first show in Cleveland back in 97′. I didn’t know who the fuck ICP was but I remember the feeling I got when I was at that show. It was powerful and I knew I belonged. Maybe this show is what it took for this chick to feel the power of the Dark Carnival. Embrace those from the outside who don’t understand and welcome them to the Family even if they may not be as “down” as the rest of us. WHOOP WHOOP!
Oldeskool tha donmega
Comment posted on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 09:31 am GMT -5 at 9:31 am
oh my fuccin god this is tha shit i hate
checc out my post in this case family means gang deal with it.(aka)a warped
reailty of “family”
at http://www.krazeejuggalomafia.blogspot.com leave comments you aint gonna hurt
my feelings opinions are like assholes everyone has one.
twiztidkillaxxx2
Comment posted on Monday, June 3rd, 2013 03:05 pm GMT -5 at 3:05 pm
who cares what she thinks? I don’t.
I am going with uncle Steve on this one.
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