For the first time ever, I am neither surprised nor disappointed by a case of sexual harassment, because it’s exactly what I would have expected. The Insane Clown Posse is being sued for sexual harassment.
Now all this other crap that’s been going on…are there more juggalos among atheists and skeptics than I would have suspected?
“Human decency? How the $&@# does that work?”
If the Insane Clown Posse evolved from KISS, why is there still KISS?
Isn’t that devolved?
With the whole “Fuck science! Miracles! Magnets, how do they work?” angle, I doubt there are many juggalos among atheists/skeptics. They want to feel smarter than everyone else, not revel in their own stupidity.
@4: Surprisingly, I actually know one such individual. It is the lone aberration in his otherwise excellent musical taste.
I’m not really surprised that Shaggy and J might be doing things like this. Interestingly, though, the only STUPID juggalos I’ve met have been internet caricatures (they’re picked on constantly on 4chan, or at least used to be, as I’ve not frequented the site for a couple years, now). Hopefully this will raise awareness among their community that all might not be wonderful in ‘lo land.
Damn, I already gave up Nugent, Anthrax, and Slayer. Now it’s ICP, Oh well, it’s not like they were real high on my list, and I still have Judas Priest.
I’ll just leave this here.
They had a song titled “Bitches.” Featuring the notorious feminist Ol’ Dirty Bastard.
Yes, it is as horrible as you are imagining it would be.
Brad #8
Why?
Point being: it seems to me that the more readily someone devalues another based on their gender (and how casually they do so) the more likely it is that that someone will act with disregard to that other person.
Dudes and dudettes, I highly recommend reading the court filing – it is highly insightful. As far as I can tell, ICP will strongly regret treating an attorney employee in the way they have.
I also learned a new phrase – “hedonic damages”. Shit, so if someone treated me bad and I was a US employee I could sue them for intruding on my drinking and cavorting?
Aw man, I’ve had to give up the ICP and Wu Tang. What the hell is there left for me?
@10 It’s a parody from an American sketch comedy show.
Were people really under the impression that the Wu-Tang Clan were feminists?
But, but… everyone who makes songs about choking bitches and everyone who so enjoys those songs about choking bitches says that of course the music isn’t reflective of their real-life views on women!
The only way ICP could evolve from Kiss would be if Stanley, Simmons, Criss, and Frehley gorged themselves on Mexican food, shit in a big pile on the ground, and spray painted it black and white.
@carlie #16
Good point. But then plenty of people enjoy songs and films and books and computer games about gangsters murderers and wars and betrayal and violence and blood and gore which aren’t reflective of their real-life views on the world. Most people can dinstinguish between reality and fiction. Much worse are those who enjoy certain kinds of art because of their disgusting real-life views.
@7, Mike:
Oh no, what did Anthrax do to get lumped in with the Nuge and Slayer?? I always thought they had an ethical bent to their lyrics, messages of peace & tolerance and so forth, and still consider them a bit of a guilty pleasure.
Yes – what I’m complaining about is the set of people who say “well, what did you expect? you can see it in the music they write!”, but who also say “but it’s just lyrics, they don’t really mean it”. Have to pick one or the other.
I don’t listen to ICP and I never intend to – however, do I really have to give up a band I like because of some stupid thing they said or did? I don’t think Slayer or Anthrax’s music can be diminished by dumbass things they say unless those dumbass things put the songs/lyrics in a new light (e.g., covert racism made overt). I’ll gladly give up Ted Nugent, since he wasn’t that great in the first place, and he’s said plenty of incredibly awful and stupid things over the years, but have other bands fucked up as bad as he has (is that even possible)?
I mean, shit. People listen to Burzum, and Varg Vikernes is a racist fuck that straight up killed a guy. Mind you, that’s pretty much the only reason they’ve ever heard of Varg Vikernes, but nonetheless.
When I first heard of Insane Clown Posse, I naturally thought the name was meant to be ironic, but unfortunately they were actually practicing truth in advertizing.
From the linked article:
How delightfully appropriative. Yes, let us compare the plight of predominantly white American music enthusiasts to a persecuted ethnic minority.
They Might Be Giants.
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
*headdesk*
CRASH
*headfloor*
You don’t have to do anything.
I’m not Giving up Miles Davis and he was a giant fucking asshole.
The difference I see with ICP it’s not that they do something outside their music that is offensive and harmful, it’s that their entire persona is built around being violent, misogynistic fuckwads who encourage the lowest-common denominator in their fans. This article highlights the connection.
So, I guess the next ICP song will contain the following lyrics:
OK, I haven’t finished the article, but seriously, this writer talks about defending Juggalos and how nice they all are, but also says this:
Look, here’s the thing, I don’t think you can really defend any group where a warning like, “you sure as hell better…” is necessary in the first place. That sounds like an implied threat of violence to me. There’s just no defending that. No matter how many really nice Juggalos there are.
@carlie #20
Reminds me of the Bible – lots of violence and rape in that one, yet somehow people manage to pick and choose – some bits are taken as examples of what NOT to do, some as what TO do.
Not the bible is exceptional art, but I think good art manages to do that – express disgusting and violent things in ways that make us think, that lead us to reject them. A song about wanting to harm women should make a person disgusted, should point to the inhumanity of it. Um. That’s all.
@Mike, #7
I will always love Judas Priest for one thing. Other bands sold out, but JP stayed honest, telling their own stories from the heart. When they were in their early 40s, many people had thought they’d lost it, lost the ability to bring in the younger, enthusiastic crowds that were willing to blow $35 (hey, it was 1989) on 2 hours of live music when they couldn’t find $300 bucks in a month for rent and had to live in their parents’ basements. But instead of failing ingloriously or selling out, they looked inward for the inspiring stories that resonated in their own lives. And when they did, those 45 year old metal heads gave us one of the most haunting, melodic, and truly meaningful songs to ever be played on the radio:
“We don’t need no parental guidance.”
I get all choked up just thinking about it. Honestly. For meaningful, gut-wrenching truth reflecting the artist’s own experience, it even puts Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” to shame.
@29 Crip
It’s not as bad, but I was really disappointed to see Rob Halford comment inanely on the Chik-fil-A issue. Judas Priest has always been a Christian metal band, and while it was empowering to know in earlier, more ignorant decades that gay men could be badasses (and I love that he’s permanently influenced heavy metal iconography with gay leather fetish), Halford has become the sort of insulated, moneyed gay who doesn’t really understand homophobia but still feels the need to comment on it.
ICP= GWAR for metal fans without a sense of irony.
I will alwyas play Sad Wings of Destiny when I want to hear, again, the birth of metal.
Well, I don’t imagine it’ll be difficult for anyone here to never voluntarily listen to ICP again. That sounds more like a reward. I’m just saying it feels like others are going to get on my case for listening to Anthrax and Slayer despite whatever transgressions they have made.
Buddy Rich was an asshole too, though, so I guess we can’t avoid asshole musicians. At the very least, we can support the ones who aren’t (Steve Harris comes to mind, along with Brian May).
By the way, I never actually perceived Wu-Tang as feminist. I’m no more surprised to hear the ICP accused of sexual harassment than I am to know the ODB was a total loser parent and husband. I thought I was being ironic or clever or something.
I’m not surprised one bit — has anyone here actually read their “lyrics”? It’s all about killing people, mostly “bitches”, in various horrific (though creative) ways.
And their followers take that shit way. too. seriously.
Like, to the point where the FBI has classified the Juggalos as a violent gang.
WMDKitty
Yeah, they kind of seem like the contemporary equivalent of the Jokers gang from Batman Beyond.