Alrighty then, here's my psuedo Skinny Puppy review followed by my narcissistic opinions. It's really just a report. Because I would like the show no matter what unless they only played the last two albums, which, thankfully, they kept to a minimum. Spoilers below, so if you care about that kind of stuff, stop reading.
First off, it's always fun to see the crowd for these kinds of shows. Plenty of hot women of all shapes and sizes. Some not so hot but wearing as little clothing as possible to (try to) compensate. Everyone handsomely diplayed their personal tributes to Skinny Puppy: tattoos, painted leather jackets, custom embroidery, hats, pins, armbands, and plenty of I-was-at-the-Last-Rights-tour-so-that-means-I-rock t-shirts. Well, I've worn my Last Rights shirt (purchased at The Alley) so much that it looks like I actually might have been there, though. I was 12 and listening to Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy-Dogg, so I didn't have a chance to catch that show. I wore my Burning Empires tour VNV Nation shirt, because I actually was at that one. I also saw plenty of recovering (and maybe even still action) Dungeons and Dragons players. I felt like saying, "I was a dork, too." Only with me, I played D&D by myself because I didn't have any friends, so there!
The opening act was Otto Von Schirach (sp?), who I've never heard before. The sound was kind of like Aphex Twin meets Download with a dash of Aphex Twin. Maybe a little Delta 9 thrown in there as well. Everyone got their THROB on with the thump-thump-thump-thump-zzzzzzz-thump-thump... What really set Otto apart was his stage show. He came out in suspenders, a silly shirt, and what looked like a train engineer's hat and a shower cap in one. He pulled open his shirt to reveal his fake tits with a grinding rendition of "I'm Too Sexy." Then he had this guy in a furry suit with bananas as ears running around stage with a troll on a 10-foot-pole. After a brief intermission, Otto came back shirtless with a metallic 2-foot-cock. I felt I had gotten my money's worth already.
Then, after some intermission, then legend that is Skinny Puppy returned to the stage. I saw them in July I think, but missed the first couple songs, so it didn't really have the effect I craved. This blew me outta the water. They opened with I'mmortal, Pro-test, Use Less, and Curcible, so we got that stuff out of the way so that we could make way for what we all came to see. It was as if the people holding the good weed sparked up during the first grindings of God's Gift (Maggots). As always, there was the rockin' backing video with the sickest maggot shots I could imagine. We heard a surprise HeXonXonX and S.K.U.M.M. And of course, your : DD Trauma Hounds, Inquisition, Worlock, Tin Omen, Hardset Head, Convulsion, Harsh Stone White, Social Deception (I think), and VX GAS ATTACK. And at the end I got what I came to hear, Smothered Hope.
Ogre covered himself in fake blood, mud, and during HSW, fake heroin. He had an interesting straight-jacket outfit in the beginning with a signature dog thingy mask that he took off in parts by the third song. He complained about the red stage lights. There was a live drummer and a live guitarist. We got out share of Hitler and Bush comparisons on the backing film, which I think is cliche and worn out. The real surprise came with a staged beheading where a couple guys in hoods sprayed fake blood everywhere. Then they removed their hoods to reveal the real killers, W and the Dick. Amen. It wasn't really a surprise for me, though, because I read about it from a letter that Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood was circulating to radio stations. They asked that the stations stop playing Skinny Puppy. Radio stations play Skinny Puppy? I first heard Puppy on Q101, but that was in the days of Zoltar's Industrial Nation/Zone.
Q101 has fizzled out to a droning of Muse, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, and any other garbage they can get their hands on. Sorry if you're offended, but this new was of More-Artsy-Less-Fartsy rock makes me want to...whatever. I have to admit Woody, Tony, and Ravey is the best show in Chicago, though. You know they're good if they have a hatemail section.
I could have always done with "The Cow," though. Free speech is great and all, but this "All the Arabs should be killed" gets to me. We're pumping money and political support into the Palestinian genocide and we wonder why they hate us so much. Terrorism with expensive weapons is still terrorism. Too bad no politicians will even question our involvement in this atrocity due to the media influence (I didn't say control) and deep pockets of the perpetrators. In that situation, free speech is dead. Hey, even I'm trying to watch my ass as to not "offend" anyone. If you know in your heart that what you're doing is right, then you can allow it to be called to question.
First off, it's always fun to see the crowd for these kinds of shows. Plenty of hot women of all shapes and sizes. Some not so hot but wearing as little clothing as possible to (try to) compensate. Everyone handsomely diplayed their personal tributes to Skinny Puppy: tattoos, painted leather jackets, custom embroidery, hats, pins, armbands, and plenty of I-was-at-the-Last-Rights-tour-so-that-means-I-rock t-shirts. Well, I've worn my Last Rights shirt (purchased at The Alley) so much that it looks like I actually might have been there, though. I was 12 and listening to Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy-Dogg, so I didn't have a chance to catch that show. I wore my Burning Empires tour VNV Nation shirt, because I actually was at that one. I also saw plenty of recovering (and maybe even still action) Dungeons and Dragons players. I felt like saying, "I was a dork, too." Only with me, I played D&D by myself because I didn't have any friends, so there!
The opening act was Otto Von Schirach (sp?), who I've never heard before. The sound was kind of like Aphex Twin meets Download with a dash of Aphex Twin. Maybe a little Delta 9 thrown in there as well. Everyone got their THROB on with the thump-thump-thump-thump-zzzzzzz-thump-thump... What really set Otto apart was his stage show. He came out in suspenders, a silly shirt, and what looked like a train engineer's hat and a shower cap in one. He pulled open his shirt to reveal his fake tits with a grinding rendition of "I'm Too Sexy." Then he had this guy in a furry suit with bananas as ears running around stage with a troll on a 10-foot-pole. After a brief intermission, Otto came back shirtless with a metallic 2-foot-cock. I felt I had gotten my money's worth already.
Then, after some intermission, then legend that is Skinny Puppy returned to the stage. I saw them in July I think, but missed the first couple songs, so it didn't really have the effect I craved. This blew me outta the water. They opened with I'mmortal, Pro-test, Use Less, and Curcible, so we got that stuff out of the way so that we could make way for what we all came to see. It was as if the people holding the good weed sparked up during the first grindings of God's Gift (Maggots). As always, there was the rockin' backing video with the sickest maggot shots I could imagine. We heard a surprise HeXonXonX and S.K.U.M.M. And of course, your : DD Trauma Hounds, Inquisition, Worlock, Tin Omen, Hardset Head, Convulsion, Harsh Stone White, Social Deception (I think), and VX GAS ATTACK. And at the end I got what I came to hear, Smothered Hope.
Ogre covered himself in fake blood, mud, and during HSW, fake heroin. He had an interesting straight-jacket outfit in the beginning with a signature dog thingy mask that he took off in parts by the third song. He complained about the red stage lights. There was a live drummer and a live guitarist. We got out share of Hitler and Bush comparisons on the backing film, which I think is cliche and worn out. The real surprise came with a staged beheading where a couple guys in hoods sprayed fake blood everywhere. Then they removed their hoods to reveal the real killers, W and the Dick. Amen. It wasn't really a surprise for me, though, because I read about it from a letter that Patriotic Americans Boycotting Anti-American Hollywood was circulating to radio stations. They asked that the stations stop playing Skinny Puppy. Radio stations play Skinny Puppy? I first heard Puppy on Q101, but that was in the days of Zoltar's Industrial Nation/Zone.
Q101 has fizzled out to a droning of Muse, Modest Mouse, Franz Ferdinand, and any other garbage they can get their hands on. Sorry if you're offended, but this new was of More-Artsy-Less-Fartsy rock makes me want to...whatever. I have to admit Woody, Tony, and Ravey is the best show in Chicago, though. You know they're good if they have a hatemail section.
I could have always done with "The Cow," though. Free speech is great and all, but this "All the Arabs should be killed" gets to me. We're pumping money and political support into the Palestinian genocide and we wonder why they hate us so much. Terrorism with expensive weapons is still terrorism. Too bad no politicians will even question our involvement in this atrocity due to the media influence (I didn't say control) and deep pockets of the perpetrators. In that situation, free speech is dead. Hey, even I'm trying to watch my ass as to not "offend" anyone. If you know in your heart that what you're doing is right, then you can allow it to be called to question.
magni:
shhhhhhhhhhh. 