PICK OF THE MONTH

INSANE CLOWN POSSE >> BIZAAR. ISLAND RECORDS 2000

Just in case you had trouble understanding the complex social commentary and political satire in Adam Sandler’s last box-office flop, Insane Clown Posse is plunging the toilets of stupidity with another album. Never ones to overthink the musical process, ICP’s chords are unimaginative, and their lyrics rarely extend past “Fuck you.” Could this album be any more retarded?

Okay maybe that’s a little harsh, but for all the hype surrounding this twosome, there is scarce-little noteworthy material to write about. Every facet of the act has already been done (and done better) by someone else. Let’s run through a few quick examples: Their taste for darkness and ultraviolence doesn’t hold a candle to that of Type-O-Negative 10 years ago. If it’s writing filthy rap lyrics, 15-year-old 2 Live Crew songs offer better smut. And finally, Kiss was wearing face paint and screwing groupies when these nimrods were in nursery school. Been there. Done that. Aside from a very pleasant lull while waiting to hear the bonus track, there’s not an iota of interesting content in all 66 minutes and 9 seconds of this musical train wreck.

So why does ICP even have a career? The sad fact is that somewhere between the rising number of WWF T-shirt and Eminem record sales, our pop-culture demands this sort of pay-per-view craprock. Blame it on Vince McMahon, Tom Brokaw, or David Geffen, but the market testing can’t be wrong. Just develop a good gimmick, do some time as Howard Stern’s lapdog, and you’ll have a lucrative recording job in no time. The talent comes later. -By Eric Seeger