Mighty Death Pop and other things ICP

Aesthetically, this is probably the cheapest and ugliest album art ICP has chosen thus far. It's too cartoony and not their regular style. Yes, it's probably one of their more evil looking clown face Joker cards, but it just doesn't look right. Look at their Joker card prior to this one:

More pro-style, but still evil and creepy...or how about this one?

Very pro-style, despite the Baphomet hand symbols (which ICP call "Forks up/Forks down")

Anyways, despite the aesthetically unappealing cartoony album cover, the tracks seem to have a more lost feel to them than say, The Great Milenko. On The Great Milenko, there was a more hopeful feel and the "hidden" message was God is good and will punish those who abuse His name and those who abuse/mistreat others. Okay, true, there were joke tracks such as The Neden Game (commonly called The Dating Game) and a song about voodoo, but over-all it was a more uplifting album. 

 One of the videos off Milenko is Halls of Illusion. The lyrics depict various illusions, showing what could have been versus what actually was because the individuals in question fucked shit up by being assholes.

                                               

Mighty Death Pop? Not as uplifting and I question what their over-all messages are.

Where's God is about exactly what you'd think. I get what they're saying, though it confuses me because on the last track off of The Wraith: Shangri-La (titled Thy Unveiling, which is where I got the name for my blog) they "reveal" that they've been about God all along-which I always knew because I picked up on that from their previous works. It wasn't exactly a secret, imo, though other Juggalos and Juggalette's got their panties in a knot over it as if it was some big surprise.  

In "Violent J's Massive Shoot Interview", he is asked about Where's God and if he's beginning to lose faith. J responds: Fuck no. We haven’t lost any faith in God. In fact, we have more faith now than ever. We asked “Where’s God?” because as people go through their lives and face hard times, that is a question we all have asked ourselves, no matter who you are or how close to God you are.

 Honestly, the music video to the song isn't bad. It shows J and Shaggs walking through some town, carrying a giant cross. As they walk, they pass people struggling with their own battles. An abused housewife, a drug addict, and so forth. These people notice J and Shaggs carrying the cross, and decide to follow them. As for the lyrics, I guess I shouldn't be surprised with Where's God, considering ICP also questioned His (or Her) motives on Shangri-La with their track Crossing The Bridge, asking why children die, among various other things. Although, I agree with many of the questions asked in the song. 

Off Bang Pow Boom Nuclear Edition, there's a track titled It's All Over, which seems to celebrate the end of   the world. Perhaps they're trying to tell us to not be afraid, though I think there's a little more to it than that.

Yet on the regular Bang Pow Boom, they have a track called Miracles which seems to have a more inspirational message...despite the video having MK themes

This video and song gained a lot of attention, even getting spoofed on SNL, though I guess YouTube has their copyright bs going on with the video...I had to go to another site to watch it. They do a pretty good job, you can watch it here: http://www.dula.tv/watch.php?file=magical-mysteries-snl.flv It is definitely worth the view, especially if you've watched Miracles. A lot of people-even before SNL-mocked Shaggy's asking how  magnets work.

It's not just music and videos that make me question where ICP's collective heads are at. Twiztid left Psychopathic in December 2012, after 17 years at the label. The number 17 has always held significance with ICP. Is it coincidence that their frankenstein's left after 17 years? Twiztid supposedly stated at the end of a concert that they left for survival. I tried listening to them in the video (posted on Juggalo Nation, link below) but even Madrox telling the crowd to "shut the fuck up" didn't quiet them enough to make what they were saying more audible. I did hear them say "If we'd stayed, in another year there would have been no Twiztid." Although they (and their other best friend Blaze, who also left Psychopathic with them) will most likely be returning annually for The Gathering of the Juggalos, and, when time and schedules allow, will still be recording Dark Lotus and Psychopathic Rydas albums at their old label. Still, they left for survival? I'm not saying that they would have been killed or committed suicide had they stayed at Psychopathic, but wtf is that supposed to mean? It also seemed that they were getting sick of feeling like the second bananas compared to ICP, and feel that if they were on their own then they could stand a chance at being number one. Maybe they're right. There are fans who like Twiztid better than they like ICP, but to the majority of us ICP and Twiztid go hand-in-hand. ICP pretty much discovered, and helped, Twiztid get started after leaving House of Krayzees. ICP helped make Twiztid what they are today. I guess that's why Jamie and Paul still feel a sense of loyalty to Psychopathic. But still. They aren't number one, but they aren't number two. ICP and Twiztid are both on top of their game. They go together like cereal and milk. As I said in a previous post, they remind me of Baphomet's As Above, So Below. 

It isn't just Twiztid leaving after (a questionable) 17 years.

There's also their "newer" (it's not that new, but compared to the old) style of t-shirts and re-vamping of their Jokers Cards on t-shirts. I don't like it. It's too evil. I miss the old style.

Old Style. Used to be able to find this kind of art-work on all their merchandise. Then again, we used to be able to find buttons and patches at most music stores. Now finding band buttons and patches are a rarity in general. Except for online. But I hate online shopping.

A newer style Riddlebox shirt (I have this one, but I miss my old-style one. It was way cuter!)

 More newer-style artwork from their t-shirts. They're all so evil and horrible! A few of them look as though they're laughing and saying "I will devour your soul!"

Speaking of wicked and conditioning, Violent J makes an interesting comment in his Massive Shoot Interview.

QUESTION: When is ICP going to make some wicked shit? I remember you saying you guys were taking all the public insults from Miracles and using that anger to make the new record. The Mighty Death Pop is awesome but not wicked. The last wicked thing from ICP was Hells Pit. I love everything you guys do but where is the wicked ass shit?
- Adam P.

ANSWER: Hell’s Pit was especially wicked because it was about HELL’S PIT. If you honestly don’t hear the wickedness in Death Pop in such songs as “Bazooka Joey,” “Night of the Chainsaw,” “Chris Benoit,” “The Blasta,” “Dog Catchers,” “Shooting Stars,” and more shit on Death Pop, then maybe it’s just that you’ve gotten so used to the Wicked Shit that it doesn’t shock you anymore. Seriously. Maybe it’s just that you’re so conditioned to it after all these years that it’s hardened you up. Maybe it sounds normal to you now. It’s like the Rodney King beating video. After seeing it 10,000 times, it’s not as shocking anymore. But I’m sure if any pop music fan compares The Mighty Death Pop to anything else in pop music today, Death Pop will stand out as extremely wicked.

I'm merely speculating on things but I still-and always will-love these guys and their music. I still buy their evil-looking shirts because they're all I can find off-line and I like to rep what I love. Even if I do often question just how real they're being with us. Joey Utsler and Joe Bruce are probably as real as can be with their fans, but there are alters to them. In this video J shows 2 of them with Florida Joe and Moon Glorious (who reminds me of a gay Anna Nicole Smith when she painted her face like a clown), Shaggy shows one as The Red Ninja who acts like Shaggy but has a red face and wears a Wendy's girl-looking wig:

In the song Bloody Bitch (a bonus track off Wizard of the Hood), J raps: "Violent J's not around, but Moon Glorious is there, scared to fucking death of what's happening here" J often talks and raps about his other personalities, he boasts that in his music he gets to be other people and can do anything, and often-times his alters make appearances on their albums. Shaggy's varying personalities seem to be less obvious. Maybe Shaggy is actually J's handler?

Violent J's Massive Shoot Interview

Juggalo Nation: Twiztid Says Why they left

Epic, the animated movie, was an epic disappointment

I won't give away too many details of the movie, though I wouldn't recommend anybody watch it. The ending frustrated me, the symbolism was beyond obvious, and the beastiality references-do slugs count as beasts?-was disturbing, to say the least.

The "heroine" of the movie is named Mary Katherine, but she insists upon being called MK. Beyonce's forest Queen character bestows upon her the task of caring for this pod (pictured above) which contains "the life of the forest". Basically, they seem to be mocking God impregnating Mary in a manner that goes above most viewers heads. The slug, also pictured above, is enamoured with Mary Katherine and consistently makes fairly dirty comments regarding her. In one scene, he believes its her pulling on his eye tentacles and remarks that she's so into him. Y'know, a slug version of a penis-pulling joke. Gross.

Throughout the film, you believe that Mary will be "crowned" the new Queen (I mean, she IS the heroine) and get together with the hero (flying the bird, pictured above) and live happily ever after as a little forest creature. Yeah, not quite. Spoiler ahead...

Spoiler: a character who seems quite useless to the film becomes Queen, sends Mary away (who clearly is reluctant to leave), and it gets more confusing from there. The end. Yeah, not Epic, and kind of a piss-off. 

Tim Horton's Chill to Win contest is a hoax

It's not that I'm griping simply because I've entered this "contest" 89 times (to date) and still haven't won a single thing (which, honestly, does annoy me) but there are millions of others who've entered numerous times and haven't won anything either.

In the winter, Timmies (as Canadian's affectionately call it) runs a Roll-Up the Rim to Win contest. It's exactly how it sounds. You roll up the rim of your coffee cup, it tells you if you've won, what you've won, or to please try again. Very straight-forward, no bs.

Chill to Win has tabs that you pull off the cups with PIN codes printed on them, which you enter online after registering and/or logging into their website. I've asked the company (on their Contact Us form) why-if they can print PINs on the tab-can't they simply print "Please try again" or "You've won a free iced capp", rather than waste customers time? Honestly, logging on and typing in 89 PIN codes for literally nothing IS a waste of time. I've even called them out on three seperate occassions, blatantly stating "Your contest is a hoax!" They skirt around my logic, ignore my call-on-bs, and wish me luck in their contest. Typical.

Unrelated, I am sick of being unable to find their delicious chocolate danishes at most locations, though their horribly unappealing maple pecan danishes are pretty much everywhere. I commented on that to them as well and am awaiting a reply.

Maple nut danish. Looks disgusting and nuts hurt my teeth. These are found everywhere! (Yuck!)

Chocolate danish. Delicious and does not hurt teeth, yet SO hard to find!

Update June 7th 2013: I finally received a reply to my third disgruntled message to Tim Hortons, and I also found a third (what's with all the three's?) location that sells the chocolate danishes. Except, there is an inconsistency with their chocolate danish at this particular Tim's.

The email I received was the typical "smooth over" speak. I wonder if that type of talk ever actually works with anybody.

Thank you for emailing us at Tim Hortons Head Office in regards to our Chill to Win promotion.

I assure you that our contest is random and fair and there have been winners at this game. We always appreciate hearing feedback from valued guests such as yourself, however, we are sorry to hear your unfortunate experience about our promotion.

Service and quality have always been extremely important parts of our business and I can assure you, we always strive to put our guests first. For this reason, we greatly appreciate the time you have taken to contact us.

My response to them was just as blunt as everything else I've written them.

If it's random and fair, then how is it I've now entered 109 PINs and still not won a single thing? Roll Up the Rim doesn't make people waste time with PINs-and it gives out more prizes. Here's some other feedback on your Chill to Win from people on the internet:

The Huffington Post article on Chill to Win

Facebooker's wanting to boycott Timmies, because they also feel this contest is a scam and are disgusted

More people on Facebook feeling that it's a scam

A disgruntled Twitter post

 

The people saying they won are few and far in between. Yes, this "contest" is supposedly for fun, but it's not so fun when regardless of what your head office dictates its employees state: The proof is in the pudding that this "contest" isn't what your company claims it is. 109 entries. One hundred and nine. That is more than the fictional dalmations. If this was Roll Up the Rim, I'd have at least gotten ONE free donut by now.

If you guys DO do this jerk "contest" again next year, skip the PIN bs and just print "please try again" or "you won ___" on the labels-you obviously have the ability to do so. And give out more winners, even small things like a free donut or a small frozen beverage appease the masses. You should know this-you guys created the successful Roll Up The Rim. Instant gratification combined with small prizes equals happy patrons. It's simple mathematics. Maybe *I* should be working in Head Office.

As for the chocolate danish? It did not have the appetizing, non-teeth-hurty drizzle. It had sprinkles. Sprinkles! It looked like shit, felt weird on the teeth, was messier than usual, and wtf....sprinkles?! You're a chain restaurant, Tim Horton's, show some consistency and get your shit together! My God, I really should be in Head Office!!!

It looks like a bunch of flies are pooping on it

Ghetto Rainbows/The Mighty Death Pop

ICP's latest album (to my knowledge), The Mighty Death Pop, is full of even more symbolism that makes me question them and their lyrics. Yet I still can't help but love the duo.

While I've only heard a few songs off YouTube (I have yet to purchase the cd), the one that most caught my notice was Ghetto Rainbows. My first thought was "Are they ripping off Hopsin's Nocturnal Rainbows?" (a song all about exposing the Illuminati and their programming of us. Despite his exposing lyrics in most of his songs, I can't help but question the legitimacy of Hopsin, but that would have to be discussed in another article) My second thought, upon listening to the lyrics, was "Great. Oz programming."

The song starts off with the chorus being repeated three times. Most of us are aware that 3 is a meaningful number for the elite:

How the fuck could this be?

Up in the sky?

There's a rainbow over the hood! 

A short while later, more Oz and Dorothy programming becomes apparent:

Take a look up!

It's a rainbow over the city!

Take a look around you, shitty.

Gosh, just heard trailers are lurkin'

Yet I still hear the birds are chirpin'

(Somewhere Over the Rainbow....bluebirds...)

This world ain't meant for this

So much bliss, but its easy to miss

Rubbers on the sidewalk, used syringes

Stuck in a hotel, 2 week binges

Look high in the sky to remind you

Even if you're lost, rainbows will find you

(Kind of like a Handler would say to a Slave)

I don't like dissecting the lyrics of a band and song I love, looking for the negative connotations and finding "hidden" meanings to it. I'd much prefer to believe the more positive aspects to it. This little blurb here could be viewed in two ways:

There'll still be a rainbow after it rains

Rainbows don't hate or discriminate

Its mankinds fate to create mistakes

Just look at the skies above the gutta'

Above the warzones

Above eachother

Rainbows stretch over lands of ruin

Where troubles brewin', whatever we doin'

Don't live blind, a sheep in line

Find it, save the best of yo' time

(You could definitely interpret that as a positive, inspirational message, and I like to see it that way, however the next line throws it all away)

G Codes, Street Codes, Rules I drop

I only get this one chance, I won't drop

It's more than I got, Imma find the pot

At the end of the rainbow, like it or not

(G codes....we're supposed to believe the G is for Gangsta, cuz rappers are all about OG=Original Gangsta, or so we're to believe. Yet after being educated in the "conspiracy" realm, I don't trust G anything, with good reason. One little letter is all it took for me to go back to my second thought on this song: Oz Programming.)

The Ministry of Magic withdraws from Hogwarts...for now

Stuff in brackets ( ) added by me

CBC News.ca: "The Ontario government repealed Bill 115 today, removing from the books controversial legislation that allowed the province to impose labour contracts on public school teachers earlier this month."

"Many teachers continue to withhold duties they perform outside of the classroom, such as supervising clubs and sports teams." (Yeah, continue punishing the kids for things that aren't their fault! Selfish pricks!)

The Star.com: “It’s not going to change anything — it still doesn’t resolve any fundamental issues or concerns that both school boards and certain bargaining units would have,” said Michael Barrett, president of the Ontario Public School Boards’ Association and a trustee with the Durham District School Board.

A statement released by the Liberals Monday afternoon said that by “moving to repeal the act, the government is promoting goodwill and stability in Ontario schools by addressing a key concern” of both the elementary and secondary teacher unions."

Metro News: "Phil McNeely was quite happy to take our help in his campaign,” said Peter Giuliani, president of the Ottawa-Carleton Elementary Teachers’ Federation, noting that teachers volunteered and got behind the MPP in the 2012 election. “If you cast a vote and don’t hold people accountable, you get the government you deserve.”

"We’re still in exactly the same conditions,” said Giuliani. “There has been no commitment. The government hasn’t come out and said ‘we won’t do this again.’” (That's because this is the same style of stunt that was pulled last year with SOPA and PIPA. There was much contreversy and backlash, so "they" claimed they were pulling the plug on SOPA and PIPA. Uh-huh, so why is it that 9 times out of 10 I can't convert YouTube videos to mp3's? For that matter, why are most actual music videos now only available on Vevo, which for some reason often causes my display driver to crash then recover? SOPA/PIPA and Bill 115 may appear-on the surface-to be unrelated, but both are acts imposed by tbtb which are subsequently "withdrawn" or "repealed" after much opposition by the public, only to be sneakily implemented at a later date when the imposition has become a distant memory to the masses and general tempers have calmed. Don't believe me? Again, I bring up converting YouTube-to-mp3.)

Reading Between the Lines: National Enquirer Jan.14 2013

Incomplete, but I just wanted to get it out there. I may add the images at a later date.

Seinfeld's Shocking Suicide Confession:

"Confessing that he fights an offstage 'tendency toward depression,' Seinfeld said in a recent interview: 'If it wasn't for my kids, I'm pretty much done with living. I could kill myself. Now, there's something else to live for.'"

 "He also implied that 'romantic dissatisfaction' was something that used to depress him."

 "...Pals wonder whether he's still pining for his ex-flame Shoshanna Lonstein, who was an 18-year-old high school graduate when she started dating Seinfeld, then 39. The two dated for four years before his workaholic ways reportedly led to a breakup."

"'The interview Jerry gave wasn't exactly a ringing endorsement for his marriage to Jessica [Sklar, with whom he has a daughter and two sons], although it's clear he certainly loves his kids and being a dad," a friend told The Enquirer. 'It's also clear he still hasn't found real happiness and remains somewhat depressed. Pals believe he really never got over his bustup with Shoshanna and wonder if he would be happier today if they had been able to make it work.'" -Barry Levine

Taylor Swift Being Used By Scheming boy-bander Harry:

"The country cutie...is being used by the HANDLERS of her latest lover, One Direction singer Harry Styles, say sources."

"...sources say her match with Harry was orchestrated by his publicists to cast even more light on the handsome teen pop idol. 'Little does Taylor know that Harry's HANDLERS went to great lengths to put the two together because she's such a huge star.' said an insider. 'Anytime Taylor starts dating a new guy she gets a flurry of media attention, and her breakups receive even more.'"

"'After one of Taylor's relationships sours, it's almost a sure bet she'll write a song about it and there will be even more waves of publicity. That's why her romance with Harry was arranged by his HANDLERS.'"

"'When his advisers saw the potential for a blooming relationship, they began doing everything they could to push the two closer together.' said the insider. 'It took some time because Taylor began to date Conor Kennedy, but they didn't give up and saw to it that Harry was waiting for her with open arms when she broke up with him. Now they're just waiting for the relationship to take its course and reap the publicity benefits of a breakup.'"

Jen Aniston Wedding Blowup:

"'...Things went horribly awry when Justin [Theroux] suddenly turned introspective,' divulged the source. 'He started to pick apart their life together and their plans for raising a family around Jen's booming career.'"

"That prompted [Jen]-who's often intimidated by screenwriter/actor Justin's intellectual side-to point out that she felt Justin overthought things and could benefit from being more spontaneous, continued the source. 'After that, their conversation deteriorated into a shouting match,' the source said. 'Justin accused Jen of living the shallow life of a Hollywood screen queen. Jen responded by saying Justin had no feel for her inner self and called him a pseudo-intellectual who didn't know the meaning of the word fun. Then she burst into tears and huffed off.'"

"'Justin worries that he and Jen are not on the same intellectual plane and often complains that he feels smothered by her Hollywood fame.' revealed the source 'He misses his artist and musician friends in New York City and has said many times that he'd love to move back there.'"

"'Justin feels as if he's Jen's prop to prove to the world she's finally found love,' explained the source. 'He feels that on some level their relationship is almost a sham.'"

"'After a couple hours, they each realized how foolish the fight was,' said the source. 'They both apologized and repledged their undying devotion.'" [they did not say to whom they pledge undying devotion to!]

Gossip with Mike Walker:

"...Stop wondering why Brad Pitt's new flick 'Killing Them Softly' bombed: His own reps say it's all his fault, reports an insider! They're telling the star that his insistence on letting his facial wrinkles show is killing his career-because fans are shocked by the loss of his boyish good looks. Trouble started with the 49-year-old's much ballyhooed Chanel No.5 ad campaign featuring huge posters showing him looking weathered and aged-all because he refused to allow any photo retouching. Brad's HANDLERS even begged him to let the movie makers use a soft focus lens that would smooth his wrinkles, but Brad told them he wants to keep it real, saying: 'I've accepted the way I look and both you and my fans better accept it as well. I'm getting older-and the lines on my face aren't going anywhere.'" [good for you, Brad!]

"...mere moments after Hurricane Rihanna blasted into the ladies shoe department of Saks Fifth Avenue, nearly 100 pairs of expensive kicks-and dozens of shoe boxes-lay scattered all over the floor! Huffing and puffing like an ill wind, Rihanna ran salespeople ragged, snapping her fingers and ordering designer shoes at such a lightening pace it took three frazzled clerks to wait on her, says a source. Upper-crusty customers suddenly started complaining loudly that they couldn't get service, but that didn't faze the 'sole' singer-who demanded even more service until she'd made her final choices."

"Justin Bieber's shockingly morphed from sweet, considerate boy to total monster, reports a longtime co-worker, who admits the teen throb's suddenly become 'a big-headed, self-absorbed pain in the ass! The difference between Justin from our last tour and this current one is like night and day. Justin used to be kind and considerate; now he never misses an opportunity to belittle everyone around him. He calls them *mere peons* and refers to himself as *a megastar.*' Citing an example of baby-faced Bieb's outrageous ego, one source recalled the stinging criticism he leveled at some professional back-up dancers after a rehearsal. 'He told them what they were doing *wrong*-and then actually said, *if Michael Jackson was alive to see me dance, we would agree I'm easily as good as he was.* The only straight face in the room after that crack was Bieber's!'"

See the difference? I already knew he's turned into a dick!

"Angelina Jolie usually keeps her good works quiet, but here's one I'd like to report: When the star learned one of her longtime wardrobe women had been diagnosed with breast cancer, is too ill to work, and snowed under by medical bills, Jolie whipped out her checkbook and (1) promised to cover her living expenses, (2) guaranteed she'll have her job back whenever she's able to work again, and (3) even if the star isn't working on a movie at that time, she'll find her work on some other project pronto! Said an insider: 'The woman was so touched by Angie's kindness, she told pals she just wished everyone could know what a good person she is.' (And now they do, lady!)"

"Jon Stewart just proved he's either overflowing with Yuletide spirit, or actually is that no-nonsense, level-headed guy he portrays on TV! Waiting in a loooong line outside Toys'R'Us in Manhattan right before Christmas, the funnyman actually turned down VIP treatment by refusing to cut the line.

Calgon/Ilex are full of shit!

It is widely reported across the internet that Calgon products used to be tested on animals when they were owned by Reckitt Benckiser, but that the testing stopped when Ilex took over ownership. 

Goudlylox Reviews happily posts "Calgon does not test on animals. When Calgon was owned by their previous parent company, they were listed as testing on animals according to PETA. I've spoken to Ilex, the new parent company, and they assured me that they don't test on animals."

On their Facebook page, Erica Writsel wrote "I asked if your products were cruelty free and was told yes. I went to the store and saw no not tested on animals label, researched online and saw that you do test on animals :(" Calgon replied "We do not test our products on animals. We're sorry you read that online."

For a brief shining moment, I was happy. I've been trying in vain to find other marshmallow and cotton candy scents that do not test on animals (and preferably are entirely cruelty free). I've even tried looking up home-made recipes to make my own...but I can't find any such recipes in the scents that I want. So I was happy, thinking "YES! I can still buy Calgon and not feel guilty about it!" Because honestly, their stuff smells awesome and is fairly affordable.

Then I looked at the back of their Cotton Candy body lotion (I still have some of their products bought in my days of ignorance)....made in China.

As The Beauty Diaries sums perfectly "Basically these companies (and this is true to my knowledge) sell their products in China, which requires animal testing by law. Therefore, these companies still test their products on animals, regardless of what their flimsy statements say."

There is a very informative article here about some of China's horrible methods and cruelty towards animals. It's very heart-breaking, especially combined with the images of the tiny cages they live in.  Another post about the treatment of zoo animals in China. 

Animals aren't the only ones to suffer in China. As the name of this site so aptly puts it, China sucks (for many reasons)!