SPOOKY KIDS
Lunch Boxes and Choklit Cows (Empire)
Reviewed by Erick Mertz

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I've got to give it to Marilyn Manson; at least on this newest album, Lunch Boxes and Choklit Cows, while fronting the Spooky Kids he's transcended his career based mockery of Alice Cooper; he's onto hacking more accomplished artists like Ian Astbury, long time underrated front man of the Cult. At least it shows growth, and engenders hope in those of us who believe he'll ascend further, perhaps to the status of knocking Bowie and ripping off a real dark, foreboding auteur like Trent Reznor.

Manson is a worthless, talentless side show amusement who needs to be treated with such aplomb. The longer people like him are given forum for their twisted, frankly insulting attempts at dangerous music, the longer really special and challenging artists have to wait. I think it best to get past the impression of him as a moral anti-Christ and start looking at the man for what he is: the after-birth of a celebrity, image obsessed culture whose only possible contribution to society is that he just might prevent a generation of audiophiles from having their Beatles albums persistently borrowed by their children. I know that if my father had been given the option of having to search for Yellow Submarine on a nightly basis or know where it was at all times, he would have chosen the latter. And for the real litmus test, maybe next time the old man bashes Manson, I'll bring this up as his one saving grace.

Do yourself a favor, don't buy this unless you're performing an experiment on how CDs take to an open flame.

© 2004 - Erick Mertz