Eminem-Sloppy and unpopular That's trailer trash for you


chris Golya (chris.golya@port.ac.uk)
Mon, 15 Nov 1999 12:15:05 +0000



Sloppy and unpopular.
                                                               That's
trailer trash for you

                                                               Barbara
Ellen
                                                               Sunday
November 14, 1999

                                                               Eminem,
London Astoria

                                                               Like many
American hip hop artists,

25-year-old Eminem, aka Slim Shady, aka
                                                               Marshall
Mathers, seems to place England about
                                                               level
with Finland on his list of priority

territories. At Monday's show, he lurches on stage
                                                               late and
proceeds to conduct a masterclass in
                                                               murdering
one's own material. Forty unmusical
                                                               minutes
later, he ends the show, racing for the
                                                               wings to
a chorus of loud booing from the crowd.
                                                               Well, at
least no one could ever accuse him of

outstaying his welcome.

                                                               Eminem
built his reputation on being white
                                                               trailer
trash, America's second worst nightmare
                                                               after
black ghetto trash. His music invades the
                                                               homes of
white suburban teenagers and corrupts
                                                               them in a
way that only black gangsta rappers
                                                               have ever
managed before. Bearing that in mind,
                                                               it's no
real surprise that his stage act is so

lavatorial and shambolic. As can be heard on The
                                                               Slim
Shady LP, Eminem is lavatorial and

shambolic. He also describes himself as sexist, a
                                                               violent
fantasist, ill-educated, druggy, vengeful
                                                               scum, but
apart from that he's a nice young man
                                                               who
thinks the world of his mum.

                                                               Well, OK,
maybe he isn't and maybe he doesn't
                                                               (his
mother is suing for millions for defamation,
                                                               following
his depiction of her as a junkie).
                                                               Eminem
definitely is the most original, vital,
                                                               hilarious
artist to hit hip hop in years. His style
                                                               is Jerry
Springer Uncut with breakbeats. A true
                                                               scream
from the dysfunctional heartland, he talks
                                                               about
impregnating Spice Girls, dumping lovers'
                                                               bodies in
oceans and hating just about everybody.
                                                               He is at
once the real McCoy, a cultural belch to
                                                               be
ignored at your peril and a very funny,
                                                               throwaway
cartoon. Carping about Eminem is an

understandable reaction, but about as pointless as
                                                               phoning
the RSPCA to complain that Tom is
                                                               chasing
Jerry.

                                                               I wish
Eminem had been even half as good at the
                                                               Astoria
as he is on record. As it is, he's so sloppy,
                                                               so
disengaged, that I can hardly make out which
                                                               songs
he's playing ('Role Model', 'My Fault', 'Just
                                                               Don't
Give A Fuck'). There's a DJ behind him, who
                                                               couldn't
scratch his way out of a tray of cat litter.
                                                               Another
sidekick is plodding about, dressed as a
                                                               magic
mushroom, but it really isn't funny.
                                                               Eminem
just stands there, rummaging about in
                                                               his
sweatsuit pants and ranting yobbishly. After
                                                               the crowd
boo him, he trudges back onstage,

indignant, and bellows his way through his biggest
                                                               hit,
'Guilty Conscience'.

                                                               On
record, this is a droll t tete-a-tete with his
                                                               mentor,
ex-NWA member and mythical producer
                                                               Dr Dre.
Tonight, it's reduced to Eminem and his
                                                               MC Proof
yomping about, shouting at each other,
                                                               like
demented fishwives. The Eminem Live

Experience is without doubt the most pointless
                                                               débcle
I've seen all year.

                                                               But then,
what did I expect from Detroit trailer
                                                               trash -
Vegas-style professionalism? A

housetrained polecat? Maybe not, but after the
                                                               white
noise, belly laughs and inspired psychosis
                                                               of his
album, I really didn't expect to leave an
                                                               Eminem
show disappointed, yawning and heartily
                                                               grateful
that I hadn't actually paid.

--
Time is precious. Waste it wisely.

Chris Golya Centre for New Media Research School of Art Design & Media University of Portsmouth Lion Gate Building Lion Terrace Portsmouth PO1 3HF

Tel wk: 01705 842297 mobile :07713477543 Fax: 01705 842077



This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Mon Nov 15 1999 - 13:24:49 MET