The Batlord

Insane Clown Posse: The Great Milenko

We've finally reached the fourth Joker's Card, The Great Milenko. The cover above is actually one of four versions, green, red, purple, and gold, but I can't find 300x300 versions of purple and gold so I'm just using green. The only difference between all four, other than the covers, is that inside each booklet is one fourth of a message that reveals the name of the next album. A cheap marketing scheme perhaps but I can't deny that I have a vague desire to buy the other three versions (I've got green) just to say I did. But how effective a scheme this was this album still sold almost two million copies and "broke" the band to a new level of popularity that, for better or worse, paved the way for the massive expansion of the juggalo movement.

Like all the Joker's Cards this one introduces a character from the Dark Carnival. The Great Milenko is a "necromaster" who uses your own greed, lust, and envy to create illusions to tempt you to sin.




Another intro I don't hate, but the real reason I mention it is that it is narrated by none other than Alice Cooper. So take that Alice Cooper fans.

The first thing to notice is that this album's production is a big step up from the lo-fi scuzziness of the past. Not surprising since ICP had signed to a major label. A Disney-owned label. Yeah. Unfortunately the label, Hollywood Records, forced them to censor the lyrics of "Piggie Pie", and completely remove "The Neden Game", "Under the Moon", and "Boogie Woogie Wu". And when it was released they actually recalled the album after they got flack from church groups. Fuck Disney. ICP then switched to Island and got the album released with the cut tracks, though "Piggie Pie" was still censored for some odd reason.

But yeah, better production. I actually only recently noticed that it's still relatively minimalist, since it's made to seem bigger than it really is by the more up-front vocals. And the vocals are really the biggest change, both the performances and the lyrics.

ICP have seriously cut down on the violence and bizarre imagery this time around, but I'm not convinced this was record label intimidation, since they're as foul-mouthed as ever. And the aforementioned "The Neden Game" (neden = slang for "pussy) had no particularly violent references, it was just over-the-top in its obscenities. Much of the violence has been replaced by a greater focus on humor. "The Neden Game", too much a song to be a skit, but too much of a skit to really be a song, tells of J and Shaggy's appearance on a parody of The Dating Game, where they proceed to tell a woman how they would woo her. "I'd grab your titties and stretch em down past your waist/Let em go, and watch em both spring up in your face/I'd sing love songs to you, the best I can/Get you naked, and hit it like a CAVEMAN!!!" is about as glorious a lyric as I've ever heard. Even the between-song skits, a staple of their albums, are superior to past attempts.

While I certainly miss the macabre strangeness, they've put all their oddball creativity into their performances. They've always been larger-than-life but now they've been blown up to an even greater degree. The charisma and energy on display is at times manic and almost always engaging. And they still bring the violence at times, "Piggie Pie", especially the uncensored version, is as violent as anything they've done before, and the depiction of child murder on "Boogie Woogie Wu", though it is as tongue-in-cheek as some kind of porn sex act that I'm sure exists, is most satisfying.

But forget what I said about the vocals being the biggest change. They're a big departure, but, while ICP have always been rather accessible, Violent J shows that he missed his calling as a pop songwriter on this album. He really knows how to drop a chorus that is bigger than the large women he claims to engage in sexual relations with, and catchier than the Herpes he no doubt contracts from them. "Halls of Illusions" is probably the best example of this. It's one of those songs that seizes you by the nut sack and won't let go until you've heard it fifty times in a row and are completely sick of it. I'm sure when they play this in a festival with thousands of people this song must destroy. No doubt it's songs like this that grabbed the attention of vaguely weird teens all across the world and convinced them to get unfortunate tattoos. I don't know if it's better than the previous two albums, but it's certainly on the same level of fantabulousness, and has almost always been the album that gets named when I've asked juggalos what their fav was. It was also in my CD player for several days straight up until about two days ago.

P.S. So far as I know this is the first Psychopathic album to have songs that are juggalo anthems, rather than merely referencing them. "What Is a Juggalo?" and "Down with the Clown", are bitchin' but I can't help but feel some small contempt for what shall come from their influence. But on their own they're merely shout outs to all those that have made their success possible. Brings a tear to my eye.

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