When trying to put down words to describe a Meat Beat Manifesto Concert, I couldn't help but think of the Elvis Costello quote, "writing about music is like dancing about architecture." But of course, MBM is not just about music. In fact, In the beginning of the concert, there was a booming voice coming over the PA that declared, "Only 11% of what we learn comes from what we hear."
Drum solos, simulated collage of drummers sped up, slowed down. Pics. of chris walken, muppets playing, etc.
The visual in a performance, particularly a Meat Beat Manifesto concert, is very important. In the very first song there was a collage of Moogs and a clip of Marshall Applewhite of the notoriously suicidal Heavens Gate cult saying 'surivive,' over and over again. MBM's music provided an angsty backbeat as further clips of George Bush Sr., Jimi Hendrix, and footage from old movies entertained us on a double screen. There were pics of Old school microphones, typewriters, buttons, fractal patterns, number gauges, and a whole myriad of memes to delight and dance to. At the end of the first song there was MSNBC footage of a man being restrained by cops and than cutting back and forth between that and Captain Kirk. When the song ended, everyone cheered and awaited for what was next, transfixed. I felt as though we were all in some sort of cult ourselves.
I must admit for me it was different experience. I'm used to your standard rock shows. But I've always thought having good visuals to go along with music was an enhancement.Having a live drummer, Lynn Farmer, to Jam along with the tracks was a plus.
The bassy beats and rhythms of "children of earth" treated us to a paranormal array of shots of UFO's dangling from the sky, an old shot of the LAX Encounter building, footage of the golden gate bridge, a feeling that we were being looked upon, doted on as it were, from Space Beings in the sky. There was subtitles over comedic looking Aliens who were trying to figure us out, mixed in with village of the damned children with the glowworm eyes, along with Large Yamaha keyboards and infomericals.
So basically, it was a blueprint of Jack Danger's creative brain, his obsessions and possessions, fears and joys. A lot of sacred and profane, yin and yang energy, showing us the absurdity of life on earth, taking us through a safe acid trip. There was also a bit of Obama repeating the words, 'Turn off the television," alongside Televangelist, Gregory Peck, some dude in a rubber mask interspersed with Gregory Peck, Dr. No, and that dang Comet dude Marshall Applewhite kept popping up over and over. I was mesmerized, I must admit. The staples of our society had been chewed up and spit out for all to see, and there was never a second to look away. We didn't want to miss woody allen charles manson, and Charleton Heston all acting out Jack Danger's script, while Obama repeatedly told us to turn off the television.
A few songs in, a televangelist is heard telling us about the evils of rock music and marijuana, and we're suddenly jolted. Our reality is now Hendrix at Monterey Pop destroying his guitar, as the televangelist quotes another "victim" of rock and roll, who says, "I didn't know what I was doing, and my clothes came off," as if the force of Devil's Music caused u2b disoriented.
There was old bollywood footage
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