Gig on the Green Special
Who’s th ad
The musical coup that brings EMINEM and MARILYN MANSON to the same bit of Glaswegian grass has enraged bible- thumpers and jangled the earrings of Daily Mail readers across the land. On this musical D-Day, we set lil’ Marshall (Eminem) and lil’ Brian (Manson) head to head and just find out who’s the baddest pop tart on the block.
Words: Mark Robertson
4 THE LIST '-
eligious persuasion?
Brian ‘I am the god of fuck.‘ said Marilyn
Manson one day he was feeling particularly pleased with himself. Luckily. as no one actually knew there was a god of fuck (no sign of him between Euterpe. the Greek god of lyric poetry. and Gebeleizis. a Thracian thunder god. in the Big Buys Bank ()me/s) he pretty much got away with it. His masterstroke was saying he was a Satanist. It had the religious zealots across the world reaching for their bags of brimstone to hurl it at the equine one. 1 0/1 0. Marshall Not big on religion. Has offended said same religious extremists but has resisted any desire to bump the local clergyman in the trunk of his car and drive it off a bridge a la ‘Stan‘.
7/10
A word in your shell like?
Brian Lyrically. Marilyn Manson has always set out to shock. ‘The Dope Show~ isn‘t about thick people on TV and ‘Antichrist Superstar‘ is not the Webber/Rice tribute some may misread. 'I Don’t Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)‘ is among
his most silly but sublime lyrical moments.
Never backward in coming forward, he wrote a whole album — Holy Wood (In The Shadow Of The Valley Of Death) — as a response to being branded the ‘inspiration’ for behind the Columbine High School massacre.
6/10
Marshall If there's one thing that is frustrating about Eminem it's that such a good rapper has to spout such pish so frequently. Like Manson, Eminem strives to shock but his homophobia and misogyny is unanswerable.
Lyrically. Eminem is strongest when he’s taking the mick. Hark back to the time you heard him debate about which Spice Girl to impregnate or his Mom doing more dope than he does and you’ll remember what I mean. Stupid? Infantile? Yup. Definitely. but it‘s ajoke. Hejust needs to be reminded where a joke ends and being a gay- bashing dickhead begins.
5/10
Legal Action?
Brian While Marshall whiles away his spare time fighting with his family and other rappers. Manson likes to ruck with the big boys. Vitriolic protests particularly from ‘moral guardian‘ groups denouncing him as ‘evil‘ are not uncommon at his US shows and riot police have been on the guest list more than a few times. Since Columbine. he has been the subject of numerous injunctions trying to stop his records being stocked in stores, his T—shirts being sold and him from playing live. He has. however. stayed relatively clear of the courthouse. 5/ 10
Marshall Eminem has seen more courtrooms than lronside. Concealing a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon. defamation. divorce and custody battles; that good suit of his has needed a few pressings as he has attempted to fend off his ex- wife. estranged mother. numerous county sheriffs and a few parole boards in his midst.
From Sydney to Sheffield. everyone has objected to Mathers‘ presence but he always gets to play his gig. Scores of attempts were made to scupper his debut in Australia last week before he was lowed admission. uring the show it here. 1 mi ‘ even buy a house