Think Outside the Box Set

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S2E12. Underoos in Your Overalls Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

The Mighty Death Pop by Insane Clown Posse.

In 2012, ICP released their album The Mighty Death Poop, the second card in the second hand of Jokers Cards. It's not bad. There are a few good songs on The Mighty Beth Pop, but lots of them are kinda mediocre, and a couple are just straight up bad. Like that one that reminds us of the shitty movie Taken.

The best song by far is the titular "The Mighty Death Plops," which you can listen to here. "Juggalo Juice" is pretty good, too. But the rest of The Mighty Red Pop is not super compelling, and has us looking forward to the day when we're done with ICP…

Listen along to The Mighty Death Pope here.

Learnin' Links

Chris Benoit
Rihanna forgives Chris Brown
Sprechgesang, the German word for talk-singing that Nathan couldn't remember
Altered Carbon
MD 20/20
Rising intonation: "The high rising terminal (HRT), also known as upspeak, uptalk, rising inflection, moronic interrogative, or high rising intonation (HRI), is a feature of some variants of English where declarative sentence clauses end with a rising-pitch intonation, until the end of the sentence where a falling-pitch is applied."
Acronym vs. initialism: "The distinction is not well-maintained."
The Monty Hall problem
Non-ICP songs referenced (Spotify links):

"I'm Shipping up to Boston"
"Rock Lobster"
The Lonely Island's "YOLO"
"The Safety Dance"
Die Antwoord's "Enter the Ninja" & "Evil Boy"
"If I Had a Rocket Launcher"
"Young Folks"

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S2E11. Drunk on Annoyance Mar 12, 2018

Show notes

Bang! Pow! Boom! by Insane Clown Posse.

Nathan's getting punchy this week, because he didn't really enjoy ICP's many versions of their 2009 album Bang! Pow! Boom!. It's not that it's bad, it's just… the shine is wearing off a little bit. ICP's been releasing these albums over almost 20 years, but we've been mainlining them for three months. Is Nathan finally starting to crack?

Cameron didn't mind Bang! Pow! Boom! so much, though. Maybe it's better than Nathan gives it credit for, and there's at least one really good song. Plus, it inspired a brilliant SNL parody video, so we can credit it with that.

Listen along to Bang! Pow! Boom! here—or here—or… here. Depending on which Pokéman you prefer, that is.

Learnin' Links

The music for "In Yo Face"
Beyond the Box Set's episode about Amelie, which Nathan guested on
Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego
The friggin' mode
The different names for people who are called "gypsies," who may be better referred to as "Romani"
"Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe
The Philly accent
An illicit link to the SNL parody for the song "Miracles"
DickDale.com, which Nathan didn't mention still looks like it did in 2004 (and presumably 1994 too)
The Central Park Five, who Donald Trump decided should be executed, despite their innocence

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S2E10. Haunted Rumps Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

The Tempest by Insane Clown Posse.

ICP continues a string of more-or-less enjoyable albums with their 10th studio release The Tempest. Nathan had a great time listening to it and maintains that it's ICP's best album yet, while Cameron is unconvinced (and bored). Freed from their first hand of Jokers Cards, ICP cuts loose and has fun with this one.

Mikey "E" Clark is back, too! It's a veritable Psychopatchic family reunion. But… what is the concept of this concept album, again? It's a hurricane, that's also a roller coaster, but it's also a metaphor, but also it's divine judgment (in a knee-jerk ICP way), but it's really a tornado? Or something?

Learnin' Links

Juggalo violence in 2006 in New Bedford, Massachusetts
The history of the swastika, which was originally a religious symbol for Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism
The "no true Scotsman" fallacy
The Very Large Man (VLM) in the new version of The Tick
Violent J with no makeup goes from Guy Fieri, to sad(der) Louis CK
Michael Jackson's first moonwalk
Violence has been going down, but can you draw the graph of its decline?
I wanted to link to a mash'em'up of "November Rain" and "Purple Rain," but I couldn't find a good one ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
The 1966 UT Austin shooting

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S2E9. Prepare to Be Murdered On! Feb 26, 2018

Show notes

The Wraith: Hell’s Pit by Insane Clown Posse.

ICP released the second part of their The Wraith Joker's Card, which has… no Wraith in it? That's OK, though, because Cameron and Nathan still have plenty to talk about, including non-funky crows, Dr. Oz®'s patented Drano Cleanse™, and Cameron's highly erotic thigh-unveiling.

We were warned about this album, but it's actually pretty good—especially the beats. The main problem is that ICP have mostly abandoned their social commentary by this point, and instead have become "family values" people (suburbanites?) concerned with "personal responsibility." That's disappointing, because one of the things we liked best about ICP was their social commentary.

Listen along to The Wraith: Hell's Pit on Spotify here.

Learnin' Links

Grundle, Gooch, Taint
Straight Edge, and No Fap
Cockles! And coracles, which is the other word Nathan was thinking of
The Shaggs
Dante's Inferno, Canto 25
Giovanni Boccaccio's The Decameron, which features some raunchy anti-church tales
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
The Last of Us
Rheum, also known as "sleep," or "eye boogies"
Night hag
A mental health and violence meta-study from California DHCS

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S2E8. Butch Candles Feb 19, 2018

Show notes

The Wraith: Shangri-La by Insane Clown Posse.

Here it is: Insane Clown Posse’s holy testimony 🙏✝️🙏. ICP reveals that they’re secret Christians, the Dark Carnival is God, and that they’re not sorry if they tricked you. Just like that weird kid at school who tried to make friends with you only to ask you to something called “youth group”, ICP has apparently had an ulterior motive all long. But, as they say, “why should the devil get all the good music?”

2002’s The Wraith: Shangri-La is a pretty good album (much less women-hate), but for some reason Nathan and Cameron have a hard time getting into it. Has ICP lost their edge, and their carnivalesque aesthetic? Maybe. Are they capable of keeping to their horrorcore roots while describing their version of heaven? When you have four kids, will you look back on this album as “the shit”? You decide!

Listen along to The Wraith: Shangri-La on Spotify here.

Learnin' Links

Killer Klowns from Outer Space—see a clip featuring Officer Mooney here
Commedia dell’arte, which features clowns, and Dante’s La Divina Commedia
Parallel fifths
One of the places that published overblown claims about ICP being evangelical Christians

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S2E7. Make Sure There’s No Crystal Lumps Feb 12, 2018

Show notes

Bizzar by Insane Clown Posse.

ICP's 2000 album Bizzar is a return to form, but better! This is their best one so far, which makes it really fun to talk about. But for some reason, Cameron and Nathan still stall and digress into such topics as Amy Grant's slay rides, Digimon (digital monsters), and Archie's full-throated complaint that "JUGHEAD ATE ALL MY PIZZA."

It's a real wild—wicked wild—romp that'll have you saying, "wicked clowns never die!" Whoop, whoop, indeed.

Listen along to Bizzar on Spotify here.

Learnin’ Links

Coxswain is a real word, which actually exists
John Denver's plane crash
The original version of "Let’s Go All the Way"
Digimon (are the CHAM-PIONS)
The Superbowel in 2018 where the Iggles destroyed not only Boston, but Philadelphia too
Ridi, Pagliacci
Violent J Does the Moonwalk!
Pidgin language
Oingo Boingo
This Is Us, which features a triplet dying during childbirth

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S2E6. Chekhov’s Waffle House Feb 05, 2018

Show notes

Bizaar by Insane Clown Posse.

ICP strikes back! …into our hearts, with their 2000 album Bizaar. Yes, you read that right: not bazaar, and not bizarre, but Biza'ar! It's one part of their album duo Bizaar/Bizzar, which Cameron helpfully points out are neither "correct" spellings of any of those words.

Cameron and Nathan tackle the difficult questions on this one, like: Is it a good thing to objectify overweight women? How long can you walk around with a heart-on before you need to seek medical attention? And what is a meadow for, anyway?

(it's not for the cows to graze, because that's what a pasturefor)

You can listen along to Bizaar here.

Learnin’ Links:

Nathan Rabin's book, You Don't Know Me but You Don't Like Me
Michael's Jackson's vitiligo and plastic surgery
Tropic Thunder: "Don't judge me!!"
Yo mama jokes in the bible
Def Leppard's drummer, who's mostly armless
Lilith Fair, and Lilith
The Mountain Goats album Cameron talked about
Mom's Spaghetti
Danielson
AAVE possessive grammar, which sometimes omits the apostrophe-s formation

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S2E5. Faygo Blues Jan 29, 2018

Show notes

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers by Insane Clown Posse.

The Amazing Jeckel Brothers dropped in 1999, and dropped our hearts with it. After the success of The Great Milenko, Insane Clown Posse faced a lot more attention in the mainstream media—which brought more scrutiny and much more criticism. ICP struck back with The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, which features a lot more sincere anger and less goofy clowning.

There are some good songs here, though, that are real standouts in ICP’s catalog. And Nathan manages to liven things up with a new library of sound effects.

Listen along to The Amazing Jeckel Brothers on Spottify, if you feel like you have to.

Learnin’ Links:

Walker MacMurdo’s article about listening to ICP’s albums
“Give me… sugar. In water.”
A Reddit post detailing why the pedophilia claims against Michael Jackson were probably fabricated
Repetition compulsion
Woodstock 99
Beyond the Box Set, a podcast about pitching prequels, sequels, and spinoffs to movies that don’t have them

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S2E4. Grape Nuts Truther Jan 22, 2018

Show notes

The Great Milenko by Insane Clown Posse.

Cameron and Nathan continue to investigate the music—nay, the phenomenon—of the Insane Clown Posse, with their 1997 album The Great Milenko. Along the way, they digress a lot, ending up talking about mom’s spaghetti and other fine foodstuffs. It's not so much that they don't like the album or anything, it's more that they find it very hard to remain on-topic.

Learnin’ Links:

Genmaicha
Nemo: Heart of Ice, which features Charles Foster Kane (of Citizen Kane fame) as a character
Edward Said’s book Orientalism
Faygo
A forum thread about the phrase “rode hard and put away wet”
Good Christian Fun podcast
Steve Taylor
ICP in the WWF
Alice Cooper on The Muppet Show
Weird Al’s Song “Couch Potato”
“The Streets of Cairo, or the Poor Little Country Maid”

Listen along to The Great Milenko on Spotify here.

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S2E3. Hallelujah! It’s Raining Blood! Jan 15, 2018

Show notes

Riddle Box by Insane Clown Posse.

Bonobo societies, Monster Mashes for the 90s, the Jokester of Dark Knight fame, and little juggalinos—it’s all a part of ~~this balanced breakfast~~ Cameron and Nathan’s discussion of Riddle Box, Insane Clown Posse’s third album!

Join us as we wind the crank and see what kinds of songs play, and as we answer the big questions—like, is ICP the spiritual heir to French poet Charles Baudelaire? Probably not, but maybe!

Listen along to Riddle Box on Spotify.

Learnin’ Links:

Armin Meiwes, a German man who killed and ate a willing volunteer—and ended up going to prison for it
"So mad I could bust a nut!"
Charles Baudelaire’s 1857 The Flowers of Evil (Les Fleurs du Mal)
Bonobo sexual behavior and their society
Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”, which was adapted into a song by ICP
The Cleveland Elementary School shooting in Stockton, CA in 1989—one of the first of what we’d come to think as “school shootings,” and which definitely preceded this 1995 album
Zef
Juggalos and floobs
Pronunciations of “clique”

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