The Passion of Marshall Mathers
I stil remember the day I first heard The Marshall Mathers LP. I can't say that about too many (or maybe any) other albums. As a male suburban teeanger in the 90s, I was, of course, a connoisieur of objectionable lyrics. But "Mathers" was the apex of it all:
"You god damn right BITCH, and now it's too late
I'm triple platinum and tragedies happen in two states"
More than that, though, it was the work of true passion and genius. Jokes are fun and all, but let's not forget, a year after this came out, he performed with Elton John at the Grammys.
Now reports are fliying left and right that Em is over 200 pounds, sitting at home all day eating steak and hanging out and playing video games with what's left of Ronald Dupree's crew.
Even Bizarre is like, "Nah, I'm not really fucking with Em anymore."
Is this the price that it costs to put out something like Marshall Mathers?
It's like studying the long-term effects of some new form of medical treatment. It's not knowable. There's never really been a case study like this. The article above compares Em's plight with that of Elvis.
While their downfalls, on the surface, seem to be similar on many levels, Elvis never put out an album as inflammatory and personal as Eminem did.
Of course, Elvis' music was pretty cutting-edge and controversial at the time and his overall fame volume was greater than Eminem's will ever be, but he wasn't part of your family. He ate lots of fried banana sandwiches and shot guns at TV's and took pills. Did the average person know a whole lot more than that about the King in the 70s?
Also, I don't think his mom ever sued him.
Maybe if Em held back just a little on something like "Kill You," "Stan" or "Kim" he could've held on to a little more of himself.
That would've denied us all great works of art, but maybe, now, 10 years later, he'd be able to put pen to paper. Maybe he wouldn't be so scared of what words will come out and what they'll do to, not only his millions of fans, but also his friends and family. I can't think of an entertainer, dead or alive, that has stakes as high as Em's.
Is it worth it? That's not for me to decide right now.
"You god damn right BITCH, and now it's too late
I'm triple platinum and tragedies happen in two states"
More than that, though, it was the work of true passion and genius. Jokes are fun and all, but let's not forget, a year after this came out, he performed with Elton John at the Grammys.
Now reports are fliying left and right that Em is over 200 pounds, sitting at home all day eating steak and hanging out and playing video games with what's left of Ronald Dupree's crew.
Even Bizarre is like, "Nah, I'm not really fucking with Em anymore."
Is this the price that it costs to put out something like Marshall Mathers?
It's like studying the long-term effects of some new form of medical treatment. It's not knowable. There's never really been a case study like this. The article above compares Em's plight with that of Elvis.
While their downfalls, on the surface, seem to be similar on many levels, Elvis never put out an album as inflammatory and personal as Eminem did.
Of course, Elvis' music was pretty cutting-edge and controversial at the time and his overall fame volume was greater than Eminem's will ever be, but he wasn't part of your family. He ate lots of fried banana sandwiches and shot guns at TV's and took pills. Did the average person know a whole lot more than that about the King in the 70s?
Also, I don't think his mom ever sued him.
Maybe if Em held back just a little on something like "Kill You," "Stan" or "Kim" he could've held on to a little more of himself.
That would've denied us all great works of art, but maybe, now, 10 years later, he'd be able to put pen to paper. Maybe he wouldn't be so scared of what words will come out and what they'll do to, not only his millions of fans, but also his friends and family. I can't think of an entertainer, dead or alive, that has stakes as high as Em's.
Is it worth it? That's not for me to decide right now.
posted by A-Wood @ 5:55 PM
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