Rob Zombie: Genius?

Would I be out of line to suggest that Rob Zombie is some sort of a genius?

Inspired by a post last week on a blog I cannot find just now, I picked up a copy of Rob’s 2003 greatest hits collection, Past, Present, & Future, and have listened to it a ridiculous number of times. I think what fascinates me about the music is the seemingly obscure horror movie references in the lyrics and the use of sound effects, dialogue, and porno-style moans buried underneath the pounding, American-made-music-to-strip-by beat. There is so much going on in the songs that you have to listen and re-listen and re-re-listen to get it all.

Cyclone Jack
Hallucinating Hack
Thinks Donna Reed
Eats dollar bills
“Donna Reed eats dollar bills”? Where does that stuff come from?

Or the spoken dialogue repeated in “Pussy Liquor” from the House of 1000 Corpses soundtrack:

Baby: Yeah, we like to get fucked up
Goober: Yeah, I like to get fucked up too
Baby: Yeah, I bet you do
Mixing that audio into what amounts to Baby’s theme song and knowing as you hear it that “Goober” is going to be killed, makes the song one of the creepiest on the album. It very much reminds of the scene in Natural Born Killers when Mallory seduces the guy at the gas station only to shoot him because he’s too “fuckin’ eager.” Difference being that the Natural Born Killers clip is ultimately more explicit whereas the “Pussy Liquor” dialogue only implies what is to come.

Besides my touting of Rob Zombie as genius for his ability to weave obscure horror references throughout his lyrics, there is also the fact that he has sold millions of albums, both solo and as leader of White Zombie (whose name, by the way, is a reference to the 1932 movie starring Bela Lugosi). Five of his albums have been certified platinum and another two have been certified gold, making him the artist with the most gold and platinum discs on the Geffen Records label.

As a filmmaker, besides the cult classics House of a 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects, Rob’s 2007 remake of Halloween grossed $78 million world wide, despite being pretty much panned by critics. It also broke box-office records for the Labor Day weekend last year, pulling in $31 million.

Rob Zombie: Genius.
Disagree? Let’s hear why.

Living Dead Girl.mp3
Pussy Liquor.mp3

Labels: industrial, metal

posted by aikin @ 10:59 AM