The Death of Slim Shady (Live Performances)

I'm wrapping it up! Watching him perform is something else. I have to limit my exposure to Eminem’s live performances because I don’t wanna be, let’s just say, pathetically starstruck by his awesomeness. But it isn’t a complete day without these theatrics. He did make a full comeback! 

PS: I was in awe of the sets at other concerts, too, featuring more of a graveyard. Absolutely nothing was half-assed, huh?

The Death of Slim Shady (In Conclusion...)

I wanted to open a can of worms, and a can of worms was opened. Surprisingly, can even directly quote some of the lyrics going, “Just opened the biggest can of worms on the whole planet Earth.” But to be fair, it could have been worse.

Boys are dumb, I still cringe and get grossed out witnessing and/or listening to Slim Shady’s antics, tons is rotten, and I’m confused af about what a lot of it meant or was referring to. I tried to go at it in order, but it doesn’t seem very chronologically organized. Maybe there’s a different sort of arrangement to go by. I don’t know. I’m expecting I’ll have realizations over time, to further comprehend it all, when more dots manage to connect (or I come across the answers).

At this point, what I can firmly say is that I sincerely appreciate all the work that went into giving Slim Shady a funeral. Or something like that? It is unclear! But, I mean, how it was so on theme and how imaginative and creative it came out as. If I weren’t such a blatant admirer of artists’ abilities, I’d be envious. ‘Cause, jeez, what a show!

Personally, I believe I can declare Temporary as my top favorite track. I hated it so much. But then loved it so much, too. Death (and moving on) is always a heavy subject, but oughta confront it nonetheless. It was also such a magnificent time-capsule-message embedded piece that it blew my mind. Then, against my will, I fell in love with Guilty Conscience 2. (Don’t get me started about how much Guilty Conscience stood out for me and what a treat a continuation of it is for someone like me!)

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: Though the King of Controversy is sorely missed, that’s one hella demanding job. Besides, I want to see Marshall, the “chopped liver”.

The Death of Slim Shady (Tracklist)

A mere few days definitely aren’t enough to take this album in as thoroughly as I would like to. Thank goodness that it is not the end of it (it remains there to be revisited) and it is only the end of my current reviewing. I AM listening to all of the tracks, though, and trying to piece them together. But for now, just emoji-coding them!

. Renaissance (intro) 💣

. Habits 🚩

. Trouble (short) 👥

. Brand New Dance 🎈

. Evil 👿

. All You Got (skit) 👥

. Lucifer 📓

. Antichrist 📓

. Fuel 🥊

. Road Rage 🚩

. Houdini 💣

. Breaking News (skit) 🚨

. Guilty Conscience 2 👥

. Head Honcho 🥊

. Temporary 💔

. Bad One 🚩

. Tobey 📓

. Guess Who’s Back (skit) 💀

. Somebody Save Me 💔

. Steve Berman (skit) 🚨

. Fuel (Shady edition) 🔥

. Like My Shit 🔥

. Kyrie & Luka 🔥

The Death of Slim Shady (Lyric Video)

Okay, I’m not even gonna attempt to grasp everything that’s going on here. But there’s wordplay to catch, a ride into and through that side of town, and what seems to be an ongoing fight between Marshall Mathers and Slim Shady - including zombie Slim Shadys (and both of them swollen, pfft).

Possibly the craziest Lyric Video in existence, but I’m mostly captivated, and humored, by how it’s done in a retro pixelated video game style. Plus, comic books’ flair. And just so shamelessly absurdist that I realize all over again that Eminem’s the sort of guy to name himself after M&Ms. And that’s… brilliant. To say the least.

The Death of Slim Shady (Music Videos)

I immediately appreciated how Houdini seemed to be an ‘answer’ to Without Me’s line, “Now, let's go, just give me the signal. I'll be there with a whole list full of new insults.” Yet, more than that, how it played with the passing of time. It’s been a while indeed and things have changed plenty. It packaged and delivered the nostalgia outstandingly, bringing it into today. It did come across as pretty random, though, nevertheless, clever. And I was hooked by the line, “And for my last trick, I’m ‘bout to reach in my bag, bruh.” I suppose it was referring to the insane content within the album?

Not gonna lie. This one was triggering the heck out of me. I had to force myself to actually listen to what was being said. Or attempting to communicate. And remind myself that it wasn’t catering to me and my sensitivities, in particular. That ~I’m not the only one with issues~. My snap judgment was that it was such a defeatist pity party, and I, forever the ~where there’s a will there’s a way~, despised that. It might be that it painfully reminded me of my own powerlessness to help people dealing with addiction problems (been there, not a happy ending story) and the sad reality that you can only help those who want to be helped and who will also help themselves. But taking myself and my personal issues out of the equation, and valuing it for what it is, I’m so grateful that such an intimate look at the struggles one could find themselves in was given. Somebody Save Me is heartbreaking, especially if you’re the kind who’s there for others or wishes to be.

Then, Temporary broke me. Confused or not, damn it. I was not ready to cry this much over a freakin’ song by no other than EMINEM. I ended up MAD. Like, what even was this about? Some hypothetical death and being asked to move on? But then again, it’s a family thing, and I’m only a stranger on the outside looking in, so what can I even say? I don’t know, but it messed me up regardless. ‘Cuz wutcha talkin’ about? I don’t want to move on! SIGH. Anyway, I listened to it recently, and it doesn’t stir me like that anymore. But it’s still so damn upsetting and unsettling. Jeez. The girl in me, with an absent father, was made to experience a multitude of feelings.

In general, though, gotta keep applauding Eminem’s genius.

The Death of Slim Shady (Teasers & Trailers)

Umm, yeah. Can’t tell if Marshall Mathers’ brain is more saturated with horror movies and overall stories than mine is. I’ma have to bet yes. What even is that thing? “Fear not, you’re in the hands of heroes!” Not sure if I should read that in a serious or mocking tone, either. But okay, let’s keep going…

Why are you spitting on Slim Shady’s grave? What’d he do to you?! Man, it’s times like this when I realize that I wasn’t enough of a fan, tracking every move of each and all these personalities, because I’m missing so much context. I mostly just remembered Slim Shady as ‘problematic’, ‘politically incorrect’, and ‘giving free advertisement’ to everyone he picked on or merely mentioned in his rapping. Along with the many abilities he rightfully gets credit for. But what do I know? Maybe it does take people like Dr. Dre to withstand him. And even then…

Hmm. This ambiance struck me as familiar. I don’t know if it is intentional or not, though. Or just a coincidence. But even if it’s coincidental, it might have been subconsciously connecting to it for some reason. It reminds me of “Not Afraid”. Maybe I just really liked that music video. But most importantly, what is this person being forced to watch and why? Guess I’ll have to listen to the album…

There’s even an Expanded Mourner edition?

Truth be told, I was reluctant to expect much coherence within this whole fictional universe. Could all just be a mixture of sensationalist stuff that rhymes and references. Which, if the case, whatever; at least it sells. Not everybody can, or should even attempt to, be a die-hard nerd. But if I’m not mistaken, he emphasized somewhere that it was a CONCEPT album and asked to listen to the tracks in order so that we could get it. Or so I heard. If so, sounds like there was plenty of thought put into it.

The Death of Slim Shady

Buckle up, ‘cause I’m finally going into it! I’d been puzzled about it and drawn to this concept album since it was first announced. Horror, crime, antiheroes? Count me in! I couldn’t give it the attention it merited before (too angry, too sad, too ‘can hardly give a f**k’). Now I can, though.

It is not a secret that this is actually my all-time favorite side of Eminem. The darker stuff, shining a light on it. And how, even while being quite hands-on, raw and explicit, it gets quite psychological too. Talk about thrillers. I love him for it (understatement).

This came as a shock to me, however. Killing Slim Shady? Look, I disagreed plenty with the guy, er, character, and believed he’d be my high school bully if both were put in the same setting, but killing him? Really? I can’t kill my own OCs that nobody’s heard of, how can anybody permanently kill a figure as great as Slim Shady? This had to be some sort of joke. But anyhow, I was clueless about where all this was coming from and where it was headed, so I tried to suspend my judgments until later.

Today is Friday the 13th, and digging into The Death of Slim Shady seems oddly fitting for the occasion.

CURRENT, UPCOMING, and PREVIOUS Events

The week to open this can of worms has started. Excuse me while I try to deal with it amidst the state of the world and my own instability... 

I decided I wouldn't be putting it off for too long after all. Though I do hope and pray, and am doing my best, so that I'll be free enough for all of it by the time the dates come. This is truly some historic stuff!

(More of the previous events are to be listed later on...)

Joining an Event? Here are Pointers!

‘Joining’, at least so far, basically means that you will be tuning in to the selected media (brought here) and the posts, mine or others’, around it. As a fun exercise in appreciation, potentially also reflection, or merely to catch a break (unlikely that that’s all there will be to it if you have an artistic brain, though). You might also walk away from it inspired and motivated to do more of your own thing.

It is your choice!
If a selected media does not appeal to you, you are under no obligation to tune into it. At worst, you’ll just miss out on what it has to offer and the references that are later made around it. Which could be a bummer, yet certainly not the end of the world. However, if it’s worth it to you, and you can make the space for it, then you’re in for what could be a delightfully enriching ride!

Remember the 3 R’s!
Tuning in won’t do, however, if you’re not in optimal (or close enough) conditions for it. To be so, you must be Rested, Relaxed, and Ready. If you’re Rested, you are able to pick up and process more. If you’re Relaxed, you will be able to focus and immerse more. If you’re Ready, you will be able to have an enhanced experience. Being Ready can consist of something as simple as sitting back comfortably to something as elaborate as a full-blown celebration complete with drinks and snacks that fit the theme. Don’t complain about not having a good time if you were lacking in the aforementioned! (That’s a You problem.)

There are countless ways to interpret!
You can take it at face value and be done with and over it without any issue. But some of us not only like, but are PHYSICALLY & PSYCHOLOGICALLY unable to not go further with it. We may ponder the worldbuilding, the plots, the characters, the dialogues, and any and every perceivable element or symbol at play. It is good practice to keep in mind, however, that your interpretation may be only that: your interpretation.

That said, a few hints:
• Relating can go from 0% to 100%.
• Ressemblance can be literal, as a metaphor, and “maybe in an alternate timeline or parallel universe”.
• Resonance can occur regardless of gender, race, age, and other traits. May even happen with abstract phenomena and inanimate objects.
• When ‘Based on Real Life’, generally, there’s an emphasis on ‘Based on’. They are not reenacted with the utmost precision and accuracy. Real Life will always be much more detailed and complex than what fits within a piece of media. Media often is tailored to suit something else.
• Fictional stories are fantastic. It is both fortunate and unfortunate that only a portion of them is experienced for real.
Ultimately, you do you and find how to make the most and best of it.

And if your calendar allows it, you can save a date!
It is probable that I will say, upfront, when, exactly, I will be dedicating myself to it. But matching my schedule is definitely not required (though a few pals do it for the extra joy of it). You can go before me and wait for me to catch up and bring my input or after me and dig into all the input I already brought. Or something like that.

I do recommend participating…
Yet, again, even if you’re closely and religiously keeping up with the “Unbridling and Sustaining Artistic Abilities” program, these Events are complementary, not mandatory! There’s a chance I’ll summarize, too, so no one’s totally clueless regardless.

Events? It’s Official!

You may be late to the party, but still early enough to join!

Taking some time to enjoy media is something I enjoy doing (that then allows me to appreciate it). And every once in a while, there’s a piece of media that I look forward to indulging in. During these times, I may be casually or formally posting about it. And this is the section where many of those posts will go.

In the past, it was something I did more personally, scattered around, but I noticed (shockers) that just as I love taking part in this sort of activity, others do too. It is quite related to the whole being an artist. Gotta love art to make art.

So what was taken as a ‘guilty pleasure’, some undisciplined oversharing I did, is now officially part of my content. And I’ll try to make it special, but not so much that I’m crippled by perfectionism!

In my case, there are a few genres, topics, and artists that I’m particularly interested in and/or entertained by. So rather than attempting (and failing) to check every great cultural hit, my scope will be somewhat limited by my personal preferences. If they happen to overlap yours, then awesome! We can both be in awe of what comes up/out!