Marilyn Manson – Guns, God &
Government: Live In L.A.
(2002/Eagle Vision Blu-ray)
Picture: B
Sound: B Extras: C Concert: B-
As one of the few performers to still be able to press
buttons and have a career, Marilyn Manson has been on an underground roll more
or less since his arrival in 1989.
Unlike Rob Zombie, he has not become sidetracked by mediums he is not as
good in and stands as the unacknowledged “bad boy” of Goth Rock and associated
genres. So I was surprised and
interested when his first Blu-ray release, Guns,
God & Government (2002) was announced.
Even if you don’t like all of his songs or they seem to
blend in together, part of this is theater and he (along with his band) leave
no PC stone unturned or anything sacred untouched. The songs have more to say about the state of
the world than anyone wants to admit, while he ravages sexuality, death,
religion and anything else in his way.
In some ways, he (give or take Nine Inch Nails) seems to be the sole
survivor of the darkest side of Rock’s invincibility and is not going anywhere.
The songs performed include:
1) Count To Six & Die
2) Irresponsible Hate Anthem
3) The Reflecting God
4) Great Big White World
5) Disposable Teens
6) The Fight Song
7) The Nobodies
8) Rock Is Dead
9) The Dope Show
10) Cruchfiction In Space
11) Sweet Dreams/Hell Intro
12) The Love Song
13) Antichrist Superstar
14) The Beautiful People
15) Astonishing Panorama Of The
Endtimes
16) Lunchbox
No doubt his version of Sweet Dreams entered the mainstream more than expected and the fact
he had any mainstream hits seems amazing, but he was not just a gimmick or fad
performer. He was as “for real” as any
of his contemporaries and so, when watching this show, realize he is not going
anywhere. With a Holy Cross made of a
rifle down the middle with two hand guns on the side, you can be sure he is far
from finished his darkly wild ways.
The 1080i 1.78 X 1 digital High Definition image, despite
some good and unusual color, is a little soft and shows its age as an older HD
shoot, while the DTS-HD MA (Master Audio) lossless 5.1 mix is better than the
Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM 2.0 Stereo on this Blu-ray, with the PCM the least of
them all. The DTS has no trouble
reproducing the loudness and bass in the concert, but the soundstage is
limited. The only extra is a half-hour
compilation of his touring and related incidents entitled The Death Parade.
- Nicholas Sheffo