TfSB: Monster MagnetLive at Palac Akropolis, Prague, 22 March 2004
|
||||||
|
I've had my doubts but it is, in fact, still OK to rock. I know this because Monster Magnet head man Dave Wyndorf tells us at the start of the show. Wyndorf knows a thing or two about rock. Prior to current album Monolithic Baby he sacked his rhythm section because they were, he says, "afraid to rock." That's not an allegation you could level at Wyndorf himself, who gives it 110 percent tonight. (About 100 percent commitment and 10 percent irony, I reckon.) I'm not a huge fan of heavy metal but there's something about Monster Magnet I love. Mostly, I think, it's the drugs - Monster Magnet are insanely committed to a vision of psychedelic rock that went out of fashion around the time that I was born. I first got into the band when I was working in Myrtle Beach (South Carolina's redneck Blackpool) on a student exchange. I'd taped a track of theirs off John Peel while I was back in England, liked it and bought their album, Spine of God, in a local record shop. Spine of God seemed like the perfect soundtrack to an excessive summer spent sharing a wooden house with a bunch of boozy British exchange students, assorted cockroaches and a heavy metal family from hell. The music is undeniably metal but there's a big dose of far-out 1960s garage rock bubbling under the surface. (The best indication of what Monster Magnet sound like, I think, is the song titles: "Monster Magnet? They're the band that wrote Pill Shovel.") Also, Wyndorf is, for all the absurd posturing, a gifted songwriter and producer. This is a man who, despite his disdain for pop, wrote a US top ten hit (Negasonic Teenage Warhead) in 15 minutes, and you feel he could churn out a few more if he put his mind to it. Heading into the show, however, I'm still a little nervous. I'm not a metal fan and this is my first metal show. Fearing the worst, I've skilfully timed my entrance so as to avoid the support bands - Gluecifer and The Quill. The audience at Palac Akropolis is a mix of alternative types and metalheads, some surprisingly old. Compared to other gigs I've seen here, the crowd is fairly sparse, probably because the ticket price (550 crowns) is high by Czech standards. The show, however, is fantastic. The place is far from full but Wyndorf treats it like a stadium gig, and the rest of the band rocks with maximum effectiveness. I've seen Monster Magnet's sound described as a blend of Black Sabbath and early Hawkwind but my friend Mike, who's far more of a metal connoisseur than I am, describes the opening salvo as more of a Ramones/early Iron Maiden crossover. (It's important to get these things right.) As much as the music though, it's the showmanship that makes Monster Magnet so much fun. Wyndorf is a man who can thank Prague's "gracious hotel staff" and make it sound like the filthiest thing anyone's ever said. Their stage tricks, meanwhile, are simple but it takes a certain amount of shamelessness to pull them off. Wyndorf, for instance, has a small fan positioned at the foot of the stage so his long hair is blown back, mythic hero-style, when he stands above it. Another gimmick involves placing two small platforms on either side of Wyndorf's mic stand so the guitarists can step up and rock particularly hard at key moments. Other tricks include shining a blindingly bright industrial lamp into the audience and using a powerful echo effect on one track that, even if you've touched nothing stronger than lager, eventually pummels your brain into an altered state of consciousness. Wyndorf, of course, saves the best for last, bringing out a strangely padded electric guitar towards the end of the show and swinging it above his head as if he's going to smash it. My girlfriend, who's enjoyed the show until this point, is disappointed that the guitar he's about to smash isn't real. Wyndorf, however, has other ideas: He sets light to the guitar, which bursts into spectacular flames. Then he smashes it. I'm so impressed I buy a T-shirt bearing Monster Magnet's magnificent "bull-god" mascot on the front and the tour dates on the back. (I notice later that Prague is misspelled - "PRAUGE".) Monster Magnet roll on to Stuttgart and we head on to the pub to ponder the injustice of a world where The Darkness are superstars and Monster Magnet must toil in relative obscurity. Nobody said that rock was fair. Sam Beckwith Prague, Czech Republic Tales from Suburban Bohemia is published simultaneously on Stumpy Moose and Prague TV. Post your comments on Tales from Suburban Bohemia on the Stumpy Moose Board or e-mail sam@stumpymoose.com. |
Article added on Tue 13th Apr, 2004 [last updated Tue 13th Apr, 2004]Share this page 
|
| COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE | ||
| READ ALL ZINE ARTICLES MORE ZINE ARTICLES |
|
The Coral - The Best Band You Wished You Knew About by Oliver White British Rock Group Added on Tue 14th Dec, 2010 (Last updated Tue 14th Dec, 2010) |
|
US Voter Registration - 2010 Midterm Elections by Julia Bryan Art Schankler Interview Added on Thu 7th Oct, 2010 (Last updated Thu 7th Oct, 2010) |
|
Ride Planet Earth's Kim Nguyen in Prague by Irene Carpintero Epic Bike Ride Added on Tue 10th Nov, 2009 (Last updated Tue 10th Nov, 2009) |
|
A Counterpoint to the Claim of Apartheid Conditions for Czech Roma by Foreign Religious Leaders by Oliver White Oliver White responds to Rajan Zed & Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich's recent press releases urging Pope Benedict XVI to highlight 'Roma apartheid' Added on Tue 27th Oct, 2009 (Last updated Tue 27th Oct, 2009) |
|
Hindus & Jews Disappointed With Pope for Ignoring Roma Apartheid by Rajan Zed & Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich Press Release Added on Thu 1st Oct, 2009 |
|
Hindus & Jews Pinning Hopes on Pope for Highlighting Roma Apartheid in Czech Republic by Rajan Zed & Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich Press Release Added on Tue 22nd Sep, 2009 (Last updated Tue 22nd Sep, 2009) |
|
Provokator Tiki Live Lizard Lounge by Provokator Provokator Press Release Added on Fri 18th Sep, 2009 |
|
Brunch at Orange Bar by Steve Smith & Damien Mitchell New Morning Menus at Old Town Hangout Added on Thu 5th Feb, 2009 (Last updated Mon 16th Feb, 2009) |
|
Steve's Guide to Eating Sushi by Steve Smith PTV guide to eating Sushi Added on Wed 4th Feb, 2009 (Last updated Mon 16th Feb, 2009) |
|
Neo-Nazis Emerge From the Shadows by Aisha Gawad Extremists Seek Exposure Added on Thu 8th May, 2008 (Last updated Tue 20th May, 2008) |
|
Kosovo - How I See It by Dean Bedford Backing Independence is a 'Huge Mistake' Added on Tue 1st Apr, 2008 (Last updated Wed 22nd Oct, 2008) |
|
The Problem With Nazis by Oliver White Freedom of Expression and the Politics of Hate Added on Wed 6th Feb, 2008 (Last updated Tue 11th Mar, 2008) |
|
Drunk but Not Delinquent by Katherine Bernard Czech Teens & Alcohol Added on Thu 24th Jan, 2008 (Last updated Mon 28th Jan, 2008) |
|
Breaking a Vicious Cycle by Casey Dean With the Carbusters Added on Wed 28th Nov, 2007 (Last updated Mon 3rd Dec, 2007) |
|
The Czech Mentality - Part 3 - Other Observations by Ondřej Vykydal Some Closing Comments Added on Wed 19th Sep, 2007 (Last updated Tue 9th Oct, 2007) |
| READ ALL ZINE ARTICLES |
Galeria Harfa
The biggest shopping & administration mall in Prague
Ristorante Soave
La cucina italiana
Century 21
World Leader in Real Estate
MORE ARTICLES
Prague TV Home | Contact | About | FAQ | Site Map | Search | Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Service
Prague TV is a Real Time Production. ©2012 All rights reserved.
