*I started this weekly review last year, but now finishing it. This is one of my favorite punk rock records by the band Blaster the Rocket Man.*
**This post is technically a day late.**
Today’s installment is over Tracks 13, 14, and 15 of Blaster the Rocket Man’s 1999 release, The Monster Who Ate Jesus.
Go here for initial comments on album and the linear notes.
Go here for comments on Tracks 1, 2, and 3.
Go here for comments on Tracks 4, 5, and 6.
Go here for comments on Tracks 7, 8, and 9.
Go here for comments on Tracks 10, 11, and 12.
Track 13 – Frankenstein’s Monster Wants a Wife
Jazzy-rhythmic guitar chord progression throughout the song. The first minute-and-a-half is an instrumental opener with an infectious double-picking lead guitar that functions as a refrain throughout the song. Musically this is one of my favorite tracks.
Lyrically this song derives its subject matter from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In that novel, Frankenstein’s monster demands – threatens – that his creator make a wife for him. Frankenstein begins to, but aborts the process. I believe Blaster is allegorically using this scene from Frankenstein to illustrate how sin is a vicious monster that then demands more sin from its creator (man). Thus, Frankenstein’s dilemma: “Just cut this hand off, it’s offending me!”
She’s much too fresh.
Where did you get her?
Now, don’t confess
for I must wed her
to my abomination
son of man.
“Doc Frankenstein!”
Who said that?
“Won’t you be mine?”
Now, cut that out!
I’ve got cuttin’ to do.
I’m not finished with you.
No chit chat till this is through.
It’s no easy operation
to apprehend the apparition,
to make the phantom corporeal,
substantial stuff for us to feel.
Scalpel, please. Make incision.
Scissors! Oh, these quick decisions!
It takes a steady hand…
Curse my monster’s sick demands!
How does she look?
Do the scars show?
She’s all sewn up
with no place to go,
save on a hellish honeymoon
that ends all too soon
in hell, well…
“Doc Frankenstein!”
Who said that?
“Won’t you be mine?”
Baby, how you been?
Oh my, your hand’s so cold.
But I’ll be bold
and hold it anyhow.
It’s all so thrilling
When you’re willing
To fudge and fake
To make a killing
Still I want to tear it apart!
Stop the beating of this hideous heart!
Why do I abandon my endeavor to sever
To pick up the needle and sew it back together?
Oh, it’s neverending, can’t you see?
Just cut this hand off, it’s offending me!
Once dead, but now…
It’s alive!
It’s alive!
Track 14 – I Like Lycanthropy
Lycanthropy (or Lycanthrope) = Wolfman/Werewolf. To get this song you have to know something about the reality-mythology of man-to-beast shapeshifting. Werewolves are mythological creatures, humans who shapeshift into wolves. You are probably most familiar with Werewolves from the film Teen Wolf starring Michael J. Fox.
In any case, while shapeshifting is truly mythological, what is not mythological is the truth (reality!) that God does curse sinners by turning them over to their sins and their minds become clouded, and, as a result, they become beast-like. As Paul says in Romans 1:21-25:
Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.
And because they worshipped the creation (beasts of the field) in place of God, they became like the thing(s) they worshipped (as the saying goes, “You are what you worship.”). In the subsequent verses (vv26-32), Paul denotes that God gave them up to “vile affections” and a “reprobate mind”. When God does this, the human is given over to sin (perhaps even given over to demons), and sometimes this includes becoming beast-like, e.g., Nebuchadnezzar becomes beast-like, he becomes like a Cow/Ox (Daniel 4), and Jesus cast a Legion (many devils/demons) out of a man who had become beast-like (Matthew 8 and Luke 8) — the text says that this man had been bound with chains and in fetters but had broken them, and was wandering naked in the wilderness; also, fornication, homosexuality, and bestiality are sins whereby God gives humans over to their sins and they become beast-like, i.e., in the same way that the animals do not exercise discipline and self-control in sexuality, so too humans who have been given over to “reprobate minds” are beast-like through promiscuous sexuality. All that to say, the Bible depicts that humans becoming beast-like is a symbol of God’s judgment.
This is a classic punk rock tune. (May their tribe increase!) Distorted guitars. Power chords. Palm mutes. Pick-slides. Opens with vocal refrain overlaying drumming, “I like lycanthropy!” All of this, obviously, is tongue-in-cheek, because the point of the song is that all those given over to sin (those who are beast-like, like the Werewolf in this song) must humble themselves like the Cow-King, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; sinners must humble themselves and look to Heaven, i.e., as Blaster says, “There’s no way for new life to begin, No! Unless you confess and turn away from your sin You’ve got to die with Jesus to know the Resurrection.”
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like it!
Don’t call it murder when I feed
It’s just the nourishment I need
I cannot curb this appetite
or I’ll disturb my natural plight
So what if’ I’m a wolf on full moon nights
I’m still part man and I’ve got rights
I’m sniffin’ out the blood and I take bites!
If you are walking by
and I transmogrify,
be prepared to run or die!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
The wolfman is back!
Don’t call it a curse.
Sticker on my car
Read it and weep
for the ones you love.
Says, “Equal Rights for Werewolves!”
I’m sniffin’ out the blood and I take bites!
Why do you look at me with a look of fright?
So what if I’m a wolf on full moon nights!
If you are walking by
and I transmogrify
be prepared to run or die!
Run or die!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
I like lycanthropy!
The wolfman in me
I like lycanthropy (He likes it! He likes it!)
The wolfman and me
I like lycanthropy (He likes it! He likes it!)
Wolf!
Claw! Bite! Sniff! Bark! Scratch! Tear! Growl!
Howl!
Like king Nebuchandezzar
You gotta’ turn your eyes to Heaven
Like King Nebuchandezzar
You gotta’ turn your eyes Heavenward!
There’s no way for new life to begin, No!
Unless you confess and turn away from your sin
You’ve got to die with Jesus
to know the Resurrection
You’ gotta’ die, die, die with Jesus
to know the Resurrection
You gotta’ die! Die! Die! Die! Die! Die!
with Jesus
to know Life!
I like lycanthropy!
I like it!
(The Mysteriously missing third verse:)
A chorus of Redeemed Ones shouts the truth in
unison to the werewolf:
“Your throat is an open grave!”
Our Lycanthrope Hero responds in despair:
“I know no other way to behave!”
The Redeemed Ones keep shouting in Love:
“You must repent, you Cursed Wretch!”
The werewolf snarls in defiance:
“I’ll not relent. Your flesh I’ll fetch!”
Despite the Lycanthrope’s unrepentance,
The Crucified One Who is Lifted Up
continues to offer forgiveness to all
monstrosities who will believe on Him.
Track 15 – Tundra Time on Thulcandra
This is another song that is lyrically derived from C. S. Lewis’ Sci-Fi Trilogy, Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength. Ransom is main character throughout the trilogy. In the first book he travels from earth to Mars, in the second he travels to Venus (and fights/defeats the Unman), and in the third he is the Pendragon of Logres (i.e., the Leader of King Arthur’s realm in Britain), and he and his team are instrumental in assisting in the war against the “Macrobes” (fallen angels/demons).
Down in the handramit [this is the canals on Malacandra where breathable air can be found]
I wanna’ be on the harandra [the suface of Mars]
An alien on this planet
On my way back to Thulcandra [Planet Earth]
Malacandra [Planet Mars] on my mind
Perelandra [Planet Venus] all the time
Nevermind, it’s tundra time
Get cozy in the cockpit
Snuggle in the turret
Grunts gotta’ make the best of it
Warmth from the blast of the laser cannon
Keeps me goin’
When it won’t quit snowin’
Man the console
Console the man
Malacandra on my mind
Perelandra all the time
Nevermind, it’s tundra time
South wind blows
We know summer is coming soon
Lightning flashes
We know the Son is coming again
And what will the silent planet, Tellus [Latin for Earth]
tell us when they pull Deep Heaven
down on their heads?
I guess this is life during wartime
when Thulcandra is the battlefield.[Earth is the battlefield of incredible spiritual warfare in That Hideous Strength.]
Next week will be the last installment for Tracks 16, 17, and 18!