Concert Review: Mindless Self Indulgence

I feel like I start most of my reviews with some sort of apology about why I can’t do a good enough job on the review. I suppose this is further proof that I am not ready for the big leagues, as the professionals all seem remarkably confident.

Anyway, this will not be a good enough review of Mindless Self-Indulgence. I have listened to a lot, but they have a pretty big catalog. At the concert, frontman Jimmy Urine said they had been doing this for 15 years, which is a pretty broad span, and there are a lot of remixes and things where not only do I know that I have not heard it all, but I don’t think I even know how much I have not heard.

In addition, I am coming from an odd place because I like the band members better than their music. I do like the music more than I thought I would. They’re really good at what they do; it’s just not something that I would generally do.

Obviously it started with My Chemical Romance. It’s not just that bass player Lyn-Z is married to Gerard Way, but also that Jimmy Urine and Steve, Righ? (guitar) are in the Danger Days videos, and, you know, you see an interview here, a retweet there, and watch a chat, and it is hard not to develop a strong affection for all of them. Twitter did have a lot to do with it, actually, but not like the other bands. (Though the band account does follow me. I’m not sure how that happened.)

With that, deciding to support their Kickstarter was easy. Deciding to buy a concert ticket was a little bit harder. I do not know a single other fan. I just knew I would regret it if I didn’t. And they put on a really good show.

Jimmy played a game at one point, MSI Fan or Teenage Runaway. I have wondered myself sometimes if teens just show up at concerts because they can sometimes, or if they are really fans, at least at some venues. I was in the back, so I could not see whom he was designating as which, but I’m sure he has an eye for it. If there was a Spot the Square game, it would have been me and only me.

They are really good. Listening to the music again after seeing them live, I’m just more and more impressed by the skill and the range. At the venue it was just more noticing how they played hard. They worked in a break for the rest of the band where Jimmy (boundless energy on that guy) took a phone call from Satan, but it was still a lot of playing with a lot of force. And then, after doing all that, you wait around a bit and they come out, game for photos and autographs and they are amazing some more.

If I hadn’t loved them before, I would be devoted now. Especially with Lyn-Z and Kitty, who have so much warmth and are so amazing and kind.

That’s nothing against the Steve and Jimmy; it was just different. Steve has more of a laid back energy, or he was really tired, or possibly he hated me, but probably not. Jimmy was surrounded by a lot of people with a lot going on. I felt lucky to get my CD signed by handing it to him over the heads of other people who already had pictures and signatures, but were somehow still there.

So, talented musicians, dedicated performers, and good people, where did my reservations come from? Well, there is a lot of language. I would tend to say there are also mature themes, except they are handled in a way that is seemingly immature. Perhaps the best word is irreverent, and that’s not me. I am very reverent, and there are some things I absolutely can’t chant.

I can’t sing along, but I have to say that they don’t offend me. First of all, their inherent goodness feels so strong to me. Even as they are abusing the audience, with Jimmy telling us that we are stupid, there is no feeling of malice. There is an overturning of norms, and that is their point.

I remember a quote I read early on:

"We tried to get rid of our audience and we failed," Urine says. "I guess people got the joke."

I of course take things too seriously, so it doesn’t feel like a joke to me. Like, there are humorous elements, but a serious point. Because as I was there in the back, enjoying, but also evaluating, and thinking about how a lot of people would be very uncomfortable there, I was also thinking a lot about some of the things that society is too comfortable with, and how often we get mad when we shouldn’t, or at the wrong things, or for the wrong reasons.

(And there totally is political context there, and I know it sounds like I am about to start a long political section again, but really, next week is still going to be about comic books.)

So, for me it comes back to the need to question assumptions, and to not just fall into line. That sounds very punk, and there is a definite punk influence there, though with a lot of synth and electronics. Technopunk doesn’t seem right; is punktronica a thing? Do people say that? I don’t know.

And that goes back to my not being ready for prime time; all these words, and I’ve barely said anything about the music, but there are so many song titles that I can’t type out. So, what I will say is that the new album, How I Learned…, is pretty good, but I have a strong fondness for If, from 2008.

Also, you have to hear their version of “Tom Sawyer”. I always found the Rush song annoying, but this is something else.

Obviously I have not learned to stop worrying, or other less polite ways of saying that, but I am still quite fond of Mindless Self Indulgence.