Eminem does what he does and does it well; last thoughts on Cohen tour

Look at it this way: we live in a world filled with real and terrifying fears and as consumers of entertainment we deal with these fears. Female sexuality, virginity, death, bankruptsy, homosexual panic: all of these things are real fears and if we get it out of our system through horror movies or hip hop, or cartoons, or reality shows, well, good.

The most terrifying thing in the world right now is not Eminem’s fun (and any way, what constitutes pleasure?) new album “Relapse” it is Farrah Fawcett dying on television: on one hand, Eminem slamming Kim Kardashian, on the other hand a woman in a hospital running out of options.

“Relapse” is an excellent album, better than the disappointing “Encore”. Essentially, Eminem has brought back his Slim Shady character -Friday the Thirtenth part 4 if you will and there is a sense of been there, done that, but whether or not a song as great as “Bagpipes From Bagdad” needs no apology -it might not be “Square dance” but it is a do ce do of another sort…, a nasty, vicious brilliant song: unreedemable and a great pleasure.

“Crack the Bottle” is a great pop song, “3am” a jet back nightmare, Dre (who knows more about living nightmares than he ever wanted to dind out) gives everything a horrifying glower: its like watching a dracula movie when your seven years old. Everything is going boo in your face, everything is scaring you out of your wits as Slim Shady slices and dices and rapes and plunders in a drug induced rage and Eminem slips out of the mask on only a rare occasion.

Much like he claims to do with women, Eminem takes us by brute force. Good to have him back.

One last thought about Leonard Cohen on tour. The man hadn’t toured in over a decade so why now? I heard his manager embezzeled Cohen’s money.

Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing your job and, if anything, it’s a little sad Cohen finds himself back on the road against his will. Dylan tours nonstop but he enjoys, Cohen, at 74, should be at home writing poetry and recording the occasional album when the mood takes him, and instead is living in hotels and playing to ungrateful brutes like me.

However, while I am sorry for his woes, I do think there is something missing from his live show and perhaps his not particularly wishing to be there has something to do with it.