Steven King Book Review

Gunslingers, Wordslingers

Far beneath the colorful array of popular music, in which dwells the clichéd subjects of lost and regained love and the details of ordinary society, lies a darker layer. Subterranean themes and shadowy sounds course below the songs of the mainstream world, and in them is reflected the more somber tones of human nature. The artists that bring these themes to light may remain as obscure as the topics they depict, or they may be more famous than many world leaders, but the areas they explore are equally murky regardless of their social prominence. The true variance lies not in how well a musician is known, but in how well they assist the listener in understanding the subject matter. This is the only basis by which we can judge a poet?s quality ? not by their fan-base, but by their writing. This contrast is seen in the works of the popular rapper Marshall Mathers (more commonly known as Eminem) and the German metal vocalist Hansi Kürsch. Both artists explore ?dark? themes with deep intensity, subjects that do not dwell on the surface of society, but the moodier, mysterious, fantasy-oriented poetry written by Kürsch is far more expressive, emotive, and moving than Mathers?s violent, profanity-riddled, and drug-laced verses. To properly understand an artist of any sort, it is important to know somewhat about their background. Why do they speak about what they do; why are they who they are today? Hansi Kürsch was born in Lank-Latum, Germany, in 1966. He experienced a relatively normal childhood, growing up as a Roman Catholic, and shared a close relationship with his parents. His father?s death prompted his writing of the song ?Ashes to Ashes,? in which he explored the inevitability of mortality and expressed hope that his father had ascended to heaven. In 1984, Kürsch met guitarist André Olbrich, with whom he became fast friends. After a few changes in name and lineup during the first couple years, they formed the band Blind Guardian. A leading band in the European metal scene, but almost entirely unknown in the United States, the band has remained together for nearly twenty years. In contrast to Kürsch?s comparatively docile life, Marshall Mathers?s childhood was filled with turmoil. His father left him and his mother when he was only six months old, and his relationship with his mother was turbulent at best. His early life was spent

being shipped back and forth between family members in Kansas City and Detroit. As a result of his perpetually shifting location, steady friendship grew impossible. He started rapping as a defense mechanism, an effort to fit in with the violent, ghetto culture into which he was thrust, and to appear stronger and tougher. Mathers struggled a great deal with poverty throughout his early years and the formation of his career, rapidly moving from one part-time job to the next just to ensure his survival. Despite his initial trials, however, he is now one of the leading artists in the world of rap and hip-hop. All art must come from somewhere; man is incapable of creating anything completely original. Therefore, in evaluating the quality of a poet?s lyrics, inspiration is an invaluable region of exploration. Kürsch?s verses are heavily influenced by a wide variety of books, from fantasy to philosophy, as one of his most prolific activities is reading. His reading list covers a broad scale, evidenced by the diversity displayed in his writing. Kürsch has based songs on the works of classic authors such Homer (And Then There Was Silence), Oscar Wilde (Dorian), and J.R.R. Tolkien--an entire album was dedicated to the father of fantasy (Nightfall in Middle-Earth). The lives of famous historical figures, like Galileo Galilei (The Age of False Innocence) and Friedrich Nietzsche (Punishment Divine), serve as other subjects. The song Imaginations from the Other Side alone contains a vast list of tomes that have served as inspiration. In such songs he takes the themes expounded upon in the books and makes them his own, positing forth the truth he gathered from his reading, filtered through his original interpretations. Not all of his poems are based on Kürsch?s reading list, however. Many of his songs are products of his imagination and philosophy; still others are built around his experiences. One of these is Fiddler on the Green, in which he transformed the horrible event of witnessing two children, a girl and a boy, being hit by a car into a tragic and moving ballad. Even in these songs, though, he never makes himself evident, but works his puppetry from the shadows. He allows the reader to slip into the song and experience it from his own perspective, thereby drawing the maximum lot of learning. In stark contrast to Hansi Kürsch?s literary basis, most of Mathers?s lyrics dwell unrelentingly on himself and his own past. He seems not to feel the slightest inclination to conceal himself in the effort

to convey a more general concept, which would be easier for the listener or reader to identify with. There are some references to movies, television shows, and well-known books in some of his songs, such as Low, Down, Dirty and The Real Slim Shady, and there are many allusions in Eminem?s writing to fellow musicians and figures prominent in the media, either famous or infamous. In fact, he does more than provide them with a cameo appearance; he goes so far as to attack other rappers with lines such as ?Will Smith don't gotta cuss in his raps to sell his records; / well I do, so fuck him and fuck you too!? (The Real Slim Shady) This citation is one of the less vicious examples. Even when he speaks about something outside himself, though, the focus always comes back to center on his ego. A huge majority of his lyrics speak about his personal abuse of drugs and alcohol, beating women, and killing people en masse, both premeditated and on a whim. Mathers shows no remorse for condoning such action, neither does he repent of the hideously negative affect he has had on his audience, of which he is well aware (I?m Shady and Who Knew). Obviously, the most important aspect of poetic value is the actual content of the lyrics themselves, and in the case of music, this is coupled with the way the words are put forth in the style of the vocalist. As has been stated, in the case of Hansi Kürsch, many of these lyrics revolve around fantasy and other literature-based themes, with inspiration ranging from Jesus Christ to Stephen King. Kürsch?s verses tend to be vague and subject to a multitude of interpretations, while remaining consistent and coherent. They worm their way into the listener's head and almost force them to think about what they hear, to gather truths like rainwater collecting on the ground. When added to the ambiguous yet powerful subtlety imbued in the words he sings, Kürsch?s vocals are phenomenal. He covers all aspects of the emotional spectrum, shifting at once from a guttural growl to a sweet, melancholy voice smoother than red wine. Falsetto screams and low chanting come often into play. Kürsch will frequently record multiple tracks of himself singing and overlap the lines, layering his voice into an overpowering army. During a close listen to The Eldar, it can be difficult not to tear up. Songs such as Thorn and Mordred?s Song are bitter draughts, blending acrimonious sorrow with anger, and a comparison of the two songs Down Where I Am and The Maiden and the Minstrel Knight contrasts a horridly depressed state with jubilant, victorious joy.

While Mathers?s songs bear the same emotional depth as Kürsch?s, it by no means shares the same emotive range that makes the latter?s writing so effective. Mathers rarely diverges from the same hate-filled topics of misanthropy and self-loathing, though when he does, as in the loving ode to his daughter, Hailie's Song, it is a welcome and poignant relief. His repeatedly violent and misogynistic lyrics regarding women, specifically the female members of his family, eventually caused both his mother and his ex-wife to file suit against him (both cases were unsuccessful). In addition to women, Mathers has ostracized the homosexual community with his bigoted words. For the most part, it is extremely difficult to read through a verse without encountering at least one obscenity, and if in fact there is only one, the reader may count himself fortunate. Despite the occasional glimpse into a plane of higher vocabulary, Mathers seems to reduce himself to a near-perpetual gutter-talk, spewing out profanity in a stream of horrible grammar on his roller-coaster ride of rhyme. It is clear that Mathers is very skilful at writing and verse-composition, but in an effort to fit in with the typical motif of his chosen genre he holds himself down, seeming either too lazy or too afraid to reach his true potential. Too entranced by the world of rap, he does not seek to extend its bounds. It seems paradoxical, even satirical to say this about the self-termed Slim Shady, but Mathers is too conservative in his writing. Hansi Kürsch, almost entirely unknown by an American audience, delivers an extremely powerful product, overflowing with feeling due to his diverse sources of inspiration and topics. Marshall Mathers, insulting friend, foe, and fan alike in his incessantly and intentionally offensive, monotonic verses, is one of the best loved rappers alive. Clearly, the popular consensus cannot be trusted as to what constitutes ?good? writing. The writing itself must be evaluated, and a conclusion must be drawn. No one, therefore, should allow himself to be dictated unto what is superior or inferior, what he should or shouldn?t like, but should go out and determine for himself his own preference.