A suicide is planned for concert

[Shrek]

An excerpt from full article.

A suicide is planned for concert

By Mitch Stacy, Associated Press, 9/30/2003

TAMPA -- The leader of the rock band Hell on Earth said yesterday that an onstage suicide will be conducted during a private St. Petersburg concert this weekend in defiance of a new city law designed to stop the act.

"The show will go on," Billy Tourtelot said. "It will be available on the Internet, and it will be in the city limits" of St. Petersburg.

Earlier in the day, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved an emergency ordinance that makes it illegal to conduct suicide for entertainment purposes or to host, promote, or sell tickets for such an event.

Okay, I empathize with the terminally ill, and I respect the wishes of those who experience intolerable pain and want to die on their own terms. But this just gives me the creeps.

[burythehatchet]

1. One is usually advised to follow their first instinct

and on this story I was absolutely repulsed, shocked, and disguisted. The name of the band is quite appropriate, and I will censor it when it comes to what my kids listen to.

sick sick sick

[alexwcovington]

8. Censorship, eh?

Hmmmm, opposed to right to die...

You sure you're a liberal?

[Brotherjohn]

14. Get real. Liberals are opposed to GOVERNMENT censorship.

Choosing what your kids can and can't listen to is called "parenting".

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

19. Don't forget CORPORATE censorship

As bad as, if not worse. And they get away with it because "it's only censorship if it's the gubmint doing the censoring."

Yea, I know, nothing to do with the subject at hand, but I had to say it.

[Brotherjohn]

24. I'm very liberal and I think corporate censorship is only a problem...

... as far as we (the populace) allow it. I don't think it holds a candle to government censorship as far as the negative repercussions.

Government censorship leads to fascism, war, genocide, and all of the worst evils of mankind. While corporate censorship (as in the media until a week or two ago) can enable governments that censor, and government can tool regulations to allow more corporate censorship, in general it is not on the same level. And as far as music... well, Wal Mart not carrying an Eminem CD doesn't even merit discussion with government-imposed censorship on real issues. Eminem is not important in the big scheme of things. Art, and music, are... but you can get that CD in any number of other outlets. That's a far cry from John Ashcroft outlawing hip-hop.

In the end, we have only ourselves to blame if we let corporations censor news, music, etc. We can go elsewhere for these things (although, again, the government can make this more difficult). What we are seeing now re news and music are countless citizens doing just that, getting information and news from the web and other alternative sources, getting music through Kazaa and other online file-sharing programs. You may not consider the latter legal (and I don't mean to TOTALLY hijack the thread here), but it is certainly a response to the limited and overhead-intensive (read: expensive) access to music provided by corporations. The tight stranglehold that major record labels keep on musical access may indeed kill them in the end.

[burythehatchet]

25. I don't think I made any statement regarding right to die

that's a completely separate issue. What I object to is the idea that a person is going to take his life in front of a group of people who presumably are there for the "spectacle". I'm not sure how many people would attend for the "message". Further, this band - who apparently puts rats in blenders for the enjoyment of their fans (wonder what social cause they're pursuing there), claims to have a good motive. Perhaps I am too skeptical but I think their "cause" may not be all that honorable. Having said that, they can do as they please, but I will exercise my right to censor their crap as long as I have any influence over my son's value system.

[CO Liberal]

2. Two Shows - 8:00 and 11:00

:-)

[quispquake]

6. So why check out the 8:00 show???

Let's go straight to the good stuff <sarcasm>

And yeah, I do remember GG Allin...saw him at a show in NH back in the early 80's...The world is not a worse place for his passing...probably won't be from this idiot's suicide either...

[vi5]

3. I don't suppose anyone on here remembers GG Allin?

Legendary tallentless punk/shock rocker. Always threatened to commit suicide on stage. He always ended up finding some way out of actually doing it, and ended up dying of an overdose many years after he first discussed doing this.

[not systems]

9. I remember GG

The documentary "HATED" of his life and death is
quite good. He was one sicko interestingly many
people who meet him thought he was a nice guy until
he got on stage he was like Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

[alexwcovington]

11. That's Jekyll and Hyde

The term "sicko" is being flung about awfully lightly around here...

[vi5]

17. I don't know...when it comes to this stuff...

Music, arts, expression, etc. you'd be hard pressed to find a more liberal dude than myself. Yet if you've read about or seen the movie about GG Allin it's hard to think of any other more accurate description.

Of course these people may mean it as an insult and i'm looking at it as a term of endearment.

[not systems]

23. term of endearment

I'm not using sicko in a bad way but as a "term of endearment"
GG was a one of a kind "talent". I true america original
not that I would stand near that stage to dangerous.

[not systems]

22. sicko

I don't use the term lightly when describing GG.

See: http://www.debased.com/debased/content/music/g/gg-allen-new.html

GG ALLIN punk rock animal who rolled around in and ate his own shit, stuck bananas up his rear, knocked out audience members both male and
female, and ended most concerts a bloody wreck in the hospital or in jail, left a lasting impression before his inevitable death by New York White.

[roughsatori]

12. I used to date GG's producer and liner note writer

He too was very intelligent, ( I think he had a PhD in Linguistics) and polite, yet scathing in everyday interaction.

[vi5]

16. He had a producer?

That's more shocking than anything else.

[amish_enforcer]

18. Live fast, Die GG

I believe that was one of his tattoos. Yeah he definately was an "original" and I wouldn't call him entirely talentless, he wrote more songs than most performers (how good they were is another story and some of them, as sick as they were are pretty catchy)

More disturbing is how many DU'ers know about him :D

[paulk]

28. I always thought GG Allin represented what was wrong with

the music industry - even the "underground" scene. A talentless fuck who got a lot of press for being outrageous, a "sicko", who had nothing to contribute musically whatsoever.

Sounds like these "Hell on Earth" people are cut from the same cloth. Idiots.

[ixion]

4. geez... what's a little suicide between friends?

It really concerns no one except the person performing the act. I think it's actually a positive way to do it. At least you don't die alone.

[indigo32]

31. A positive way to do it?

OMFG no...why would it be good for people to profit from or revel in someones pain and death that way. It's repulsive.

[kentuck]

5. They're like children....you have to draw the line for them...

As we know, many children will keep pushing the limit until they find out where the line is drawn. These seem to be adults that have not yet grown out of their childhood...

[Devils Advocate NZ]

7. I don't know... Sounds like a great show!

As long as the person who is going to commit suicide is Billy Tourtelot.

Hell why stop at one? Why not the whole band?

Actually, I think this is a stunt, and that they won't do it, nor ever intended to do it. Having said that, if they do, then every band member, promoter and member of the audience should be locked up.

[roughsatori]

10. Maybe we will be lucky and it will become a trend

Hopefully, the trend will infect MTV and the Billboard charts. It would be a lovely thing to have less of that "music." :)

[CO Liberal]

15. Maybe They Could Tour With Celene Dion?????

:-)

[soleft]

20. LOL - that's two for you on one thread

[CO Liberal]

33. Thanks

Sometimes, I get inspired.

:-)

[Selwynn]

27. BWAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAA!

[Devlzown]

21. Locked up?

Just about any time someone's about to jump off a building, a crowd gathers and, invariably, some of them start yelling "jump, jump!" Now if that disturbed person on the ledge decides to go ahead and do it, should those people who were encouraging him be arrested?

[stickdog]

13. What are you doing Saturday night?

OK. Well, what are you doing Friday night, then?

[Maeve]

26. file not found--alternative link

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/news/092903_nw_band_suicide.html

[maggrwaggr]

29. this band also puts live rats in blenders

according to the article I read.

Nice, no? Sick fucking shit. As in early serial killer pathology.

[chromotone]

30. Hmmm..."snuff concerts?"

Will this eventually appear in the "Faces of Death" video series?

[arwalden]

32. Hmmm... I Wonder How Much They Are Actually HURTING Their "Cause"

... if indeed they actually care about this issue.

I'm guessing that this is just another publicity stunt for themselves and has nothing at all to do with making people aware of doctor-assisted suicide.

-- Allen