# Concert SUICIDE **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 29, 2003, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566 "2003-09-29T22:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/21 "2003-09-30T15:11:44Z")
Hey - I think we should bring back the guillotine, personally - ---
**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/22 "2003-09-30T15:17:02Z")
Alternately: > [@](#): > > Mr. Wiggin: This is a 12-story block combining classical neo-Georgian features with the efficiency of modern techniques. The tenants arrive here and are carried along the corridor on a conveyor belt in extreme comfort, past murals depicting Mediterranean scenes, towards the rotating knives. The last twenty feet of the corridor are heavily soundproofed. The blood pours down these chutes and the mangled flesh slurps into these… > > Client 1: Excuse me. > > Mr. Wiggin: Yes? > > Client 1: Did you say ‘knives’? > > Mr. Wiggin: Rotating knives, yes. > > Client 2: Do I take it that you are proposing to slaughter our tenants? > > Mr. Wiggin: …Does that not fit in with your plans? > > Client 1: Not really. We asked for a simple block of flats. from [here](http://www.ironworks.com/comedy/python/architec.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/23 "2003-09-30T16:38:35Z")
Right [here](http://www.animal-law.org/statutes/florida.htm). > [@](#): > > 828.12. Cruelty to animals > > (1) A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $5,000, or both. > > (2) A person who intentionally commits an act to any animal which results in the cruel death, or excessive or repeated infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering, or causes the same to be done, is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or by a fine of not more than $10,000, or both. > > (3) A veterinarian licensed to practice in the state shall be held harmless from either criminal or civil liability for any decisions made or services rendered under the provisions of this section. Such a veterinarian is, therefore, under this subsection, immune from a lawsuit for his part in an investigation of cruelty to animals. I would say that blending a live rat qualifies under the statute and since it would apply equally to smoene blending it on-stage or off there is no First Amendment implication. The First Amendment is not a license to do anything one pleases and call it “art.” SO lock the fuckers up for animal cruelty and I bet that’ll stop the suicide on stage too. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/24 "2003-09-30T16:51:36Z")
Geez, they have laws for everything. Thanks, **Otto**. ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/25 "2003-09-30T16:59:10Z")
If I could stick a knife in my heart Suicide right on the stage Would it be enough for your teenage lust? Would it help ease your pain? ---
**Author:** ![Svt4Him](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@Svt4Him](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svt4Him)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/26 "2003-09-30T17:14:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qazzz \* > \*\*I don’t know if this really pertains to the discussion, but [this article](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,87249,00.html) is about a Danish artist whose “art” involved a bunch of blenders with goldfish in them. Viewers were at liberty to turn them on if they wished. Everybody complained that it was animal cruelty, but the judge thought differently; the fish were killed “instantly,” and therefore it wasn’t cruel. I suppose the same thing could be said about a rat. \*\* Unless they weren’t actually killing the fish, only making them really really dizzy, so they kept smacking into the glass and breaking their necks. And the same thing could be said about the rat, but what if it was half done, and the fuse blew? Poor little rat. But again, I have a mole in my back yard, and if I could get a blender in there to catch it, I wouldn’t care if I blew a fuse or not. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/27 "2003-09-30T18:07:20Z")
Thanks for the link, **Otto**. These wingnuts need to get over themselves in a BIG way, **spooje**. I guess it’s not about the music anymore. Whipping up rat slurpees on stage just doesn’t strike me as being about art, it strikes me as major league CRASS. Feel free to regard me as outdated and conservative. There’s limits, and this is one of them. Buncha scummy shits. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/28 "2003-09-30T18:48:30Z")
I really wonder if the on stage suicide thing isn’t a completely fake publicity stunt. According to their website, the rats were dead and the source for claiming that they were live seems to come from [here](http://www.sptimes.com/2003/09/17/news_pf/Artsandentertainment/Band_promotes__onstag.shtml). > [@](#): > > [Manager of State Theater] Hundley recalled a Hell On Earth performance in which Billy claimed he had tossed live rats in a blender and drank the concoction, but Hundley was quite sure it was a stunt. “Like any good sideshow attraction, there is typically an illusion involved,” he said. My feeling is that they probably promoted the idea that they were using live rats for cheap shock value. Having listened to their music samples, they aren’t going to be getting anywhere based on talent, and they aren’t even very impressive based on shock value. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/29 "2003-09-30T19:03:30Z")
I am amazed that the singer doesn’t realize he will be locked up for a long long time if the suicide goes through. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/30 "2003-09-30T19:38:04Z")
Oh, I dunno… Alice Cooper used to guillotine/hang/electrocute himself every night up on stage for years, and he never got in too much trouble. [sub]Of course, he had that master debunker and former stage magician [James Randi](http://www.randi.org/) designing the props for him, so mebbe there was something sneaky going on there, ya think?[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/31 "2003-09-30T19:43:19Z")
I’d like to add that this is the legacy of MTV (pronounced “EmptyV”). Musical talent no longer seems to stand for anything. Instead, glamorization and theatrics rule the day. Video has not been the best of additions to the music world. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/32 "2003-09-30T20:00:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Zenster \* > \*\*I’d like to add that this is the legacy of MTV (pronounced “EmptyV”). Musical talent no longer seems to stand for anything. Instead, glamorization and theatrics rule the day. \*\* _KISS_, anyone? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/33 "2003-09-30T20:06:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*_KISS_, anyone? \*\* Yeah but now it’s the norm, not the exception. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/34 "2003-09-30T20:55:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by adam yax \* > \*\*_KISS_, anyone? \*\* And The Doors, Black Sabbath, Ozzie, Suicide, Throbbing Gristle, the aforementioned Alice Cooper, for that matter Elvis’ gyrating hips… there’s nothing new about shock and theatrics in music and it long predates MTV. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/35 "2003-09-30T21:14:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dissonance \* > \*\*And The Doors, Black Sabbath, Ozzie, Suicide, Throbbing Gristle, the aforementioned Alice Cooper, for that matter Elvis’ gyrating hips… there’s nothing new about shock and theatrics in music and it long predates MTV. \*\* Good point. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/36 "2003-09-30T21:26:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by World Eater \* > \*\*Nice publicity stunt by Hell on Earth. I bet their web traffic has jumped 1000% \*\* Absolutely. Probably more, especially from all the righteous types who will surf the site for hours on end just to make sure that they have reached the appropriate level of outrage. Then they will call press conferences and stage protests, where they not only name the band, but give out the website, so that parents (and kids on the sneak) can also check out how disgusting and evil this band is. Then the uber-righteous (as well as rebellious adolecents, who just want to be shocking) will purchase as much of this filth as possible , so that they can hold another press conference and photo-op where they burn this wicked material, keeping our impressionable children safe from this horrid band and their influence. Meanwhile, the band and it’s label will see a sudden spike in album sales and merchandise. Soon, the hub-bub will die down, and in a few months, the band and the record label will need a couple hundred thousand bucks for something or other, so they’ll announce that at an upcoming concert, they will randomly murder a member of the audience. The tour sells out in days, and the whole cycle of publicity and protests begins anew, putting the band back on the tip of everyone’s tongue once again.:rolleyes: Isn’t this Marketing 101? If you can’t be talented, be controversial and/or marketable. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/37 "2003-09-30T21:46:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Svt4Him \* > \*\*Unless they weren’t actually killing the fish, only making them really really dizzy, so they kept smacking into the glass and breaking their necks. > \*\* Do goldfish _have_ necks, per se? Even if they did, would breaking the equivalent bone be any more serious than breaking a leg is to us? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/38 "2003-09-30T23:42:15Z")
> [@](#): > > For years, G.G. Allin promised to leave this world with a suicide on stage, preferably on Halloween. Instead, Allin died a traditional rock & roll death – cocaine and heroin in the veins – which is the only traditional thing he ever did. It’s always heartwarming to see young people respect the old ways. ---
**Author:** ![Punoqllads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d2c977/32.png) [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/39 "2003-10-01T01:11:03Z")
I’ve heard of dying on stage, but **intentionally**? Surprised no one has mentioned this yet… ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566/40 "2003-10-01T01:15:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dissonance \* > \*\*And The Doors, Black Sabbath, Ozzie, Suicide, Throbbing Gristle, the aforementioned Alice Cooper, for that matter Elvis’ gyrating hips… there’s nothing new about shock and theatrics in music and it long predates MTV. \*\* That was kinda my point as well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concert-suicide/204566.md?page=3)