DISClosure: Shipwreck & Joe Rogan

DISClosure
CD Reviews Of A National Scale

Shipwreck
Close Encounters of the Third World Kind

By Isaac Morrison

Local Artist Steve Murray, a.k.a. “Shipwreck,” has come a long way since I first saw him rap freestyle between set changes during a local punk show. Even then his talent was obvious, as evidenced by the ease with which he won over an audience of surly punk rockers using nothing more than a microphone and a nimble tongue. Now, almost five years later, his full-length CD, Close Encounters of the Third World Kind, demonstrates the maturity and depth that he has acquired since then.

This is not your typical rap album. There is no profanity, no glamorization of sex, drugs, and violence, no misogyny or sexism; and most unusual of all, no gratuitous self-glorification. Shipwreck’s subject matter covers a broad range of topics: the search for spiritual fulfillment, the continued environmental destruction of the earth, the importance of both self-expression and self-discipline, rejection of self-destructive tendencies, and denunciation of all forms of bigotry. The disc is essentially a call for change, both internal and external.

The beats and music on this CD are by DJ Man-E, and tend to be fairly minimal, taking an obvious back seat to Shipwreck’s slick wordplay. Many of the songs on Close Encounters are so dense that they can only be fully appreciated by referring to the enclosed lyric sheet, where a thorough reading will reveal complex poetry and a well-developed intellect. Those who are fans of positive, thought-provoking rap music will most likely find themselves listening to this disc repeatedly. The CD can be purchased from Mr. Mike’s record shop in Harrisburg or from Murray at ThirdWorldKind.com. (Militia)

Joe Rogan
I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday…

By David Banyas

“Your headliner tonight is a favorite at women’s prisons and mental institutions: Joe Rogan!”

That intro to Rogan’s comedy act follows a three plus-minute vignette called “Getting Pumped.” In “Pumped,” Rogan and Brian Callen (Mad TV’s “Pool Boy,” whom Rogan thanks as “my brother from another mother”) play young turks starting their regular workout session. A compliment goes awry, becoming a very uncomfortable situation for one of them, accompanied by sound effects that’ll make anyone cringe. It’s only a symptom of the hilarious illness from which Rogan suffers. His entire act lives up to the warning on the back: Joe Rogan’s show will contain the strongest language and material content imaginable.

Rogan may be recognized by TV audiences as Joe Corelli, the handyman on “News Radio.” But don’t look for that type of primetime schlock subject matter from the off-camera Rogan. He brings none of his TV character with him. What he does bring is precision performance. The actor has a knack for seamless segue.

Like the late, great Bill Hicks, whom Rogan rightly gives a nod to since their styles are so similar, Rogan infuses philosophy into his anecdotes. Unlike Hicks, however, who was constantly upset about how unlucky in love he was, Rogan has insightful material about girls and their group behavior, relationships, and sex and delivers them with unapologetic, in-your-face methodology that cues listeners to bulldoze their inhibitions.

Recorded live at The Laff Stop in Houston and The Comedy Connection in Boston, Someday... is spliced together impeccably. The CD could do without the song that Rogan sings as a kind-of intermission. Again invoking the Bill Hicks-ian style, Rogan tries his hand at making music, but Rogan’s track is just not a good song. Oh well.

Rogan’s act winds around the subtleties and insecurities of personality, the sad state of affairs in other countries, and even Anna Nicole Smith (a “wildly overfed Texas flower”), but always extracts the best humor from each issue. A worthwhile and fun listen. (Warner Bros.).