All My CDs, pt 75: Naked Dinner

Naked Dinner - Elvis Manson


Elvis Manson (my father) did a few albums of original music before this one, and I’m quite sure I possessed a copy of each at some point. Whether the disks themselves were damaged over the years, or were lost over the course of five moves, they’re not in my collection anymore, while this one is. It’s both a shame and a blessing, since Naked Dinner represents (in my mind) a landmark event in Manson’s career, where his music and production values changed dramatically for the better.

There are fifteen tracks here, covering a range of styles and content almost as broad and diverse as rock music in general. Moods: jaded, hopeful, confused, jealous, enraged, despairing, cynical, fearful. Subjects: birth, death, love, loss, sociology, depression, obsession, the music industry, theology, Kansas City. There’s a reason for the immense diversity represented in this album, explained by Elvis himself in a conversation with my brother: it’s a concept album, meant to represent a man’s entire life story and all the many experiences within it.

For instance:

Knights describes in cynical terms the dating and courting games of adolescence and young adulthood. Guitar chronicles the story of a young musician’s years-long pursuit of that prestigious instrument of rock, from classically-trained pianist to bumbling rock novice to halfway-decent open-mic artist. Nearer the end, in PC Music Man, the same musician laments all the technological advances that have changed the music industry. Leave and Synthepsycho, at the approximate midpoint of the album, seem to reflect a psychotic break. Captain describes disillusionment with faith (“If your God is really as you speak of him or it /(if your God is really God)/ there’s no escape from hell, not by your faith nor by my wit.”) Later on, Searching seems to describe the reconciliation with a different form of faith.

Nestled in between some of the songs are little bonus-songs, not listed in the track listing, little weird additions like a thirty-second jingle for Post Raisin Bran or a Mexican folk song in Mariachi style. I had forgotten they were there, and they surprised me

One of my favorite tracks is Ocean, possibly because I have an unhealthy fondness for songs about suicide. But I honestly believe the wistful melodies and lyrics are among the most beautiful in my father’s repertoire. I also really like Les Jeux Sont Faits, which is really little more than a five-minute-long musical endcard, but contains some of the most interesting percussion.

Overall there’s just too much good stuff in this album to ignore. I must remember to listen to it more often. (But given how many times I’ve said that in this review project and how many more albums I have still to review, we’ll see how well I follow through.)

Next: The Schlong Remains Insane