Insane Clown Pantheon: Comparative Mythology and the Dark Carnival. Carnival of Carnage and Azazel

By Robert Tidwell

A critical analysis of the first album released by the hip hop duo the Insane Clown Posse. I explore the relationship between between the album and the mythological figure Azazel from the Abrahamic traditions. This essay is the first essay in an ongoing series. I also explore other connections to Islam as they relate to the debut album.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Robert Tidwell
• Release date: Jun 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310175077

Robert Tidwell

By using items that are easily accessible, I create a multimedia experience which investigates the connection between mysticism and art making which analyzes our existence as spiritual beings, I both critique and celebrate various aspects of spirituality. Spirituality is an odd area for an atheist to work but I have grappled with trying to understand my spiritual self since a young age, and no religious institution has resonated with me as deeply as art making has.My work is grounded in mysticism, social justice activism, and counter culture identities. I hope that my work resembles the work of the Insane Clown Posse in that it is the telling of stories about people on the fringe, and how we cope with, and recover from, trauma.My writing and art are also influenced by the works of Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean, Octavia E. Butler, Tananarive Due, Sam Kieth, the Sun City Girls, primitive art practices, the occult, and outsider art.Whether working in writing, or visual art, I get lost in the noise and chaos of my inner self. I try to hone in on an emotional thread that leads to the “eye of the storm” where I’m able to fixate and focus on turning the inner noise into serenity. This is where the art happens. I find the chord that strikes within me and let intuition take control. My art becomes something even I was not expecting because problem solving and improvisation are driving factors in my creative process. I can’t predict what will resonate with me until I am in the moment. I explore different mediums so that I am constantly learning something new and surprising myself. The moment when something unexpected happens and I have to adjust is when I really begin to understand what a piece will be.Although my work tends to have a quite somberness, the loud clamoring of music fuels its creation. Music is always at the center of my art even when I’m working in a medium that does not incorporate sound. The energy and rhythm of drums, the tension of a throbbing bass and the often shouted vocals of punk and hip hop groups drive my work flow by provoking emotion and encouraging me to strive towards being heard.

Book preview

Insane Clown Pantheon:

Comparative Mythology and the Dark Carnival

Carnival of Carnage and Azazel

By Robert Tidwell

In 1992, the Insane Clown Posse released their first album. No one, not even the band or their newly formed record label, knew what was to come. The hard hitting rhymes, the disruptive violence and crass humor of Carnival of Carnage would go on to cement the Insane Clown Posse’s place in the Detroit underground rap scene but it’s careful planning, the manipulation of imagery, it’s mythological subtext, and the social constraints that weighed on its creators would resonate with a loyal, passionate audience for decades. Whether intentional or not, the similarities between the Carnival of Carnage and Azazel, a being in the Abrahamic traditions most closely related to the