Anytime an artist finds him or herself underneath the mainstream media spotlight, he or she will soon learn just how harsh the public can be when judging talent for itself. When said act under the spotlight is a band as deliberately notorious and underground as Insane Clown Posse and Saturday Night Live does the parody, well, it’s a good thing they have tremendously thick skin and a massive following of Juggalos to back them up.
But when does the buzz garnered from parodies (like Saturday Night Live’s of Insane Clown Posse) and critics outweigh any negativity associated with those parodies or critics? Is it true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity? It’s been hypothesized that as long as music was being heard and/or getting into the hands of potential consumers, any cost associated with getting it there was considered worth it.
This question has been at the forefront of musicians and marketing teams in the music industry for quite some time. Insane Clown Posse’s Saturday Night Live parody, their shoddy relationship with mainstream media, and their Juggalo fan base provide the perfect case study for analysis on the topic.
The Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse Parody
Haters of ICP and Juggalos are one thing, but national comedians and other funny factories like college humor that reach an audience of millions are another. In spring 2010, another musical act fell victim to the famous Saturday Night Live parody: Insane Clown Posse. In the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody, ICP is depicted as being dumbfounded by the most basic of things, i.e. why kids look like their parents, why some mountains look like presidents (Mt. Rushmore), and where the sun “hides” at night just to name a few. Juggalos were not amused.
But fortunate for the ICP team – and the crew involved in the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody – Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope were cool, calm, and collected about the whole thing. They even thought the Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody was hilarious, and viewed it as a strategic move to gain a larger audience beyond any pre-existing Juggalos.
Insane Clown Posse member Violent J even went as far to defend the show against Juggalos outspoken against the event, saying “How can you be mad at Saturday Night Live? That’s what they do. They make parodies. They’re funny. That’s flattering, that you’re a large enough player in the game that Saturday Night Live even recognizes you.”
Considering there was no negative reaction from the band regarding the Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody and little to no physical reaction from the band’s Juggalo fan base, it’s strange to think that ICP’s members have such a bad reputation for violence and protest.
The same cannot be said for Insane Clown Posse’s Juggalo fan base, most of which took offense to Saturday Night Live’s Insane Clown Posse parody and aired their opinions on Juggalo channels of social media networks like YouTube and Facebook.
ICP Parody Affect Sales
Low and behold, if you look at a graph of ICP’s website traffic during the month the Saturday Night Insane Clown Posse parody aired and went near-viral on the Internet, there is indeed a spike. We’ll never know if there was also a spike in new Juggalo membership, but I’d say it’s a safe bet to assume so.
Of course, Insane Clown Posse is an anomaly of a case, because they (and their Juggalo followers) love to be hated. In fact, they may have even enjoyed the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody more than others.
ICP has deemed themselves “the most hated band in America,” yet ironically they happen to also be one of the most successful. All press may not be good press for most bands, but that seems to be the case for ICP.
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The Insane Clown Posse is an American horrorcore duo that often finds itself as the punch line for comedians, TV shows, and flash mobs. A Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody recently debuted, but ICP’s two members are more than alright with their band being the brunt of jokes, saying they too find the material hilarious and use it to their advantage when growing their fan base past existing Juggalos.
To learn more about Insane Clown Posse or their Juggalo fan base visit ICP's website at http://insaneclownposse.com/
But when does the buzz garnered from parodies (like Saturday Night Live’s of Insane Clown Posse) and critics outweigh any negativity associated with those parodies or critics? Is it true that there’s no such thing as bad publicity? It’s been hypothesized that as long as music was being heard and/or getting into the hands of potential consumers, any cost associated with getting it there was considered worth it.
This question has been at the forefront of musicians and marketing teams in the music industry for quite some time. Insane Clown Posse’s Saturday Night Live parody, their shoddy relationship with mainstream media, and their Juggalo fan base provide the perfect case study for analysis on the topic.
The Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse Parody
Haters of ICP and Juggalos are one thing, but national comedians and other funny factories like college humor that reach an audience of millions are another. In spring 2010, another musical act fell victim to the famous Saturday Night Live parody: Insane Clown Posse. In the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody, ICP is depicted as being dumbfounded by the most basic of things, i.e. why kids look like their parents, why some mountains look like presidents (Mt. Rushmore), and where the sun “hides” at night just to name a few. Juggalos were not amused.
But fortunate for the ICP team – and the crew involved in the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody – Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope were cool, calm, and collected about the whole thing. They even thought the Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody was hilarious, and viewed it as a strategic move to gain a larger audience beyond any pre-existing Juggalos.
Insane Clown Posse member Violent J even went as far to defend the show against Juggalos outspoken against the event, saying “How can you be mad at Saturday Night Live? That’s what they do. They make parodies. They’re funny. That’s flattering, that you’re a large enough player in the game that Saturday Night Live even recognizes you.”
Considering there was no negative reaction from the band regarding the Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody and little to no physical reaction from the band’s Juggalo fan base, it’s strange to think that ICP’s members have such a bad reputation for violence and protest.
The same cannot be said for Insane Clown Posse’s Juggalo fan base, most of which took offense to Saturday Night Live’s Insane Clown Posse parody and aired their opinions on Juggalo channels of social media networks like YouTube and Facebook.
ICP Parody Affect Sales
Low and behold, if you look at a graph of ICP’s website traffic during the month the Saturday Night Insane Clown Posse parody aired and went near-viral on the Internet, there is indeed a spike. We’ll never know if there was also a spike in new Juggalo membership, but I’d say it’s a safe bet to assume so.
Of course, Insane Clown Posse is an anomaly of a case, because they (and their Juggalo followers) love to be hated. In fact, they may have even enjoyed the Insane Clown Posse Saturday Night Live parody more than others.
ICP has deemed themselves “the most hated band in America,” yet ironically they happen to also be one of the most successful. All press may not be good press for most bands, but that seems to be the case for ICP.
--
The Insane Clown Posse is an American horrorcore duo that often finds itself as the punch line for comedians, TV shows, and flash mobs. A Saturday Night Live Insane Clown Posse parody recently debuted, but ICP’s two members are more than alright with their band being the brunt of jokes, saying they too find the material hilarious and use it to their advantage when growing their fan base past existing Juggalos.
To learn more about Insane Clown Posse or their Juggalo fan base visit ICP's website at http://insaneclownposse.com/
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