The Dope Show
"The Dope Show" is the first single of the third album Mechanical Animals. The song is about the cause and effects of fame and how society will love you if you're on the cover of the magazines.
Contents
Appearances
Albums
Singles
- "The Dope Show"
Versions
- "The Dope Show" — Appears on Mechanical Animals.
Music video
The music video, directed by Paul Hunter and co-directed by Manson, was filmed during the week of August 8, 1998, and premiered on August 20, 1998. In scenes reminiscent of The Man Who Fell to Earth, Manson appears — red-haired, with his entire body, including prosthetic rubber breasts, covered in white grease paint — as an androgynous extraterrestrial wandering around the Hollywood Hills. He is captured, studied in a laboratory, and eventually transported by limousine to a stage where he and the other members of the band — the fictional band Omega and The Mechanical Animals — perform the song in concert before hysterical fans who end up rioting and crossing the security barriers. Actor Billy Zane makes a cameo appearance in the limo sequence, as a recording industry executive. This same sequence features parodies of SPIN magazine and The National Enquirer.
The video won a 1999 MTV Video Music Award for "Best Cinematography", as well as the "Maximum Vision" award. It was filmed on standard cinema-grade Kodak 35 mm film stock; the contrast, saturation, and color tinting were all altered dramatically to obtain its vintage look. The video was filmed over two weeks — extreme in comparison to the industry standard of two days. Interscope Records funded the video, while HSI Productions produced and filmed it.
"The Dope Show"'s performance sequence was filmed in front of the Los Angeles Municipal Courthouse on North Hill Street. The Brutalist architecture of the Courthouse did not permit a reasonable angle or height from which to film; instead, the band was placed on top of the trailer of an 18-wheeler transport truck. Cameras situated on mechanical arms, and at a distance across the street, were used to film the dramatic concert shots. These scenes are interspersed with cuts of underground drag performer Johnnie Baima, the Goddess Bunny, dancing in a yellow, sequined dress, similar to that worn by Twiggy Ramirez in the same video. The costumes for the video, including the dresses and Marilyn Manson's red, diamond-patterned boots (which featured a 6-inch sole and heel) were designed jointly by Manson and Terri King. The Goddess Bunny's custom couture sequin gown (worn for the live MTV awards performance), was designed and hand sewn by Kris Hendrickson, aka littlemskris of San Francisco.
The video is available on the Lest We Forget (The Best Of) bonus DVD, as well as on the VHS compilation God Is in the TV, which also included "uncensored" outtake footage, such as Twiggy Ramirez and the Goddess Bunny undressing in the back of a limousine.
Track listing
Australia
- "The Dope Show" – 3:47
- "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Live) – 4:33
- "Apple of Sodom" (Live) – 4:36
- "The Dope Show" (Multimedia track)
UK, Pt. 1
- "The Dope Show" – 3:47
- "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Live) – 4:33
- "Apple of Sodom" (Live) – 4:36
UK, Pt. 2
- "The Dope Show" – 3:47
- "The Beautiful People" (Live) – 4:33
- "The Dope Show" (Multimedia track)
Germany
- "The Dope Show" – 3:53
Japan
- "The Dope Show" – 3:47
- "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Live) – 4:33
- "Apple of Sodom" (Live) – 4:36
- "The Beautiful People" (Live) – 4:33
Picture Disc
- "The Dope Show" – 3:47
Promotional
- "The Dope Show" – 3:53
Lyrics
The drugs they say
Make us feel so hollow
We love in vain
Narcissistic and so shallow
The cops and queers
To swim you have to swallow
Hate today
There's no love for tomorrow
We're all stars now in the dope show
There's lots of pretty, pretty ones
That want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low
And blow your mind
We're all stars now in the dope show
They love you when you're on all the covers
When you're not then they love another
The drugs they say
Are made in California
We love your face
We'd really like to sell you
The cops and queers
Make good-looking models
I hate today
Who will I wake up with tomorrow?
There's lots of pretty, pretty ones
That want to get you high
But all the pretty, pretty ones
Will leave you low
And blow your mind
They love you when you're on all the covers
When you're not then they love another
We're all stars now in the dope show
