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Helter Stupid (song)

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"Helter Stupid"
Song by Negativland
from the album Helter Stupid
Released1989
Recorded1988
GenreMusique concrète/Experimental/Plunderphonics
Length18:00
Songwriter(s)Negativland

Helter Stupid is a song by Negativland, released on their 1989 album Helter Stupid. It is an audio collage of the media controversy that resulted when, as a prank, Negativland claimed that their song "Christianity Is Stupid" had spurred David Brom to kill his family.[1]

In addition to audio of KPIX-TV's coverage of the Brom hoax, the piece also includes samples from Estus Pirkle, Charles Manson, and the Beatles song "Helter Skelter".[2]

Reception

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Robert Christgau has described "Helter Stupid" as "funny, slightly scary, (and) dumbfoundingly surreal", rating it A−.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Negativland: Helter Stupid, by Cameron Macdonald; published February 22, 2005; retrieved December 28, 2016
  2. ^ All's Fair in Love and Negativland, by Dimitri Nasrallah, in Exclaim!; published January 1, 2006; retrieved December 28, 2016
  3. ^ Negativland, by Robert Christgau; retrieved December 28, 2016