When Peaches last brought her burlesque electro-strip show to Detroit, Marilyn Manson showed up to take notes. Black-clad and statue-still, Mr. Man Boobies didn’t exactly fit in with the throng of dancing, half-dressed bodies at the Magic Stick that night, but otherwise he wasn’t that outta place. In fact, it made a sick sorta sense that the shock-schlocker, no longer ruffling right-wing feathers, would look to the loud ’n’ proud smut slut for pointers on how to cause a commotion once again. It was the porn-tastic Peaches, after all, who’d been out-controversying everyone lately with the release of 2000’s import-only The Teaches of Peaches.
Two years later, that minimalist masterpiece of groovebox booty beats and scandalous sex-speak has finally found a domestic release — this time with a half-dozen bonus tracks aimed to double dip into the pockets of those who previously bought Teaches. Newcomers won’t complain about the extras, but longtime listeners may (rightfully) blanch at paying $15 for a handful of new songs. That the additional material — two new numbers, a pair of previously released remixes, and a couple of remakes — doesn’t add anything new to the bump ’n’ grind good times of the original makes the sneaky sales tactic even more frustrating.
This isn’t to say the reissue is a total waste of money for those who own the import. On the contrary, the new tracks are good-to-great, just exactly what everyone’s come to expect from this cunning linguist. From “Casanova”’s double-sided dildo innuendo to her tongue-in-cheek take on Berlin’s “Sex,” here Peaches simply rehashes the pseudo-shocking sex shit that was fresh and fun two years ago, but now makes her sound like a tired, one-trick porny. Unless she brings something new to the turntable on her next album, then, she’s unfortunately in danger of becoming the next Marilyn Manson.
Peaches performs Thursday, Oct. 17 at the Majestic Theatre (4140 Woodward, Detroit) as part of the Electroclash Tour. For information, call 313-833-9700.
E-mail Jimmy Draper at [email protected].
