One of the few singers not joining the Eminem chorus is Boy George: "If Pol Pot had a successful record, people would probably be running around him as well."
Boys love to think of themselves as rebels. For most of the hipsters, the social power to stigmatize morally now belongs on the left. So a younger generation of bad-boy artists are setting out to break the only taboos that matter. Or used to matter. Mere sex? Violence? Passe. Artists seeking the immoral edge are no longer content to outrage only Rudy Giuliani or Dr. Laura. Which is why Eminem must reach down so low -- dissing his wife, his mother and gays too.
The most peculiar defense comes from Eminem himself, who as Marshall Mathers on April 10 faces a prison sentence of up to five years on a charge of concealing a gun.
Eminem: "I think that Elton John, I think he gets it. Because the kids ... they are taking my music for what it's worth, you know what I mean? They're taking it with a ... grain of salt."
It's just art, in other words; don't think he really means it, or it really means anything.
"My words are like a dagger with a jagged edge/ That'll stab you in the head/ Whether you're a fag or lez/ Or the homosex, hermaph or a trans-a-vest/ Pants or dress -- hate fags? The answer's 'yes.'"
Is Marshall "It's Just a Harmless Schtick" Mathers right? Anyway, we'd all better hope so.