Freaky Isn't Even the Word!
The Manson “family” is by far the most dysfunctional ever known. When your family outings include murdering the seven months pregnant Sharon Tate (along with 35 others total), you know some therapy may be needed. Every family needs someone to look up to, but claiming you’re God isn’t the best way to go about earning respect. When your family morals include a belief like thinking a great race war will wipe out all natural resources on the Earth, it’s safe to say your family lacks mental stability. Charles Manson, the leader of the vicious cult who absorbed all of these beliefs, found this all very logical. He thought he would be the one to save the deserving from the race war, in the year of 3069, he is perfect. Is there any better subject to make a gruesome puppet movie about?
"In the year 3069, ozone depletion has left the Earth barren and scarred. Nomadic tribes scour the desolate land in search of food. One particular nomad finds something else entirely: the book Helter Skelter."
John's creative little mind thought up a project that would take almost ten years to complete and a punk rock magnet. Punk rock was something John got into in the seventies. Three decades later he is making a movie with the Madden brothers, Travis Barker, Tim Armstrong, and all three guys from Green Day, just to name a few.
The very first scenes of the movie grab your attention with a psychotic Manson follower infecting the views of her cult into the minds of two police interrogators played by Benji and Joel Madden. Once she is done spilling her corrupted thoughts, she meets up with none other than Charles Manson, and she is pretty strung out on LSD. The two then head out to the ranch, the lair of the Manson family, located far in the desert where they will develop a maleficent and vile plan to dominate the world, but you are not ready for that yet.
While the sleazy plot to control the world is being created, the scenario is then switched to Sharon "Hate" and her hairdresser walking past a dumpster where they collide with some of the loathsome and foul members of the Manson cult. Sharon isn't affected by them then, but Charlie starts receiving messages from God Himself through pop songs. These messages tell him that Sharon Hate is villainous and wicked. So what does Charlie do about this? The only logical thing he can do, he has his cult roll up their sleeves and do his dirty work in the form of a vicious murder.
The delightful mood from killing Sharon Hate really gets Charlie's blood pumping, so much that he leaves his cult members stranded at the murder scene while he and the other cult members go off to kill other "evil" people. This resulted in them being caught, and Charles Manson would soon join them.
The massive media attention was just what he wanted, he could spread his beliefs and poison the minds of Americans everywhere while he sat in jail. The death penalty was outlawed in the state of California in 1972, so he would be sticking around for a long time, and he still is. He even got his own book! Helter Skelter told the infamous story and in the year 3069 this book would prove to be very helpful and save a disintegrating planet from extinction.
As twisted and creative as this whole movie sounds, you must be wondering where Green Day comes into the picture, let me fill you in. Tré Cool will be starring as the voice of the maid and the district attorney. Mike will be putting his vocal cords to use in the form of an anchorman. Charles Manson, the infamous, cold-blooded serial killer needed a voice unlike any other. His character needed to bring terror and discomfort every time he spoke. Who better than Billie Joe Armstrong?
Billie Joe has an "interesting" voice, and Charles Manson is very interesting. In the movie Live Freaky! Die Freaky! a wandering nomad finds a copy of Helter Skelter. He is astounded by what he reads. Charles Manson's story has him spellbound and addicted. Soon he starts spreading his beliefs of Charles Manson, preaching them, to the beat-down, miserable people who call what's left of Earth in 3069 home. A man who can cause all that needed a voice as riveting as Billie Joe Armstrong's.
Now, I wish I could tell you more about the twisted plot, but I don't want to spoil it for you. It came out January 31st, 2006. You can expect to see demented puppets, sex and gore. It's all being done in stop action, like Tim Burton has done with many movies (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and the Giant Peach, Corpse Bride, ect.), and gruesome puppets. I can't emphasize enough how warped and sick these puppets are. They look, as the title suggests, freaky. Especially the Charles Manson puppet.
So kiddies, what have we learned today? In real life, Charles *Manson is an ill-minded little man who is rotting in jail in California along with most of his cult. In the world of stop action and puppets, he is Billie Joe Armstrong. We also learned that Live Freaky! Die Freaky! will probably be the only puppet movie with parental advisories and warnings, what an achievement. This is a must see for any and all Green Day fans, so be sure you check Billie Joe, Tré, and Mike out in the eerie and awesome movie Live Freaky! Die Freaky!
*In the actual movie, all last names were changed to start with an "H" for legal purposes. (ie. Sharon Hate, Charlie Hanson, etc.)