On The First Day, Man Created God is the second solo EP by Andy Shernoff, bassist for The Dictators. If the title doesn’t make it clear enough, the album is a pretty scathing attack on Christianity, presented through children’s storybook-like rhymes that can have the listener giggling devilishly.
Right off the bat, Shernoff starts cracking jokes in “Are You Ready To Rapture?,” a song that was released alongside an animation two years ago. He refers to Jesus as a “zombie Jew,” and while his criticisms are nothing new, he excels easily in his ability to construct those attacks through rhyme; “the unmarried fornicators, the stem cell crusaders, and the butthole invaders” is possibly the funniest set of words I’ve heard all month.
Taking the format of a guitar ‘n’ harmonica blues number, “Skeptical” looks at the more personal questions that those who are unsure about religion have. “Fisher Of Men” turns the album’s focus to why people are reliant on a belief. The EP closes with “Get On Your Knees For Jesus,” which as you probably have already guessed, is a reference to fellatio. Sounding like a Southern gospel song, it is where the many layers of irony and satire stack up to an absurd enough level to be a memorable and resounding climax.
Despite Shernoff’s musical background, this is not a punk record, at least from the standpoint of punk’s generalized definition: loud, raucous, and sometimes violent. However, true punk really only needs to say what it needs to say, and be free and fearless while doing so; that happens on this album with enough humorous ferocity to make it punk as hell. Religious or not, just about everyone has heard the arguments presented in the four tracks, and whether they agree with them or not, one cannot deny that Andy Shernoff is one funny guy.
In A Word: Satirical
