The United States of Insanity

"What is a Juggalo? Let me think for a second. Oh, he gets butt-naked."

Those are the opening lyrics to Insane Clown Posse's song What Is A Juggalo?, which this documentary, The United States of Insanity answers in the most surprising way. By now, most people have heard of the duo rap group from Detroit that wears clown makeup and calls themselves ICP, however, some might not know or remember that the FBI legitimately classified their fans known as the Juggalos as a gang that led to good people being arrested and going to court for either listening to their music or sporting their logo. Like the title of this documentary from directors Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez makes Idiocracy seem real and even scarier that the US government can so blindly label a group of people as a gang for no rhyme or reason.

It's almost comical that all of this happened to a music duo that was once signed by Disney's music label. But once the mouse-house listened to one of their songs, ICP had to find a new label. Directors Tom Putnam and Brenna Sanchez, known for making documentaries in and around Detroit, honor the Juagglo sons of that amazing city in The United States of Insanity. However, the exploration of this hip-hop duo takes an unexpected turn into the FBI’s investigation and harassment of their fanbase leading to arrests and a gang label upon a group of people who just like silly rap music.

The United States of Insanity begins with the origin stories of the two rappers, Joseph Bruce (Violent J) and Joseph Untsler (Shaggy 2 Dope) who met as kids and bonded over their traumatic childhood. The two became fast friends and took an interest in pro wrestling, which later had the famous singers start their own wrestling promotion. In this 99-minute documentary, ICP's upbringing, and music discography only get a small amount of time due to the true nature of the topic at hand - their fans being deemed a gang by authorities.

As both Joes outline in their own way, their fans known as Juggalos are not the violent, scary, crazy members of society that most media corporations or the government make them out to be. The documentary showcases a few people who are die-hard Insane Clown Posse fans who live normal lives and are successful but are looked down upon for loving a music group. One of the subjects is Farris, ICP's biggest fan who is a successful lawyer and helps Violent J and Shaggy with this legal matter. In Arizona, there is a guy named Shawn who has raised his kids to love the group's music that promotes family, loyalty, and having a good time. One of the more disquieting moments comes from Natalie, who works with elderly people but is fired for liking the Clown's music. It's a sad state of affairs when a court takes away someone's kids for their love of a music duo - which this documentary outlines.

Having interviews with both members of ICP, along with their fans, the Juggalo name and the meaning surrounding the fanbase is one of love, not violence and hatred. The documentary highlights those elements well by showcasing these individuals jumping through hoops and getting bogged down by government obstacles as they are profiled as gang members, simply because they listen to theatrical rap music about dating, chickens, haunted houses, demonic toys, pro-wrestling - and yes, even magnets. The United States of Insanity is a wonderful yet scary look into how the FBI can label a group of music fans as a gang without cause or any evidence. It's strange because nobody is batting an eye at Swifties for making death threats against people who dislike Taylor's music. 

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
The United States of Insanity attracts its way to Blu-ray via ETR-Media. The sole disc is housed inside a clear plastic case. The artwork features ICP standing in front of Mount Rushmore and an audience crowd with digital patriotic effects. There is alternate cover art on the reverse side, There is no insert for a digital code. 

The United States of Insanity comes with a 1080p HD transfer that looks great for a documentary. Colors are vibrant and bold with the interview subjects. The clothing has bright primary colors and makes use of the surrounding environments in interview mode. On location with the subjects, houses, and buildings, yards all look wonderful. Black levels are inky and rich while the skin tones are natural. The black and white makeup looks excellent. The detail on people's faces showcases individual hairs, stubble, facial pores, and textures in clothing. There are no issues with this digital video presentation and is a joy to marvel at. 

The DTS-HD 5.1 audio track prioritizes the dialogue in each interview front and center. It's all clean, clear, and easy to follow along with. It's a simple track, however, when ICP's garage of songs plays, the low end of the bass kicks in nicely and the surround speakers echo with each instrument and voice perfectly. There are not any special effects to really speak of in this documentary. 

There are about 53 minutes of extras along with a commentary track from the director. These are solid bonus features that include concert footage from an ICP show. Score. 

• Audio Commentary - Director Tom Putnam delivers an informative and great commentary track that talks about making the documentary, working with the rap group, and some tidbits from the location shooting. 
• Special Intro from ICP (HD, 2 Mins.) - Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope talk about the Constitution and what it means to them. In reality, they just read some passages from it. 
• Deleted Scenes (HD, 31 Mins.) - There are 14 minutes of extended and deleted scenes here, all of which are worth watching and should have been in the final cut. 
• Special Concert Footage (HD, 16 Mins.) - Here is some concert footage of ICP singing and spraying the crowd with Faygo.
• Trailers (HD, 4 Mins.) - Four trailers for the film are included.

The United States of Insanity is a fantastic documentary on not judging a book by its cover. The cover here is a rap group who paint it up as clowns singing about theatrical horror elements whose fan base was unjustly labeled as a gang by the government. The 1080p HD transfer looks wonderful and the DTS-HD 5.1 audio track sounds great. The bonus features are all worth watching. Highly Recommended!

Order Your Copy of The United States of Insanity on Blu-ray