Jr." he manages to humanize one of the most notorious and atrocious serial killers of all time, while simultaneously giving us his life story, a picture of his victims, and realizing that he too has a darker side "underneath the floorboards".

By the time I got to the song about the crazy killer clown the world knows as gacy I had already formed my initial opinion, which is: Bland Music, uneventful, and certainly not cutting edge

The first, "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," provides a eerie, sorrowful look at the infamous serial killer and an introverted glimpse at one's own true self:

Jr." tackles one of the more infamous serial killers in the history of the United States, and Stevens turns in a sparse vocal track that's empathetic without being crass and contains one of the most heartbreaking vocal melodies I've heard in some time

One of the better tracks on the album entitled "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.", features chilling lyrics about the infamous serial killer of the same name

It's not often one is asked to be moved to pity a serial killer, and it can't help but be a disturbing experience

Lyrically he shines as well, especially in the album's high point "John Wayne Gacy Jr.", where he depicts a brutal serial killer also as a human being.

No matter how dark his subject matter (serial killers, assassinated presidents, etc.), Sufjan Stevens' bouyant melodies and soundscapes carry the listener happily along.

The song also has an allusion to a downstater, author and historian Carl Sandburg."John Wayne Gacy, Jr."--this moving and emotionally ballad refers to the famous serial killer from Illinois.

my GodI've always had a problem reconciling my pity and empathy for serial killers (most assuredly disturbed, usually abused) with pity and empathy for their victims