Saturated In Sound 02.13.06
Posted by Jared McGuckin on 02.13.2006
Look at all the mail about Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails edition of Saturated In Sound!
Bonjour boys and girls, I'm Jared McGuckin and this is Saturated In Sound. I hope everyone had a nice relaxing weekend, actually, to be honest, I really don't care if you did or not. I mean, I don't want you to have a bad weekend and I don't wish any harm on you (unless of course, I explicitly said so). But your weekend does not concern me, as mine does not concern you. However, I do have a public forum and if I wish, I may talk about my weekend (which has not happened yet because as I write this, it's Friday mid-afternoon) but I assume it will be filled with work, papers, studying, 411 special feature write-ups, stress, no sleep and possibly a bowl of cereal. Why am I telling you this? I have no earthly idea….
Because of last week's Column Of Honesty (that would make a hellava better column name than Saturated In Sound…hhhmmmm….), as I suspected, there were some among you, who were less then thrilled with my opinions. As my regular readers know, I'm always right, so what's the point in fighting and arguing with me? I don't know my friends, I don't know. But there some who took the time out of their day and drop me a line and disagree with me…in fact I received 18 responses…a new Saturated In Sound record!! Of course the vast majority of those emails were full of misspellings and no punctuation, needless to say, they were also poorly thought out.
So, in the interest of putting this topic to bed, I'm going respond to some feedback, and we can all move on with our lives. I'm only going to respond to emails that have something intelligent to say, as opposed to this:
Ok dumbshit, Trent is "full of shit"? I think you're full of shit. What have you done that's so great? What talent do you have that you can criticize what he does? You are a complete asshole and you don't know what the fuck you're talking about. I've read you stuff since you started at 411, and I thought you knew you music and you told it like was, it was good. But this time you overstepped and fucked with the wrong guy.
Glenn
Ok…I'll respond to this one…the rest will say something intelligent at least.
Look, Glenn, it seems as if I offended you in some way and for that I apologize, but I don't give a fuck. Opinions are like assholes Glenn, everyone's got one. If you don't like what I have to say, fine, I don't really care. And for the record, I never said I was better then Reznor, in fact, he's more successful then I could ever imagine to be. But at least I have my dignity (somewhat) and as you know, I tell it like it is. If you want to have an intelligent debate on this, that's cool. But if you lack the metal capacity to do so, and decide to hurl insults my way, I going to have tell you to fuck off and go about your business.
Whew..that was fairly unpleasant. Does anyone else think that might have been Trent himself?
Anyway…Welcome to the People Actually Read My Column, I Swear…Look at All the Mail about Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails Edition of Saturated In Sound
As I suspected, I was inundated with mail this week. I guess calling Trent Reznor full of shit and making fun of some pictures of him will do that. Anyway, let's see what the mailman, Mr. McFeely, brought us this week.
You dedicated an entire article to bash Trent, good for you. I am a big NIN fan but I felt your article was weak. You seemed to focus on the (your, you're) part like peaople cared. Anyway the Beatles and Zepplin are gods in the music industry but Nirvana, give me a break. You say NIN lyrics are bad, do you listen to Nirvana. I will admit NIN lyrics can be bad but no bands lyrics are all fantastic. Nirvana is held up so high because Kurt killed himself and people assumed he would have been great. The only good thing to happen from Nirvana is Dave. As far as lyrics all being the same, what the hell is so different about other bands. All bands have the same general theme on all cd's. By the way, Trent wasnt the one to label himself industrial, it was the media. Have fun critiquing my spelling, I know it needs it.
SYTHE
P.S. Sum 41 sucks ass.
My article was weak because I responded to someone's letter a certain
way? That doesn't sound right to me.
If you read it right I said "In respect to the world of music, easily, bands such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and Nirvana have achieved God-like status among their fans across the world." Nowhere did I say music industry, I said "God-like status among their fans", there's a difference. I'm not a Beatles fan, but I cannot deny their impact or their relevance to music history. And the same goes for Nirvana, I think they were OK, but I cannot deny the huge impact they made on mainstream rock music. No where did I say Nirvana lyrics were good, in fact I didn't even mention them.
And no, Nirvana achieved a great deal in music before Kurt killed himself, his death merely solidified their place in the annals of music history. If you think Dave was the best thing to come out of Nirvana, fine, that's your opinion. I don't think Nirvana was great, but they made a huge splash being at the right place at the right time, and thus, opening the door for a lot bands during the early 90's.
I understand lyrics can and do have a similar theme throughout an album, and there's nothing wrong with it. My point was, Reznor is considered to be a musical and lyrical genius, and I find that not to be the case at all. In fact, I find his lyrics to be uninspired and stale.
"Trent wasn't the one to label himself industrial, it was the media"
Did he correct them? No he did not, he embraced it.
"Have fun critiquing my spelling, I know it needs it."
What the fuck does that mean?
Sum 41 sucks. Don't even try to argue that one.
First a couple of points on your pictures. The pic of him with the poet facial hair was around "perfect Drug" time, a few years before The Fragile. He had already cut the hair off for that one. Secondly, is it not OK for someone to grow up a little in their image? I admit, I was a fishnet on the arms, tall boots "shudder" goth in highschool, but today I enjoy button down shirts and sensible shoes. Like you said, he's 40, time to give the goth look a break. As far as real industrial, you forgot to mention Einsturzende Neubauten, who practically created the genre and are some of the most talented and sincere musicians I've ever seen.
I like NIN for what it is, well written and produced industrial pop. And about his lyrics, well, if he does indeed suffer from depression then it's no surprise that he is still writing with the same themes over and over.
By the way, Cash is the man, but even he had his moments of lacking credibility, projected his image of the Man in Black and had some repetitive lyrical themes, (shooting people for instance), but I would never say he was full of shit.
First off, let me thank you for a well thought out letter, it's a nice
change of pace.
Now, as far as the picture is concerned, it was taken during the 2 and half years during the making of the Fragile. Upon the release, he may have changed his hair a bit, all in all, he looked the same. Secondly, I love to see musicians grow and mature personally and musically. I have nothing against that. What I was doing, was merely pointing out his evolution over the years, and admittedly poking a fun at him. As far as his state of mental health is concerned, he's depressed? I'm going to go out on a limb here and say no. People who are diagnosed with severe depression do not work as long as he does on his projects.
His lyrics are uninspired and stale. I haven't heard anything all that stellar in his songs. At least nothing that I haven't heard a million times before.
Cash is indeed the man. And I agree, he portrayed an image of an outlaw, but in no way did he make people believe he was really a murderer. He didn't speak about the murders and crimes he writes about in his songs in interviews or his books. Johnny Cash was a passable guitar player, but an excellent lyricist and even better storyteller. Cash told
stories through his music and that is a big part of his legacy.
Just to clarify my stance on Reznor, in my opinion, he and his music is full of shit. The drive beyond my column last week was not to convert people into thinking the way I do (with NIN, I know that will never happen), it was just an expression of my opinion. Like I said in my column, I could go on and on and bullet point my reasons why I think the way I do but in the end, no one is going to "see the light" or anything like that. I was called out 2 weeks ago, by a few readers and responded, that's it. Anyway, thanks for the feedback, and thanks for not calling me an asshole (I already have enough of those).
The guy may not have great music, but the one guy that said that there would be nothing on the shelves at CD stores is right. Working at a radio station, I have the unfortunate pleasure of listening to a lot of crap, but without that crap we wouldn't have much of a playlist. If someone likes his music; good for them. But check out other music as well. I'm a bit of a metal-head (listen to Megadeth, Children of Bodom, etc.) but I also listen to the Blues, Country, Jazz, some rap; basically anything that sounds good at the time. But to say Reznor is a god is a very bold statement that has no foundation. Sure some NIN stuff sounds pretty good but according to some; Shania sounds good....it's all in the production. Listen to live performances, when everyone is actually playing/singing and then you'll know how good a band is.
That's my take on it and I could be just as skewed as any (Anthrax blows any NIN album out of the water and Exodus can rip up a guitar just as good if not better than a lot of the crap out there), but in the end it's an opinion and everyone is entitled to it....even if they are wrong.
Keep tellin the truth dude.
Cheers!
Chris
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like you agree with me, I'll be damned.
I don't agree with you on your feelings about Trent Reznor, but unlike all of those other e-mails, I'm not gonna bash you for it, because it's YOUR OPINION! But that doesn't let you off the hook totally.
Trent Reznor may not be the most pure form of industrial, (even me as a fan of NIN can say that it really does have a POP feel too it and is VERY accessible to a random fan who is into music that isn't Kelly Clarkson or Britney Spears, but is more into Pop that anything else.) but the fact that he puts out music that is made mainly by (I hate to put it this way, but this is the only way to make it sound right) computers makes people lump him into the Industrial mold. i do think that Trent Reznor is partially responsible for more people getting into music that isn't traditional guitar, bass drum type, and also for getting "heavier" music out there to mainstream audiences, and for that he should be treated as somewhat better than "full of Shit". Is he full of himself? Yeah, without a doubt. Is he a God? Hardly. Do I think that he is someone who puts out good music? Well take out "The Fragile" and part of "With Teeth" and I'd have to give you a resounding HELL YEAH! Is his music the most complicated out there? NO way, but that is part of the reason for his success. So I guess what I am saying is yeah, Trent's an arrogant, full of himself prick, who takes way too long to put out albums, and (In my opinion) is ruining his legacy with two (or three depending how you classify "The Fragile"'s two disc crapfest) les than stellar albums. But then again, Metallica is doing the same, off of the weakness of ONE album, and that's FOUR full of themself pricks who many people seem to think are gods as well (take Out St. Shitload and I'd actually agree.) not sure what you think of Metallica, but then again, that's another tirade.
Hopefully I don't come off as a "fanboy" or anything like that, I just wanted you to hear someone's rebuttal that didn't insult your intelligence or tell you that YOUR (bad grammar intended! LOL) full of shit yourself!
Kenny- AKA The Outcast Legend The Wolf!
Well, Kenny, can I call you Kenny? I appreciate the respect and I'm not going to argue with you as you seem to have a decent head on your shoulders, and you see a lot of what I see in Trent, except of course for the full of shit part. Luckily for you, my thoughts on Metallica are documented right herein the 411 archives.
While I don't totally agree with everything you said in your last column, I do have to give you credit for writing it. A lot of people wouldn't have the balls to say some of the stuff you said. I do personally like NIN, but I understand why a lot of people dislike him. Hell, I think the last album he just put out is crap. And nirvana wasn't that great anyway. Anywho, great last column.
-Linkin
I'll take whatever credit I can get. I'm a whore like that.
And finally the last worthy letter, and perhaps most insightful, intelligent and thought out email I received on this issue. Most of my readers know, a column's no good unless it gets a response from Kevin. He and Kristin have decided to toss me a rebuttal…bring it on guys…(because of the lengthy nature of his letter, I've broken it up into parts and responded accordingly, the email is bold and my response is not.)
Before I begin, I would like to say that this would have been a much better suited as a discussion at Oasis. Holy shit it gets tiring to write... I lose track of what the hell I'm even thinking about half-way through a statement. So be prepared for long, drawn out thoughts on single sentences in your column.
You should see what go through every week, writing this.
Kris read the column and she basically agrees with me: Trent very well might be fulla shit-- but we don't know for sure. We don't wanna know. Our problem with your column stems from the reasons you say he's fulla shit, cuz they're way off base. If you wanted to prove it, you went about it the wrong way.
The first example cited in the column is you say we shouldn't worship the ground he walks on because he is a "no-talent hack". Holy fuckin dogshit, we're not quite sure exactly where you get off making such a statement. Does Trent have a great voice? Definately not. Does he rip some fancy guitar solos that produce 30 distinctly different notes in a 5 second span? No. Does he drum to the tune of 350 beats per minute? No. Are his keyboards horribly complicated, so much that the average person couldn't learn one of his tunes in 20 minutes practice? Sometimes. BUT, calling him a NO-TALENT HACK?
Look, his music is not complicated, not that it has to be in order to be good, but it gets a lot of undeserving credit for being so. I called him a no talent hack because in my eyes and ears he try's to pass off his music as having some grandiose meaning, when in fact I don't think it does. I find his music to be extremely mediocre.
Let's skip the obvious rebuttal in that he has the actual ability to WRITE, PERFORM, and EDIT everything you hear on a Nine Inch Nails album (write is the key word there). His amazing talent lies in two words: LAYERING and MINIMALISM. Two contrasting styles, done very well, and sometimes together (yup).
For examples of layering, pop in the fragile and listen to Somewhat Damaged. We're not talking about layering one or two guitar tracks, a bass track, a vocals track, and drums. The man writes (I'm being hypothetical here, dont pick this apart) a bass track, then puts a drum track on top of it, then a keyboard track, then another keyboard track, then another keyboard track, then a guitar track, then a distorted bass track, another keyboard track, distorted guitar, another drum track, a vocal track, and keeps on going. You get the point by now. Just think about trying to do that for a second. It's incomprehensible.
Ok, in my eyes, layering various vocals and other assorted sounds and instruments requires a great deal of patience and focus. But so what? He can play a shitload of instruments and program them on top of one another. I got news for you, I can do that. I may not be able to play all the instruments he does, but I can use a computer and pro tools. Layering is not hard, especially when you know what you want to hear and know how to use the technology.
All the layers sound different, and yet they all go together. Wonderfully, I may add. Even some of the most revered personalities in the music industry can't make the claim of being able to generate such sounds. From your column, it seems that you tend to think of instrumentals, or long instrumental intros to a song, as a whole lot of nothing. If that's your opinion, that's fine. I cant say you're not allowed to have an opinion. But it should be stated that if you're good at instrumentals, you dont need lyrics. If anything, lyrics are just the icing on the cake. Trent's use of layering in a long, typically cocophonic, instrumental is an expression of a cathartic experience. The versatility of appreciation of a song is heightened when there are no lyrics. Trent's music, in general, is very visual. You can picture in your head what he's trying to get across. In other words, sometimes you just don't need lyrics to "get it". And believe me, that takes some serious fucking talent.
I'm a fan of concept albums, I can see the parts as the sum of the whole, and I appreciate instrumentals just fine. And your right, Trent's music lends itself to a visual medium. To give credit where credit is due, Trent has and would be excellent at scoring for film, that much I'll give him. But as far as not having lyrics goes, that's fine, I have no problem with that.
I wouldn't dismiss your statements that he writes shitty lyrics (more on this later), but I feel it's unfair to group them all together as such. Sure, sometimes the lyrics are lousy. But, sometimes they're amazing, and a perfect compliment to the music in the background (or foreground). I think the fair statement here would be that the quality of his lyrics are inconsistant at best. HOWEVER, it would be fair to say that Trent's worst lyrics are parallel to the average lyrical quality in mainstream music today. And besides, you shouldn't be judging Trent Reznor at all if you're all about lyrics and not one for instrumentals.
Well, see me response above about instrumentals. As far as his lyrics go, I've stated that in other responses above. Personally I think they're on par with the regular stuff that's already out there, that's not saying much. And you pined it down to a certain degree, when you say they are inconsistent. There are a few diamonds in the rough when it comes to his lyrics, and his songs but they are too far between. I clamed last week, there are a few songs I do like. I like Broken, I think it's a fun record.
Shit, almost forgot about minimalism. It's hard to put into words, so I'll try to sum up as best I can. One major skill you need to master artistic work is to know where to stop, in ANY art media. That's why you hear a lot of shit bands today who will unnecessarily throw in a guitar solo because it "should" be there. Sometimes you don't need it. Trent knows this. There is a judicious placement of minimalism throughout albums, and within songs, in his music. He has no rival in popular rock music. I'm leaving it at that.
I know the importance of minimalism, particularly regarding rock music. Knowing when enough is enough and what should and should be there is part of being a musician. Trent was trained in various instruments, I hope to Christ he knows when "too many chefs spoil the soup" as it were. However, to me, if I want mathematically correct, minimalist, music theory friendly music, I'll listen to Yanni or some New Age nonsense. But that's me.
Generally, his minimalism is found in combination with his layering, as well as in contrast to it. There's no better example for this than "Eraser". Go ahead, grab Downward Spiral and play track 11 (cuz I know you're too lazy to look for the track number).
NEXT, and this is weak, but I feel it needs to be said. That "black industrial panties" remark is senseless. In 1995, sure. 11 years later it's uncalled for. I know you've never been to a NIN show, so I know you don't know. The NIN crowds are the most diverse crowds I've ever seen. From black industrial panties wearing teenage girls to 40-year old business men who rush to the shows in their work suits cuz they don't have time to change. They all come to see Trent. Not that this closes the case against you, but it just needs to be said.
Sigh...must we quibble about cheap jokes. And it was a cheap joke, I make no excuse for that. As far the most diverse crowd you've ever seen, hit up a Soulfly show sometime, and come and then tell me how diverse NIN was.
NEXT: "calling NIN industrial is like calling Sum 41 punk. Sure, NIN's music has some industrial elements to it but its more electronic pop then anything else." That's fine. But that has NOTHING to do with your argument at all. That's all music industry marketing bullshit, and has nothing to do with Trent Reznor.
Make no mistake about it, that was a knock against NIN, plain and simple. I don't blame Trent for the "Industrial" tag, but as I said before, he never fought it. To my knowledge, he never corrected anyone for saying it. And that's not a knock against him, it more of a broad statement.
NEXT, "The stuff Trent writes, oh I'm sorry, composes (gimmie a break, will ya please),"-- No, I won't give you a break. The man's a fucking compser. Period. You think it's no big deal? You do it. One thing I don't think you're getting is that each album Trent releases is like one big song with one big theme. It aint something any run-of-the-mill musician can do.
I get it. Every time, I fall for it and listen to a "modern rock masterpiece" whenever he releases so much as a farts in a can, it's just a small part of something bigger. Look, I don't see him as a composer, Mozart was a composer. Beethoven, Handel and Bach were composers. What Trent does is nothing compared to those guys. Trent plays a handful of instruments, not to knock that (I wish I can say I can do that) and fiddles around with a computer, there's difference.
NEXT, back to the lyrics, "All of his songs are about either drugs, girls/people who have fucked him over, or his distain for himself/society/religion as a whole."-- Throw in "falling in love", and you have EVERY SONG EVER WRITTEN. The world of music loves these things, and can't stop spitting out songs about it. That's just the way it is. Don't take that out on Trent.
I know those are popular song subjects, BUT why is it when Trent sings about them, they are revolutionary?
NEXT, "Listen to his lyrics, it takes a few years to write that?"-- No. I don't know what takes him so god damn long to release an album, but my guess it would be writing, editing, and mastering every single layer of the music.
Well, I'm not impressed.
NEXT, "Upon his return into the musical fray, with his latest release With Teeth, Reznor did a few pretentious interviews talking about his addictions, and his loneliness and despair during his time off. Sounds familiar, like his songs perhaps? Anyway, in these interviews with MTV, Rolling Stone, and other music culture atrocities ... Reznor had said he "took the time to get comfortable in his own skin." Rest assured everybody, Trent's ok with himself now, he's sober and feeling very creative. We can all sleep soundly. Now, think about that quote and listen to "With Teeth" and tell me what's so different from the other records he put out. Nothing. He's still bitching and "singing" about the same old thing. Either his songs are full of shit, or that interview is full of shit, but something doesn't smell right."-- Who fuckin cares? What do you want to hear from him now that he's okay with himself, ska? The man has memories. The man still has shit to deal with. Who gives a shit what he says to a magazine?
I would love to hear Trent do ska. I'll tell you who gives a shit, the majority of people who listen to him, that's who. He cares what he says in a magazine, shit, he's only doing the interviews to sell records. His image sells him records, and you know that to be true. As far as his memories go, why is ok for him to continue to dwell on the past and sing about it, but when Jon Davis of Korn does it, people bitch that he sings and complains about the same bullshit on every record? And not for nothing but I think Davis has a little more to be depressed and fucked up about then Trent.
NEXT, "The third strike against him has everything to do with the image he presents to the world."-- Okay, exactly what does this have to do with his musical talent? When was the last time- no, HAS THERE EVER BEEN a time when you looked at a band, said, "wow, these guys dress cool, I'm gonna buy and love this album." No! So who fuckin cares how he dresses? One's fashion sense doesn't make them fulla shit. Sometimes they just have bad taste. What I believe this argument should fall under is your "gimmick band" column. The black leather, the fishnets, the white makeup... it's all just a gimmick for the stage. So what? That has NEVER been why people like Nine Inch Nails, it has nothing to do with Trent's musical talent, and that doesn't make him fulla shit. It just is what it is. This was clearly your worst argument.
Ok, I want you to look at the bigger picture here. Image goes way beyond clothes, it's about how you carry yourself and present yourself to the public at large. He presents himself as a tortured soul whos life is a living hell, and I think anyone with some intelligence can deduce that most that tortured bullshit is "grade A boloney". Again, just my opinion of him from what I have seen over the years.
NEXT, "These kids seek solace in the generic and uninspired lyrics he screams and whispers on his CD's, and he takes advantage of that by writing lyrics that are no doubt, written strictly for the purpose of cashing in on these moron kids."-- Like I was saying the first time you brought it up: dont even go near Trent when you can talk about Marilyn Manson so easily. The man felt his audience slipping (I assume), so the 31-year old Brian Warner wrote a big crowd pleaser stating, "we're disposable teens." Gimme a fuckin break. And besides, just because teen kids can connect to his lyrics, it doesnt mean Trent's marketing his music to them. There's plenty of proof to state the opposite. Don't believe me? Pay 50+ dollars to see him live or 60 bucks to join his fanclub- or just go to a NIN show and look at the crowd in general. It aint high school recess.
I think I'm going to lay off the 60 bucks to join his stupid fuckin fanclub, because quite frankly all this talk about a guy I don't care for is making real tired. You know what, fuck that, I'm gonna talk about that fan club. For a guy who is so fucking in tune with his music and makes it with for his own catharsis or whatever, he sure is a hell of a good business man. What do you get for 60 bucks? A shirt and some presale opportunities? If even that. I know that kids aren't his ONLY fans I'm well aware that he has fans of all ages but I think he caters to his target audience. Manson does the same thing, the only difference is he has the balls to outright say it.
NEXT, If Trent's a no talent hack, why would your hero Mr Cash have used Trent's lyrics and music to sum up his life?
Remember what I said about a Trent having a few diamonds in the rough, well this is one of them. I remember when this song hit it big years ago, I thought it was ok, nothing too special. I've heard it over and over again a million times like everyone else and in my opinion I don't get the same feeling from Trent as I do with Cash. I know Trent wrote the song and all that, but I really think Cash gave it meaning, to me at least.
These are my closing arguments: you set out to prove Trent is fulla shit because he has no talent, writes ho-hum lyrics, and wears different clothing as the years go by. This makes no fucking sense. You went about it the wrong way completely. If you wanted a good argument, you should have just went straight to "You Know What You Are?" (track 2 on With Teeth), where Trent says, "you better take a good look, cuz I'm fulla shit." As George Carlin would say, "well, at least he's honest."
The truth is, you cant prove someone is fulla shit unless you know them personally. If you hung out with him for a week and he was happy as a clam, admiring rainbows, preaching the bible, voting Republican, and making statements like, "life is grand, but I'm going to pretend it's not to make millions of dollars off rotten teen kids," then sure, you can say he's fulla shit. But you cant. Saying you don't like his music only proves an opinion, not a fact. And calling him a no-talent hack is really just way outta line, and you know it.
I don't think I was out of line, I was merely stating my opinion. If I said Trent Reznor's mother is a dirty bitch, that would be out of line. I don't know his mother, nor have I ever even thought about her until that last sentence. I'm sure she's a wonderful woman. And you're right, I can't be 100% sure Trent is full of shit, I can only form my opinion on what I have seen and heard based on what he has presented to me. And that's what I did. If it looks like a duck to me and it sounds like a duck to me…I think it's a duck.
I don't know how this would have anything to do with my argument, but I feel it needs to be said. I don't know how many concerts I've been to in my life. Maybe close to a hundred. I've gone to shows where 23 people show up in a club to see their friend's band, I've gone to sold out arenas featuring hall of fame headliners, and I've been to a Local H concert on a boat. I've seen plenty of bands get zero reaction. I've seen a few bands get flat-out booed off the stage. Most shows I've experienced see bands generate a lot of excitement that puts a ton of energy into the crowd. But Nine Inch Nails is the ONLY band I've ever seen that has generated pure LOVE from the audience. It's nothing I can describe, it's only something that has to be experienced. It wasn't 50,000 people pounding their fists in the air to a James Hetfield "YEAH-HAYYAHH". It was a general buzz in the crowd that genuinely poured out love, appreciation, and respect for the music Trent Reznor has written. It's the only time I've ever been a part of such a reaction, and dammit, that means something. It's a testiment to his talent and ability.
Not to blow off your comment, but as I read that I got the image of the guy who cries to the wrestlers "It's still real to me damnit!" Sorry about that.
I've only seen concert footage of NIN on DVD and videos and there's no denying the fact that he is an entertainer. He has great stage presence and he's very charismatic up there, there's no question about it. As far as the crowd goes, when you have the popularity he does and you sell out MSG in a matter of minutes, you can stand up there and pick your nose and people will still cheer. Trent has a great live show; from what I have heard and seen on TV, I can only imagine it's a million times better in person. If you dig his music, then of course, you're gonna get off on a great performance.
Kris would like to add that it is because of Trent that she learned how to appreciate instrumental music as well as listening to music in a more analytical way. Trent's always been an interesting musician to analyze. Because of this, she will always be grateful.
Hey, if that's your thing, then that's cool. If you, Kris, or anyone else for that matter gets something out of Trent's music, great. That means he did his job very well. If his music or lyrics move you or spark an emotion then, hey, more power to him, but for me, I don't buy it. That's not say people are wrong for liking him, but its just not for me and I perceive Trent to be a certain way.
The one thing I'll definately give you is this: yes, that would look great as his myspace picture.
Tell me about it.
Take Me Off The Shelf
Stone Temple Pilots – Purple
This week I'm pimping my favorite band of all time, ST motherfucking P. When their debut CD Core was released they were labeled as Pearl Jam clones and riding on the coattails of the Seattle grunge movement, despite the fact that they were from San Diego. Purple put any talk of "clones" or "bandwagon jumpers" to rest pretty damn quick. This CD produced 4 extremely popular singles including the massively popular Interstate Love Song. This album is in my personal top 10 favorites. Between Dean Deleo's guitar work and Scott Weiland's vocals this record is must have.
If I'm pimping these guys, does that mean they're my ho's?
Music is an art, and art is subjective. It's perceived differently by each person who hears it or sees it. It can be dependent on mood; what you love today, you could hate tomorrow, and vice versa. We aren't all going to perceive things the same way, and we aren't all going to be moved by the same song or artist. And that's fine; it's the differences in opinion that makes music and music culture so damn interesting to talk about. It's why I write about music and it's why I look forward to writing about my opinions and hearing the opinions of all you guys and girls out there every week. I think Reznor is full of shit, no matter what you call me, no matter how wrong you think my reasons are, and no matter how right you think you are. My intention was not to convert people into hating Reznor, or even to convince people to think like me, it was just my opinion. Those of you who took the time to express your opinion in an intelligent manner, I thank you however, my stance remains the same, as I'm sure does all of yours.
But for now, I have spent the past two weeks talking and writing about Trent Reznor, and I'm fucking tired. I'm done with him, I'll be back next week with a real column, and hopefully no more Trent mail.
