Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Where The Hell Did You Get That?

Okay, so this afternoon Maise and I had worked out an idea to throw together a hilarious photoshop of D:Angel, Angelcat, and Trent together on their hot air balloon ride that Angelman claims to have won from filling out the survey from the previous post. In our heads it would have been really funny (picture the three of them in this balloon) but tonight my hubby has trumped us.

Hubby is always the prankster and is pretty supportive when it comes to my NIN enthusiasm. Remember a few years ago when he mowed the downward spiral into our back lawn? Yeah, I thought that was cute. But I was not prepared when he came walking through the door tonight with this:


We are now the owners of a 24" x36" (61.0 x 91.4cm for our metric friends) oil portrait of Closer's Bondage Trent, otherwise know to the artist as "Trent. Ooh, baby".

Apparently this is what happens when hubby is left on his own and has time to kill between appointments in Iowa City. He tells me he found it in some consignment shop basement behind an assortment of beer lights and other discarded pictures. For $15 he said he couldn't resist a joke and laughed when it earned him a raised eyebrow from the blue-haired old lady working the register.

I laughed my ass off when I first saw it and have been giggling all night. Not that it isn't a pretty good rendering of dear Trent (much better than anything I could come up with) but what the fuck am I supposed to do with it now? Should I go total fangirl and hang it up with a candle shelf shrine below? Ironically enough it does go with the some of the colors in my recently redecorated "home office". Or should we hold some sort of Places Parallel contest in which this will be the prize? Or should I lug it along with Maise, Ro, and I to the next NIN show we attend, in hopes that we can get The Man to come out and autograph it and then return it to the artist, E.M., as a "Surprise! Guess where this has been?"

Hmm...decisions, decisions.

61 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oohh, oohh; I know. You can make up a survey, and the person with the best/funniest/retarded/whatever answers wins it as the prize.

Or, you could do something like that "Where's George?" thing with the one dollar bill and send the painting off to someone, who sends it off to someone else, who then sends it off to someone else, etc. So, then it becomes a "Where's Trent?" thing.

I don't know. It's late at night. Just some tarded random thoughts.

-thelookingglass

Anonymous said...

Another random thought: I love the shape of Trent's lips. They seem to say, "You know you want to rape me."

...Again, it's late...

-thelookingglass

Azulaco said...

I nearly spit out my coffee when I saw that. That is...I don't even have the words for what that is. I should not mock what was someone's heartfelt expression of love for Trent, but it made me laugh; I can't help it. Maybe it was the randomness of the whole story.

Along the lines of thelookingglass' suggestion to send the painting traveling, I think instead of just you guys taking the painting to a concert, you should send it traveling to various concerts. Although I think that would annoy the hell out of Trent. Heh. Incidentally, I would pay money to see the expression on his face if you actually did get him to autograph it.

maise said...

LOLOLOLOL

OMG, I have TEARS in my eyes. Literally.

First of all, clearly that thing should be hanging above your bed.
Because that wouldn't be weird or anything.

Second, I also think that maybe we should take it with us on our road trip. Maybe take some pics with it...half-naked Trent at Dairy Queen, half-naked Trent at the gas station, half-naked Trent replacing some bland landscape on the wall of a Best Western...

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

bcb said...

Okay, the image of Iris's husband buying that thing is just...

Well it's just a little more than I can process right now. NeoRocker Lives!

Iris said...

Azulaco, I know! It's not the actual art that makes me laugh until I nearly pee. Because like I said last night, the girl who made it has some talent but it's just so...Jesus...I don't know...hysterical.

And I was totally NOT kidding about the artist's title for the piece. See for yourselves. I made sure to protect the name of the innocent.

There's going to be a lot of brainstorming to determine this painting's future. But believe me if this thing makes it with us to a show AND we by chance meet up with some band members, there will be PLENTY of photographic documentation of the moment!

maise said...

Okay, I'll road trip with that painting, but I can't meet band members with it. My Italian isn't good enough to explain to Alessandro...

Iris said...

Maise, even if you spoke fluent Italian, I'm not sure there is an explanation for this.

Azulaco said...

OMG Maise, you are brilliant! Trent at the Dairy Queen! MAKE IT HAPPEN. Trent at the Best Western would be aces as well.

ahahahahah, cannot stop laughing at the thought of Trent's road trip. That's going to carry me through the whole rest of the day.

D:ANGEL said...

Ha. That is so great. What are the odds? The best is that whoever painted and/or owned that could not simply throw it out. It had to be preserved! I say hang it and invite the relatives over for lunch. Refuse to comment on it.

For the record angelcat did claw the hot air balloon cutting short our magical trip.

I am not a huge fan of symphonic black metal but Dimmu Borgir's "Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia" is some rockin' shit. Plus Galder is in the band. GALDER.

Ro said...

Oh Iris, I'll reserve judgment until we take Half-Naked Trent on our roadtrip, but I think this one may even surpass your NIN macaroni art.

Anonymous said...

Iris, you are married to the best man in the world! What else does he indulge you in? I like the idea of The Traveling Trent Painting. Send it to D:Angel for a photo with his cat. Then D:Angel sends it to some kids for Halloween, etc. Also, Motel 6 would welcome the Traveling Trent Painting.

Anonymous said...

Yep, I think I am going to follow JR's lead and exit the NIN camp. Too much weird childish antics. Plus, Trent keeps saying the same old things in interview after interview. This isn't "Ground Hog Day".

Anonymous said...

Iris, what a fab painting.
Give hubby a smooch for me.
I see it's future in a very auspicious place in the home- say, above the bed. Where the magic happens. You would have a great time explaining it to all your guests. Say, I have a better idea! In the guest bedroom. Aunty Jane would really question why she didn't just stay in that nice hotel down the street.

Iris said...

Anonymous #2,

It's fine if NIN is no longer reeling you in like they once were. Really it is because it all boils down to personal preference. But to say that it's because with the Trent of today there are "Too much weird childish antics" when there are a God's plenty examples of Trent's "childish antics" of yore?

Exhibit A: "What do your nipples look like?"
Exhibit B: Assaulting band members onstage
Exhibit C: The I'm-So-Miserable-Even-Though-I'm-Immensely-Successful shtick

Well, to me it sounds more like you're upset at the fact that Trent grew up and realized there's more to life than solely himself. There's nothing wrong with the Trent of yore and his antics. In spite of (and in some cases because of) the examples above, he was fascinating to watch then too. I just think you might have gotten a bit confused in the "reason for leaving" portion of your exit interview. All the same though, please be sure to turn in your standard issue combat boots, fishnets, and PVC outfit to the girl at the door. You can keep the box of cornstarch. It's on us.

As to the second half of your comment, what is it that he keeps repeating in interviews that chaps your ass? I'm actually serious about this question. Is it his taking on the music biz? Having a more pronounced political opinion? Talking about the production of this tour? What is it?

Iris said...

I've got some ideas for the Trent painting but they'll have to hold tight 'til the weekend. And, no, moving Trent into the bedroom is not one of them. Hubby will only go so far with a joke.

I do think another ideal photoshoot location for OP(oil painting) Trent would be in line at the next Harry Potter movie (if I still have it by then). "Oh my, Professor Snape!"

Azulaco said...

Iris, I think that Anonymous #2 was referring in the first part of his/her comment to OUR childish antics, not Trent's. ;)

maise said...

Well, if that's the case (objecting to OUR childish antics), then what the hell was Anonymous #2 doing HERE in the first place? We are a spin-off of Wearing-These-Fucking-Chains, for Christ's sake.

And why leave NIN altogether just because of us? I mean, good Lord. We're like, what, a tiny little enclave of 10 NIN fans? Mind you, we are the 10 who have a sense of humor, but still.

Anonymous said...

Nope, I was referring to Reznor's dumbass childish antics which border on unkindness. Iris thank you for pointing out those videos. Now, I realize that Reznor is more of a PUTZ than I realized. I never bought the idea that you need shtick to make good music. Actually, I don't think that Trent has grown up and realized there's more to life than himself, nor do I think it's reflected in his work. YZ and Ghosts are baby steps.

TR is ground hogging many topics - drug addiction (enough already) and the music biz (they sucked musicians dry way before him ex. The Lion Sleeps Tonight).

Sorry, no combat boots, cornstarch, or PVC outfits. I never follow - just lead - and I'll be needing my fishnets.

maise said...

Oh good, well, I guess I'm glad it's not US.

But I guess I'm a little confused by "I was referring to Reznor's dumbass childish antics which border on unkindness."

What has he been doing lately to warrant this? He's actually been pretty good natured lately, no tantrums thrown, even got rid of the douchey Aaron North...what's to complain about?

And personally, I don't see a problem with him addressing drug/alcohol addiction. It's something that he has thoroughly lived out and has conquered, and I think it sends a really positive message to fans of his who may be dealing with the same problems, i.e., you can survive this, you can not only function again but thrive, and you can potentially look really ripped with biceps that women will want to lick like ice cream...ahem. Sorry about that last one.

The point is...well, I guess I don't have some overall point. It's no skin off my nose if Anonymous 2 doesn't want to rock out anymore. And it's not like we're the NIN complaint line. I guess I'm just not seeing appropriate examples to back up the complaint. Failed rhetoric and all.

Iris said...

Same here, Maise. I'm left with a sense of "huh?" at Anonymous #2's response. I am genuinely curious about his/her reasoning but without some specific examples I'm just not getting it.

What interviews or things are you seeing, Anonymous #2, that we are not?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

anonymous 2 = sarah palin

because when pressed for specifics she's got bubkis or will have ta get back to ya on that.

'nuff said.

D:ANGEL said...

Wow.

Posts.

I disagree with Anonymous #2. You absolutely need shtick to make great music. One night on a road trip with my old band after a really REALLY bad show the bass player and drummer said to me, "I think we concentrated to much on what we were wearing" (I wore a fishnet shirt and a blue fluffy robe) I said, "the problem was we didn't concentrate enough on what we were wearing!"

I was right.

Oh, and Maise:

Dodgers > Cubs. Better tell Eddie Vedder to warm up. There's always next year. I smell sweep.

Azulaco said...

Leaving aside the question of anyone's childishness or lack thereof, I want to hear more about the pending road trip. Please advise. Is this going to be a multi-city tour?

maise said...

Dan, it ain't over til it's over. We've got Zambrano on the mound tonight.

And besides, what do you have to threaten a Cubs fan with? The prospect of losing? Ha!

D:ANGEL said...

Just funnin' you.

Anonymous said...

"I don't think that Trent has grown up and realized there's more to life than himself, nor do I think it's reflected in his work. YZ and Ghosts are baby steps."

I guess this point made by Anonymous #2 comes closest to what I'm not able to express about my lack of being able to get it up for Trent anymore. For me, he really feels like that young uncle or cousin who USED to be cool and now you see him at Thanksgiving and it's like...uh...he's still kinda cool, but you wonder if he was ever THAT cool to begin with, or if you just took it wrong, or if it was because you were younger and more impressionable or something. And then you're almost embarrassed to admit that you used to think he was really cool.

I'm also getting a little sick of him complaining about the music industry. It's great that he wants change, but like Barack Obama, I think he needs to abandon his application for the patent on it.

And I'm not trying to be mean or catty, cause I really like y'all, but I think you're just too close to it/lurv him too much to see it.

Anonymous said...

Must I list examples to back up my decision when you already posted those videos? No failed rhetoric here. OK, I throw you a bone: His long blog entry claiming that he never said some such shit and the journalist next day posted the taped interview. Is that good enough?

I think Lavender said it best awhile back - something about "attracting" too much weird childish antics. If there is smoke, there's usually fire.

Iris said...

Well...yeah. The videos I posted earlier could be ample reason not to care for Trent back then but you've been pretty adamant about Trent's current bouts of childishness. But I suppose I'll let it drop.

Although I don't think it would have been that difficult to do a simple Google search for the inteview/blog posting you referred to. Even so, this is at least an opinion with something to somewhat back it up now. I can respect that. I just don't understand how you were a fan at all through the years if Trent has always been a childish asshole. What was the appeal for you? What brought you in back then? Is it similar to JR's example with the "young uncle or cousin...you see at Thanksgiving"?

And that goes for any of our readers. What drew you into NIN and when?

Iris said...

Azulaco as of right now the pending NIN road trip for Maise, Ro, and me is just a one pop stop in November. There are two others that I would like to squeeze in because they're relatively close but I just don't think that would be feasible and 3 shows of the same band in one month might be pushing it even for me. I need some time in between to savor.

You planning on heading to any shows for this leg of the tour?

Anonymous said...

Now, I understand Iris... I never was a fan until about 3 years ago, so I never knew the past childishness. I heard the name but not the music. So, it's been short and somewhat sweet. No to the young uncle or cousin. I just think he is mean.

maise said...

Anonymous #2, what the hell?

Look, I can understand someone not tuning in until With Teeth or so. I had always liked NIN, owned the albums, but I didn't become a fanatic until With Teeth, mainly because I hadn't realized how much I missed Trent until he had disappeared for five years.

Okay, so you think he's "mean." I don't think he's that mean, given that he's done charity gigs to help New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a school for disabled children (if I remember correctly), and ads for PETA, wherein he informs us that the Chinese use dogs and cats to make their fur coats, so buyer beware. And if you actually *listened* to the music, you'd hear the words of a (dramatically) tortured soul who was fundamentally good at heart, and I'm thinking of a lot of "The Fragile" there. I mean, there's a song for his deceased grandma! And what is "Head Like a Hole" but a rant against the injustices of capitalism? And what about trying to get his fans engaged in politics? But whatever.

You think he's mean. Fine. Well, a lot of people thought Beethoven was "mean."

Sheesh.

maise said...

And besides, whatever happened to the allure of the "dangerous" rock star, the one you wouldn't take home to Mom and Dad, the one who plans to do "terrible things to you," an idea which is intimidating and thrilling at the same time?

I mean, if you want "nice," go for the Jonas Brothers with their stupid haircuts and chastity rings.

Bah. The Youth.

Azulaco said...

Uh, well, now I am kind of embarrassed, Iris. Because it is looking like I will be seeing four shows on this leg of the tour. It sort of snowballed on me. See, I was planning on just going to Charlottesville, and then I was lucky enough to get tickets to Atlantic City (club show!), so of course I have to go to that. And at that point my friends and I will be halfway to Manchester, it's a weekend, and the Manchester tickets are cheap, so we decided to go on and make a road trip weekend of it. And then we all decided that *if and only if* we could get presale for Vegas, we would consider going and having another fun weekend, and apparently God wants us to go to Vegas because we all did get presale tickets, by some freak of nature. So we are planning a weekend in Vegas with the bonus addition of a NIN show.

I have an invitation to the Tulsa show too, but I have to draw the line somewhere. Jesus. I already feel like a creepy stalker.

Azulaco said...

Oh, and as far as the NIN love, it was definitely the music that got me, but it took a few tries before I was hooked. Every time I would hear a song by NIN, I would say "What is that GREAT song?" but for some reason I never followed up on it, until the Downward Spiral era. I lost three-quarters of my fan’s heart to NIN the first time I heard “Closer,” and I lost the remainder of it when I saw the video…which brings us neatly back to the lovely work of art that started this post. And the lyrics over the years, don’t get me started. I’m a lyrics girl anyway. A certain team of brilliant writers once wrote that their NIN fandom was like having a virus that went into remission for years at a time, but then came back stronger than ever. That's true for me too. Big gap in time, but it's back now.

Maise, Trent is "mean", in the sense that he doesn't pull punches. If he has an opinion of the moment, you are going to hear about it, pretty bluntly. If he is irritated, you are REALLY going to get his opinion. I kind of like that about him. I guess not everyone does.

Anonymous said...

Whew, thank god you're not projecting, Maise ("And if you actually *listened* to the music, you'd hear the words of a (dramatically) tortured soul who was fundamentally good at heart, and I'm thinking of a lot of "The Fragile" there."). For Christ's sake.


Back to business: apparently, I get to claim the oldest lineage of our current crop of posters--I go back to the Pretty Hate Machine On Black Cassette tape days. He was captivating with those first two records, I have never even listened to The Fragile, most of Year Zero, and can't be bothered, really, with Ghosts (I listened to 1/4 of it for my review here, and that was plenty).

I love the past. I'm happy in my rut. There's not a lot of exciting mainstream stuff that's happening right now, and the indie stuff requires a lot of free time to track down because it's so fractured (though I love me some Crystal Castles--I hear Uncle Trent does, too). But I just can't take any more of TR and his lack of new concepts (guys, a game is not a concept)/growth/anything interesting.

I could probably dig around here and find at least five instances of each of you talking about how "Well, yeah, this records has lots of the bleeps and bloops that Trent is known for..." or "...it's that tinkly piano thing he does, like at the end of 'Closer'" or "...then he was yelling and it was about sex!" There's nothing wrong with that, and there's clearly plenty of people who are still into it, I just ain't one of 'em.

In addition to helping injured animals/old people crossing the street/babies being born in taxicabs/volunteering at the local soup kitchen/giving money to Brad Pitt to rebuild New Orleans/teaching his neighbor's kid how to tie his shoe/babysitting/going door to door for UNICEF at Halloween, etc., you could call him eco-friendly for the amount of recycling of his old material that he does. (Sorry, guys, it had to be said.)

Anonymous said...

And again, for the record, I really don't mean to offend, just to present my opinion.

Well, except for the crack about Maise projecting. I meant to put her in her place with that one.

Iris said...

Ehh, nothing to be embarrassed about Azulaco. Because I say right now that I don't think I could do that many shows in such a short amount of time but I'll be a sullen, mope-about on the dates I know I'm missing. And really, you're talking to a couple of fans who traveled to the OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE to see two NIN shows in a row, so you know, just to put it in perspective. Oh and I suppose Prague was al'ight. ;)

And OMFG, club show? Lucky duck. We'll be expecting a report and pictures if at all possible.

Iris said...

I don't think it's recycling material, JR. I think it's more of a signature sound. If I heard a previously unknown Dresden Dolls song I would know it's them because they are distinct. Same with NIN. Modular synths, grimy guitars, layered noise, these are all part of what make up his sound BUT there is still enough variation in there and new instrumentation and ideas/lyrics to be intrigued and feel relevant. I don't know how you can put down his work from the past few years or snap at Maise for her argument for "The Fragile" when you say you've never listened to it. "The Fragile" is one of my favorite albums and there is so much to absorb from it. You're really missing out on a beautiful piece of work.

As for "Ghosts", well it is what it is but it wasn't meant to be a huge release. Trent said himself it was more of a side project with tinkering around. As a big lover of his previous instrumental work "Ghosts" filled a spot for me. Not everything on it was absolutely floored me but with 38 songs to chose from, that happens. It could have been edited down some but that would be beside the initial point of it being a quick project.

I'll let Maise step back in with defense because I'm out of time for lunch and she expresses things better than I can. It's been interesting and slightly miffing to hear others' reasons for not caring for the music (miffing because I don't think it's being given a fair chance). We've had this argument with you, specifically, so many times and it makes me curious on why you're still around. And I mean no offense with that either. I'm just saying...

maise said...

Well, really, what's to defend? Breaking news--JR doesn't like it! Nothing I say is going to make her like it. It's the same old back-and-forth, back-and-forth. I'll say, "This is new and interesting," and she'll reply, "No, it's not." Okay.

And how exactly am I projecting? Tortured soul (= dramatic persona + real-life angst) struggles against light vs. dark, good vs. the darkness within, etc. etc. I think that's simple lyric interpretation. And maybe it's going a bit far for me to assume that Trent is a fundamentally good human being via the music, but seeing the good things he's done recently (previously described) and not being presented with any evidence that he sacrifices puppies in his basement, I think it's not a huge stretch.

Anonymous said...

Do you guys work for Trent? (I'm asking nicely) I'm getting that vibe... I should point out something important - I don't believe everything that comes out of a celeb's mouth. How do I really know that he was ever a tortured soul, a drug addict, or politically in my camp? Hell, he could be a born-again married man for the last 20 yrs. with 5 kids in Jr. High for all we know.

maise said...

Dude, if Trent's hiring, well...I don't really want him as a boss. But if he wants to give me money for responding to all the whining and the bitching, then I could certainly use it in this troubled economy. Trent, email me at tragicmaise@yahoo.com, and we can work out some kind of signing bonus!

Anonymous said...

I know that I'm not saying anything new. I'm kind of surprised that you guys still bite when I say it again, though. I guess you like defending yr man--I get that. God knows I have to do enough of it when I say that J Mascis is one attractive sonofabitch. Rawr.

Anyway, I stick around because although I disagree with your viewpoints now and then, I think you guys are smart, witty and good writers. Even comments are worth reading. It's escapism.

Also, my two cents--Places Parallel was the Archie's Place to Wearing These Chains' All In The Family, but I though PP was going to be about more than one band. And you've been doing an assload of lovin' on one band. That I won't name. But I think you know who I'm talking about, Willis.

maise said...

Well, Trent love is primary around these parts because...well, he brings the unintentional hilarity like no other. Plus, most of our readers came via Wearing These Chains, and people respond to the Trent posts, and not so much the others. Just the way it goes.

I mean, NIN is totally not the only band I listen to. Spoon and Devotchka, Material Issue, and yes, even some old Smashing Pumpkins have been very high on my playlist as of late. And that's just been this past week. There's a wide, wide variety of music that I enjoy, and I won't bother you with a long list. But if y'all want to hear about those things, y'all have to bring the discussion for those topics too. And they occur on this site as well.

It's hard to recreate the genius of WTC...in fact, it's fucking impossible...without "Dierdre" and "Gabriel," both of whom are living fantastic, fulfilling lives right now. But we're doing the best we can, in the midst of our own fantastic, fulfilling lives. And as Thom Yorke says, "You can try the best you can/you can try the best you can/the best you can is good enough."

Iris said...

Okay, because it seems relevant to the conversation we've had here (and because I feel this mirrors some of my same sentiments but more eloquently), I'm reposting some comments made between JR and Maise back in April when "Discipline" had just come out.

JR said...
Maise, I'm not trying to be difficult (really!), but I am left with a couple of questions, because I am genuinely curious, not because I'm trying to grill you:

-What makes Trent's career in modern rock interesting to you?

-Is it his personal issues/crises that bled over into the music, or just strictly the music?

-With someone who has had the amount of output that TR has, do you really think it's fair to cite one song/video as proof that you don't always agree?
(re: "Deep") That's one piece out of how many?

JR said...
Oh, and one more:

-Do you really think this is a good example of Trent's talent, or more of a quickly knocked-off three minute ditty?


Maise said...
Hm, well, I'll try to answer those as completely as I can off-the-cuff.

1) Trent's career in modern rock: I consider it extremely compelling because beneath all the Sturm and Drang of the lyrics and the way he used to immolate himself onstage, the musical choices he makes are very careful and deliberate. He's not just the screaming rocker breaking his guitar, you can also hear traces of the child whose grandmother forced him to play piano and the high school band geek.

Also, he's fascinating because he is capable of such creative diversity. He can create a fast-paced rock song with lyrics that will certainly piss off one's parents, like "Heresy," but he will also create something heartbreakingly beautiful like "La Mer" and "The Great Below." I'd be happy if either song were played at my funeral, not something I'm likely to say about the average...oh, I don't know...Nickelback song.

Also, did you notice how none of his albums sound like any of the others? He grows and evolves, and I'm always curious to see where he goes next.

Finally, there's his personal narrative that I find very compelling...from the descent into self-destruction to the ascent into recovery and strength...from an unrelenting focus on the interior to a gradual curiosity and engagement with the exterior.

When I see the dork within Trent Reznor, I can personally relate to him, yet he seems remote and intimidating and powerful at the same time.

Plus, he's also influencing the careers of up-and-coming artists like Saul Williams, with excellent results thus far, so that's more to look forward to. Plus, he's trying to change the face of music distribution AND open himself up to unprecendent interaction with his fans.

2) Personal issues or just music?
It's both the personal issues AND the music. The personal issues inform the music, but the music saves it all from becoming overly maudlin or self-pitying.

3) I was being facetious. I just didn't have time to cite all the decisions Trent has made in his life that I wouldn't agree with.

I feel that the last half of "Downward Spiral" isn't as strong as the first half. "Reptile" always irritates me with the hypocritical virgin/whore complex. "The Downward Spiral" (the song) seems to cross the line into melodrama.

There's filler on "The Fragile," like "The Mark Has Been Made" and "Ripe [With Decay]."

[With_Teeth] has some filler...songs that don't distinguish themselves. I find myself skipping "You Know What You Are?" and "The Collector."

If there's a point to "The Greater Good" or a meaning to "Vessel," on "Year Zero," then someone please fill me in. I don't want to get into THIS debate again, but I felt like the narrative established by the ARG could have been more effective by not ending so abruptly.

Some pieces on Ghosts I-IV are more effective than others...some are quite powerful, while others feel like more pointless noodling.

And now your final question...I would say that "Discipline" is probably more of a quickly knocked-off ditty, but I also enjoy listening to it, and I want to see how it fits in with the rest of the new album.

Maise said...
Forgive any typos on the last post...Blogger doesn't lend itself to editing...

D:ANGEL said...

This makes me tired.

There is a difference between a musician you listen to (even if you are a fan for a long time) and one that you have listened to for a long time and really felt connected too.

So, with that in mind, JR and Anonymous #2 probably like nin, maybe have listened for a while (or longer) but never really bought into the deep, deep appreciation of it. If Mr. Iris brings home that painting, it means it is on the radar enough that he would RECOGNIZE that imagery AND want to buy it. Mr. JR might do that for say, J Mascis, Angelcat has drawn many a picture of Danzig for me. Ms. D:Angel will always love Eddie Vedder.

Point is, you tend to stick with a musician once they have connected to you on that level whether their output is still musically relevant or not.

For me it is Danzig. I will buy every record that demon mf produces til he or I drop dead. He hasn't had a relevant record since 1994. Thing is, in every record I STILL hear things that excite ME. He is still relevant to ME. And his musical journey is still relevant to ME. Black Aria II did have me scratching my head though.

Or for JR. Dino Jr had their 15 minutes, I honestly did not know they ever were a band until you started talking about them. But they are still relevant to you. Or that other guy you always talk about, Eric Gaffney.

So it is not about whether Trent is more or less interesting or whether his music is more or less "good" now. It is about whether he is still interesting to the individual.

For Maise, Iris: yes.
For JR, Anony #2: no.

Angelcat is on the fence.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Trent Reznor = newly happy Classical Vampire

Glenn Danzig = Howlin' Happy Punkster

Azulaco said...

I hesitate to post this, given the recent overdose of TR love here, but I heard about a new fan website that goes right along with the theme of this post. It's http://trentcanibiteyourthigh.com/, and it's pretty much just pictures of Trent's thighs and ass. Yeah. Just the name of the website is enough for me to give it the thumbs up. My favorite part is the page that lists all the people who want to bite Trent's thigh, or any other part of his anatomy that he may wish to offer up.

Nice pictures, incidentally. They are worth checking out. If you're into that.

There is also a thread on the nin.com forums that is up to eight pages already, since Sunday, all about the creation of trentcanibiteyourthigh.com. Google "trent can i bite your thigh" and the thread will pop up. Word has it that the band has been alerted to this site, and the initial response is hilarity. I can't even imagine how much crap Trent is going to have to take from the rest of the band over this one. God bless the creator of this website for just putting it all right out there, you know?

Iris said...

I did see that. I was talking with ihatecrayons (the creator of that site) on Sunday in the chat room. Funny site although I think the "Evidence of Awesome Thighs" section could double as "Evidence of Awesome Ass". Holy cow! Now that I...ahem...reexamine the evidence section, she's got a TON more pictures than she did on Sunday.

Makes me long for the WTC days of Dierdre though where all she could talk about was Trent biting her thigh.

But tell me, Az. How do you know the band has been alerted to this? I don't have time to go through 8 pages of dialog right now.

Azulaco said...

ihatecrayons posted in the forum that Justin had seen the page and thought it was funny. I guess that's unconfirmed, but I like the idea of them knowing, and giving Trent a hard time about it. "Hey Trent, did you you know? They like your THIGHS!" "Dude, back up a little so I can get a shot of your THIGHS in this picture." ahahaha.

Anonymous said...

God help them all when the catering backstage is a bucket of chicken.

"Is that Trent's thigh? I'd like to take a bite of Trent's juicy thigh! Yum, yum!"

You know, shit like that.

Immature. :[

Anonymous said...

Between the original post and TCIBYT, I think I just pulled something laughing. The site creator will apparently be at the next show I'm attending (Grand Rapids). All the more reason to get a shirt.

I'm sure there was a serious question or two asked of me somewhere in the comments. When I regain my maturity, I'll be sure to answer.

maise said...

Okay, but don't you guys feel that Dierdre's Trent love was infinitely awesomer? She was poetic, passionate, and completely delusional. Even though she was fictional, I miss her a lot. :(

Azulaco said...

Oh Maise, no one will ever take the place of Dierdre. We all miss her crazed brilliance.

Iris said...

I wish Dierdre could take a vacation from "happy and fulfilling life" land, even if it were just a short break, to sate our gothemo hearts with some unrequited love.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't Dierdre habite à Paris? I loved the dreamy nature of her writing.

Anonymous said...

I miss Dierdre something fierce as well. I remember being rather geeked upon learning that Robin would be back in the band, and the "voice" of D. immediately echoed through my head: "Who cares? The band has been, and always will be about TRENT FUCKING REZNOR, Em!" To which I "replied," "Yeah, well, at least that douche Aaron North is gone, which means the back-up vox won't suck anymore."

Staci said...

Hey, this is Staci, (ihatecrayons on nin.com)

I have noticed you talking about my site and I have to say: thanks! (even though this WAS a while ago lol)

Yes, I asked Justin to look at it when he ws in the chat once, and he did, and he said he laughed. Also, but this is not confirmed, I heard that Trent has seen it too, and first glared, but then smiled. I don't know what this means exactly, but yay!

So just thought I would share this with anybody who might see it. lol. Thanks for linking and whatnot.

Unknown said...

Amazing how simple it can be to communicate with people and have them understand a certain topic, you made my day.


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