Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Would You Like To Take A Survey?

Hello again all. So as our own D:Angel pointed out, an email from Trent has been making its rounds asking NIN fans for a little help via a survey. Apparently I wasn't on the guest list for said email, although, I did find a link to it late last night by other means. A recap of the contents:

Hello everyone.

I'd like to thank everyone for a very successful year so far in the world of Nine Inch Nails. I'm enjoying my couple of weeks off between legs of our Lights In The Sky tour and got to thinking... "wouldn't it be fun to send out a survey to everyone that's shown interest in NIN?" Well, that's not exactly how it went, but regardless - here it is. As we've moved from the familiar world of record labels and BS into the unknown world of doing everything yourself, we've realized it would benefit us and our ability to interact with you if we knew more about what you want, what you like, what you look like naked, etc.I know it's a pain in the ass but we'd truly appreciate it if you'd take a minute and help us out. As an incentive, everyone who completes the survey will be able to download a video of live performance from this most recent tour (and I know what's going through your little minds right now: "I'll just grab this off a torrent site and not have to fill out the survey!!!" and guess what? You will be able to do just that and BEAT THE SYSTEM!!!! NIN=pwn3d!!!)
BUT
What if we were to select some of those that DO complete the survey and provide them with something really cool? I'm not saying we'll ever get around to it, but if we did maybe something like signed stuff, flying someone to a show somewhere in the world, a magic amulet that makes you invisible, a date with Jeordie White (condoms supplied of course), you
know - something cool. See, you'd miss that opportunity AND be a cheater. Do the right thing - help us out. You'll feel better.

Thank you and I've had too much caffeine this morning,
Trent

Click here to take the survey

Seriously, how cute is [Caffeinated_Trent]?

As Maise mentioned, the survey is really looong. But being the good little fangirl I am, I diligently filled out each and every question. That isn't to say that I didn't have some issues with a few of the inquiries though.

1. Favorite OVERALL Nine Inch Nails song & Favorite LIVE Nine Inch Nails song.

Just one of each? What the hell, man? Favorite overall song was easy since I'm still head over heels for "Lights in the Sky" but picking one favorite live version is damned near impossible. "Burn," "Survivalism," "Mr. Self Destruct," and yes, even "Only" (for the light show as well as the song) have been fantastic the times I've been lucky enough to see them. I think a Top 5 in the live category would have better served those fans who have a hard time whittling this down to one.

2. Have you ever downloaded a Nine Inch Nails release from P2P or other non-retail download service? If so, which ones? (check all that apply)

The short answer to this is "well duh" but even after checking off the options I don't feel that I was able to answer completely honestly since the album "Purest Feeling" is not listed. Come on, Trent. You didn't think we'd forget about that little gem, did you? After all it was "Twist" that lent WearingTheseChains its moniker. And I suppose it wouldn't be relevant to what he's trying to do here but for the record, I also picked up the Option 30 and Exotic Birds albums via Demonoid.com a while back. What can I say? I am a collector. I was glad to see "Closure" listed but what? no "Broken" movie love? Granted, it didn't take me three days of torrenting to download it like "Closure" did but I still feel it's worth an honorable mention.

3. Favorite 3 TV shows? ONE PER BOX

I cringed at this question because, like Maise and her movie selections, I don't feel my choices are up to snuff. How does my watching bad reality TV affect your marketing technique, Trent? Are you going to be appearing on America's Next Top Model anytime soon? Jesus, I hope not but maybe, just maybe, you can be the anti-Tyra Banks and teach the models how to "scowl wit yo eyes".

4. This isn't really a complaint, per se, but I did feel a little naive, or maybe it's just out of touch with the youth these days, that I'd never heard of several of the sites listed for music services, upcoming concerts, or music retailers. I feel shamed for listing my meager sources for finding new music: the nin.com/forums, lollapalooza.com/forums, and for my guilty pleasure dance/pop trash, perezhilton.com. Yeah. I know. But I do plan on trying to redeem myself by checking out these other sites. I'm constantly looking for new music to listen to for the 6.5 minutes it takes me to get to work so if any readers out there have suggestions, please pass them along.

True to his word, upon completion of the novel-length survey, there are two download options for a video filmed at Red Rocks. One of these days I have to catch a show there. It just looks like such an awesome venue.



This video backs up "1,000,000" as my official choice in the Favorite Live Song category. Whether it's being played live or just cranked in the car, this song really gets me pumped up and rearing to go. I'm assuming Trent feels the same way judging from the foot stamping and the I-can't-contain-myself jog he does at about the 1:04 mark. But the synchronized rocking Robin and Justin do immediately after is slightly distracting. First the skipping and now this...do these guys do everything in tandem?

As for Trent's other suggestion that there might be some other cool token of appreciation for those who fill out this survey...well...I'm not going to hold my breath or update my vaccination record for the "date with Jeordie White" prize. While I admire Trent's good intentions, I have a feeling this will go the way of the Ghosts Film Festival. He is a busy guy after all so it's forgivable. Still, I would recommend taking 15 minutes out of your day to fill this out, if for no other reason than it would, in a trickle down method, help support the label-free cause Trent is rallying for.

And if you haven't checked out the new NIN.com then get on it. There are loads of new features including new ways to listen to NIN, forums, profiles, and chat rooms (where band members occasionally show up) . Oh my!

29 comments:

maise said...

Yeah, for favorite TV shows, I put "Monty Python's Flying Circus," "Project Runway," and "Top Chef." Not sure what Trent is going to do with that information. Although he would be an awesome guest judge on Project Runway.

"Deezigners, I vant you to deezign a new look for Herr Trent Reznor!"

Azulaco said...

maise, I am so, so relieved that someone besides me listed "Project Runway." Thank you for that. I felt so weird putting that down but he asked us to be honest, right?

Heh. I am just thinking of all the many ways that having Trent as a PR judge would be full of awesomeness. Win, win, win.

Iris said...

Well you never know. Trent can sometimes be a stylish guy. He always has great looking jackets but he needs some serious assistance with the summer wear man-pris. I would insist though that they also bring back Santino though just for the Tim Gunn gets closer to God impression. Hysterical.

On the "what would you like to see more of" question did anyone else mark Alessandro? I would love to see more of him but he's always neck deep in wires and behind the fog machine. I don't think we even see him once in the Red Rocks video. Why do you hide him, Trent? Is it because he's prettier than you and speaks Italian?

Anonymous said...

what is Skipper going to do with that data?

Anonymous said...

Let's see... I outed myself as an incorrigible fangirl of The Fragile by listing my two favorite songs as "Leaving Hope" and "The Big Come Down," (overall favorite and live favorite, respectively); I gave mad props to my journalism degree with my three favorite shows, which are Countdown with Keith Olbermann, The Daily Show, and The Colbert Report; and I gave mad props to my Asian Studies degree by listing my three most recent DVD purchases, all of which were anime.

I could barely see Alessandro at the show I attended last month, and I was in a position (read as: high up and off to the side) that I was able to see the band at all times, regardless of lights or stage changes. Hrm.

Iris said...

Oh, damn. I should have put The Daily Show. I have to admit I kind of drew a blank when I got to that part. I don't really watch a lot of shows on TV but I'll go through bouts where I watch a whole block of episodes on YouTube or other places. Besides ANTM I had Heroes and Dr. Who. Hubby got me hooked on the latter.

Which show did you go to last month, Em? If you say Red Rocks I will die a little bit inside from jealously.

Anonymous, I would think they're gathering information to see what services fans use so they can prepare for the next album release. Distribution methods, advertising methods, how to make NIN.com better, etc.

I've been reading a lot of speculation of this "1,000,000" video being part of a Lights in the Sky tour DVD. Red Rocks would be an amazing venue for something like that. I still have mixed feelings about the Beside You in Time DVD. In theory and in the promo trailer it sounded and looked like a good idea but the actual product lacked...something. Yeah, it was all hi-res but that doesn't mean shit when most of the video is in the dark. And the sound was just...to clean? Not sure if that was more to do with the band lineup at the time or just the way the shows were recorded.

Oh and I did finally get my email. Guess I was being impatient.

maise said...

Yeah, the "Beside You in Time" DVD was somewhat disappointing. There was a certain lack of emotional immediacy, which I posit is at least partially due to SOMEONE being behind the camera and being about 12,000,000 miles away from the stage for a good portion of the proceedings. That and Trent hiding behind his gauzy screen or chinchilla cage or whatever.

Isabel said...

harumph, I'm not filling it in until I get a personal request in my email. I joined the spiral as a 'premium' member in 2005 just to get the presale tickets yet trent is courting d:angels opinions first?

no offence d:angel, I will be seeing Slayer on Halloween - never heard your opinion on them?

D:ANGEL said...

Well, I own Reign in Blood, South of Heaven and Seasons in the Abyss but I would not call myself a Slayer "fan" The last time I saw them was 1990! I guess they are good, and Dave Lombardo is a BEAST on the drums but they have kind of been making the same record for almost 25 years. They are good, but there are a ton of other metal bands I would rather see.

I'm going to see CHOKE tonight... I have high hopes it will live up to the hype!

I too forgot about the Daily Show... i put The Office and Mad Men...

Anonymous said...

Oh, man, Doctor Who. If I had to redo my TV shows list, that would be first, then House, and then Dexter.

And no, the show I attended was not Red Rocks. It was at my friendly neighborhood home of the Detroit Pistons, the Palace of Auburn Hills. I'll also be at the Grand Rapids show in November (road trip!). Since there's only one other person going with me this time, I was finally able to take advantage of the presale tickets.

I'm a little jealous, d:angel. I told my friend I'd wait until next weekend, when he's in town, so we could see Choke together.

Anonymous said...

I have a BIG crush on Kevin Shields.

D:ANGEL said...

How jealous would all of you be if Trent had me flown out to one of his shows because I filled out a survey?

I hope that happens simply to enrage you all.

maise said...

Whatever, Dan. We're on to you. Secretly, you'd cream your jeans more than any of us.

D:ANGEL said...

It would be pretty awesome.

D:ANGEL said...

CHOKE was pretty good. All the characters are pretty irreemable but at least they are funny and in the end the film has some heart. I saw it for free, but I would suggest a matinee rather than paying full price.

Azulaco said...

Isabel, did you ever get your survey? Some people were saying it went to their spam folders.

Anonymous said...

Guys, I'm not trying to be a contrarian for the sake of it, but is it just me, or is Trent's shtick getting a little tired?

I spent the past weekend gorging on tons of bands best known for their work in the 80s and 90s (ATP NY - yeah!), yet somehow they still felt fresh. It made me think of Trent. And it made me think that, as much as I like the stuff of his that I like, he's kinda tired.

I know you all have some sort of reverential love for him, but I think I'm done. I can't go on this journey with him to find himself in middle age, post-junkie, post-record label, etc., etc.

It saddens me (a little, not that much) to say that I think his best years are behind him and that he was far more interesting when he was fucked up. The new Mr. Robinson version of Trent? zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
zzzzzzzzzzzz

Now, KEVIN SHIELDS on the other hand...

Isabel said...

I couldn't disagree more. I thought Year Zero was totally fresh and exciting, I listened to it on my long commute to and from work every day for a few months when it came out, in fact I would venture that Zero Sum, Me, I'm Not and Vessel are songs as good as he's ever written. The Slip is a grower as well.

Recently I saw a great band supporting Gary Numan though called IAMX and you can hear their stuff on myspace
http://www.myspace.com/iamx
give it a listen, you might like it

Isabel said...

Azulaco - no I haven't got the survey yet thanks for asking and I did check my junk email, I'm wondering if he is doing it by country as I'm not in the US?

maise said...

I always chafe at the notion that Trent was somehow a better artist for being "fucked up." As if a mere CD justifies personal misery, broken relationships, and near-death experiences. No fucking way.

I mean, honestly, have you spent a lot of time around fucked-up people? It's really actually quite dull. "mumble, mumble, mumble, puke."

See, the showman in Trent makes you THINK that his best work was made while "fucked up." He is actually quite a disciplined artist. As an example, see "The Downward Spiral" vs. the DVD of "And All that Could Have Been" or any of the YouTube videos where he's screwing up the lyrics, falling off the stage or just otherwise makes me want to cry. Believe me, he did not create his best work while fucked up. It's the angst of his lyrics and the drama of the music that makes you think he did. But when he was really fucked up, he was bloated and corpse-like, not a good musician, and mostly silent. He WROTE The Fragile completely sober. After he finished it, he thought "I'll have a little drink," then he went completely to shit.

The new Trent is not the same as the old Trent, I'll give you that. But the new Trent is giving us a lot more to work with. His creativity has exploded, and he has given us a very diverse body of work in a short period of time. With Teeth seems timid in comparison to the apocalyptic political fable Year Zero, the atmospheric instrumentals of Ghosts I-IV, and the complex album, The Slip, wherein Downward Spiral Trent Grows Up and Notices Crows' Feet Under His Eyes.

True, with these albums, Trent feels more like an old friend--there's not a sense of "Who the fuck is this leather-clad guy capturing the kinky zeitgeist?" that we felt in 1995. But he's creating work that I find complex and relevant for 2008. Instead of merely obsessing about his inner PAIN, he's allowed his gaze to turn outward (something you can't do whilst fucked up) in order to comment on our uniquely fucked up times. He's reflecting on becoming older and revealing his fears and therefore is giving us work that is MORE naked and honest than anything he produced in his early career.

Oh, and he's single-handedly revolutionizing the way music is distributed while demonstrating a genuine interest in making this experience as rewarding for the fans as it is for him. All with good humor and sincere affection.

If that's all too boring for you, JR, too fucking bad. But I find it pretty fascinating and can't wait to see what he does next.

Anonymous said...

Maise - "kinky zeitgeist"! wow. Go wash your mouth out NOW! JR is just in another of her moods. It is disappointing that people think "fucked up" is interesting instead of sad. It makes me think of how people make fun of those who are in crisis such as Britney, Amy Winehouse, endless list... Perhaps technology is making us less empathic and more likely to kill ourselves or others. Also, I am sorta surprised that some of the media and fans still want the same music from almost 20 yrs. ago.

D:ANGEL said...

I won!!!

I just got an e-mail from NIN saying Trent is taking me on a hot air balloon ride for having filled out the survey!

maise said...

Congratulations, Dan! That sounds super-romantic. Hopefully there will be a picnic afterwards, just you two.

D:ANGEL said...

Whew!

Guys, I just got back and it was AMAZING.

Trent and I took a hot air balloon ride over Los Angeles, where he pointed out all sorts of places, "that was where we had our first LA show," etc. Then we landed and went on a picnic and he said, "so what's up with Maise... is she single?" Needless to say, I was shocked! He has a big crush on you! There is SO much to tell!

Anonymous said...

dan, did you bring your cat? How did it like the hot air?

Anonymous said...

...NEWS FLASH...

I never said that Trent was more interesting for being fucked up, I was using it as a convenient place in his personal/public timeline for comparison. You might even say it was a PARALLEL: the time when he was the most interesting to me was the time when he was starting to come apart.

I don't care much about drugs one way or another, and Trent's personal life is his personal life. I'm just saying that the era where he was kinda fucked up but, I don't know, handling it, he was more interesting to me. Now that he's got it together, it feels like rehashing, trying to recapture something, pick up the thread he lost or at least something that isn't doing anything for me.

Who knows, maybe my real point is that he only had two good records in him (Pretty Hate Machine and Downward Spiral).

And anonymous? Yeah, I am in one of my "moods"--it's called BOREDOM. Or boredom at least as far as Trent is concerned.



I think I mentioned, but I'm rocking a big ass crush on my new superhero, Kevin Shields. Ha-cha-cha.

And anonymous comment #2? I so live in the musical past, it's not funny. (See: Shields, Kevin [crush])

Anonymous said...

P.S. I took Trent's survey, cause I like to give my opinion on stuff.

And forget TV shows; what was everyone's last three records?

Mine?
Loveless (My Bloody Valentine)
Live at Harry's 2002 (Jason Loewenstein Band)
Jarvis (Jarvis Cocker)

Anonymous said...

Last three records:

Genesis (Job For A Cowboy)
Third (Portishead)
The Lost Tracks of Danzig (Danzig)

Top 3 favourite t.v. shows:

Family Guy
Metalocalypse
House

I regret putting Family Guy instead of Venture Brothers, but my mind just went blank when I got to the "favourites" questions.
:(

-thelookingglass

Iris said...

Last three records:

Who Killed Amanda Palmer - Amanda Palmer

Jim - Jamie Lidell

You Have No Idea What You're Getting Yourself Into - Does It Offend You, Yeah?

It's been kind of a slow month for new music. I checked out that band (IAMX) you recommended, Isabel. Not too shabby. I could see singing to it in the car.

With JR, I'm not going to get into the argument again of why Trent is still interesting to me since I agree with most of the same things as Maise and because, hey, if you're not into it anymore, then you're not into it. But I am glad you clarified your point a bit more on fucked up Trent. Just as watching a stable Trent isn't your thing, watching him come apart at the seams at the time wasn't mine. He did create some beautiful music in between those years but watching someone destroy their self...I just can't get into it. Amy Winehouse is a good example of that. I lover her album but seeing what she's putting herself through right now...ehh... no, thanks. Drugs and boozing are a part of the rock n' roll lifestyle but I still prefer artists who are relatively keeping their shit together.