Back to Work, I Guess!

So we've got a lot of cobwebs to clear out and a lot of spam comments to delete, but what the hell? Trent never stops working, even when he puts himself on hiatus, so I guess we shouldn't throw in the towel either!

This is usually where I make apologies for playing FarmVille instead of writing more frequently and covering all the concerts I see, but we don't have time. There is a lot happening, and it is HILARIOUS.

First of all, there's this great new band out...have you heard of them? How to Destroy Angels--there's this really pretty lady named Mariqueen. She's the lead singer. We've got Atticus Ross; he...um, does all the things he normally does. And then there's this other guy...well, he's way off in the back and kind of blurry. He's probably not that important.



They've released a single. It's called "A Drowning," and is available on Amazon and Itunes and inside your favorite breakfast cereals. This is the cover of the single. Isn't that a nice-looking lady?



You can hear the song here.

Hmmm. You know...it sounds awfully familiar. And this logo...it kind of reminds me of this one band I listened to a lot not too long ago...like when they did some album called "The Trip" or "The Fall" or whatnot.



Hm.



Oh, for Christ's sake--JUST BECAUSE YOU'VE TURNED YOUR BACK TO THE CAMERA DOESN'T MEAN WE DON'T KNOW IT'S YOU, DUMB ASS!

Everything about this project just SCREAMS NIN--in CAPS LOCK, even; as dedicated NIN fans, we can't help but feel a little...cranky about it all. He closes up shop on Nine Inch Nails, and THIS is what he comes up with next? Something that looks and sounds EXACTLY like what he has been already doing for the past 20 years? What on earth is the point?



Look at the nice lady! Look at her! Love the nice lady! Love her now!!!!

Sigh.

Look, I've stuck with Trent through thick and thin, and I've stuck up for Mariqueen daring to marry the man, even though I really couldn't give a shit, and I have taken a LOT of verbal abuse for this from the haters. That's why I feel fully qualified to say "meh" to this entire project. If Trent is not going to give Mariqueen and Atticus their own voice (although hers is kind of bland and not so compelling...in "A Drowning" she seems to be doing a sort of Trent impression), I seriously do not see the point. This means that either he is afraid that his fans will be hostile to anything that sounds remotely new and different (which may be true, given the general idiocy of his fanbase). Or maybe he's so much of a control freak that he simply can't collaborate. Or maybe this is stuff that he was working on for NIN and shelved for whatever reason and decided to resurrect it now. (Hell, even Niggy Tardust featured some discarded music from The Fragile.) I don't know. What I do know is that for a NIN ripoff, it's not even particularly good NIN. There. I said it.

Strangely, Trent has said this:

"TR: As stated above, this EP is a very early phase of this project. Yes, it sounds more NIN-ish than I believe it will as we progress. To me, HTDA frees me from some of the constraints I've begun to feel (primarily emotionally) in NIN.

NIN is not dead and I am about to work on some material that I believe will be quite different than previous NIN very soon."

What? Why?? Why make NIN-ish music for How to Destroy Angels and then create music that sounds completely different for NIN? This makes no. sense.

At any rate, I'm still curious to see what HDA comes up with next. Because I'm sure it will be hilarious. Like their new video...which we shall tackle in another post.

Yours from the Other Side,
Maise

Trent vs. The Twits...

During his career, Trent Reznor has had a curious relationship with his fans. His music has always been raw, personal, deeply confessional; yet, Trent himself was pretty mysterious--prone to disappearing for years on end rather than having his personal relationships and breakdowns broadcast in the tabloids and on gossip sites. Occasionally he'd post a few cryptic or sarcastic words on nin.com, sending his fans into an absolute tizzy.

In recent years, however, he's been surprisingly open and keen on interaction with his fans. He has been lurking and posting on NIN message boards; blogging; posting pictures of his various pets, his studio, and his travels; letting us remix his music; giving us a free album and other goodies; answering fan questions in online interviews; asking us to make mostly awful videos in response to "Ghosts I-IV," (except for this one, which is BRILLIANT); and lately, embracing the addictive powers of Twitter and urging us all to save a life. Most surprisingly, he has revealed more of his personal life to us than ever before. The days of scouring the dark corners of the Internet for any mention of "Trent Reznor and girlfriend" are over. Trent is in love, people, and he wants to shout it from the mountaintops, whether the fangirls can handle it or not.

I would say about 95 percent of us are delighted with this opportunity to reach out to Trent and regularly express our admiration, support and undying love to him through various media. There are some individuals, however, who have been continually harassing the guy to the point that it's pushing him--a total computer geek and internet addict--offline. I've checked out some of their profiles on Twitter, but I'm not going to name anyone in particular or link to them because they do not need any more fucking attention, negative or otherwise.

Today, Trent wrote an essay of sorts on nin.com, reflecting on Twitter and other online communities and how the disadvantages are starting to outweigh the benefits. You can read it here. I don't really approve of the part where he takes revenge on Metal Sludge haters by calling them FAT and UGLY (oooh! Burn!)--he comes off looking sizeist, and like there's nothing else wrong with these people other than their appearance? Please. But mostly, this post was just really sad to me. Trent really has given us so much in terms of his music and giving his fans so many opportunities to communicate with him and each other. And in return, the people who hate him because they can't have him or the people who are pissed because he's not really the Trent of their gothemo dreams have been making his life fucking miserable. Theirs is a misplaced, imaginary love turned to anger turned to hate, and I'm sure at times it's probably scary for Trent.

I've not really gotten myself involved in Trent's online spats because a) I don't need to be his freaking toadie; he can fight his own battles and b) although I can understand why he loses patience and calls people out based on what they say to him, I don't like it when NIN fans then employ mob action on people who are most likely delusional or disturbed. Also, c) I feel like Trent kinda perpetuates the problem by giving the haters the attention they crave. Again, based on the things that people say to him, like, "I hope you overdose again" or racist comments about his fiancee or people accusing him of a PR stunt when he has been devoting hours before every show meeting-and-greeting for the sake of raising a million dollars for Eric De La Cruz, I can understand why he gets cranky. Shit, someone on here calls me fat, and it puts me in a pissy mood. This feeling of "You don't even know me!" and "What have I ever done to you? Fuck off!" Yeah, I can identify. But we have just a handful of the Anonymi, who are easily ridiculed or ignored. Trent has the deranged "fans" who think they can win his heart by insulting Mariqueen. He has the people who are just fucking assholes who enjoy picking a fight as long as they don't have to say these things in person. He's got the racists, the dissatisfied customers, the eternal cynics. Granted, this is a small number of actual people, but they seem to be PROLIFIC. And Twitter is set up to allow people to post all manner of inanity 24 hours a day from their computers, their phones, their ipods. Unless he can tune it all out somehow, I don't blame him for retiring the Twitter account.

To be honest, I kind of miss Trent Reznor, Man of Mystery. I loved the music, the persona, and the rare glimpses into his real life that revealed that he's a funny, nerdy guy at heart and that he really likes animals and video games. Not expecting to ever be a part of his real life, I kind of liked the rest being left up to my imagination. It's much funnier to *imagine* Trent the tortured, angst-filled artist eating Lucky Charms and watching Good Morning America in his underwear. Not that I don't love and respect the real, human Trent that we've had a chance to get to know recently. But if he feels like he needs to withdraw that in order to save his own sanity, I'm cool with that. I don't need him to reveal his soft, vulnerable underbelly if it means that he starts to hate people. My imagination can more than compensate: Trent on a canoe, Trent trying to get a parking sticker from his housing association, Trent in a frou-frou pet boutique agonizing whether he should start his dogs on a raw diet...

But if Trent is still on the fence as to whether he should withdraw completely from the NINerverse, I would like to point out that it was through Twitter and nin.com that he basically raised the money to pay for a man's heart transplant outright. There is incredible stupidity on the Internet, yes, but I'm not willing to say that it's only the idiots who rule.

Oh, and Anonymi? If you're the cause of all this harassment and annoyance, lay off already! Jesus.

Checking in with Trent...

Thanks for the tip off Isabel. I've been immersed in the Twilight series these past two days and haven't really come up for air yet (or sleep for that matter). Two books in two days...I'm tempted to use the ole toothpick to eyelids trick today so I don't take a nap at my desk. And there are still two to go. *ack*

Don't judge me. They're additively bad, good, and hilarious from an adult point of view. Oh Bella, Bella, Bella. *shakes head*

Anyhow, check this out. It seems like a pretty cool thing for Trent to do. Anything that ups fan interaction is usually something I'm on board with. The first couple of questions seem reasonable enough. I'm too wiped to think of anything to add this morning.

3.30.09: Submit your questions for Trent to Digg Dialogg

Trent will be interviewed by Kevin Rose for Digg Dialogg, where questions are submitted by fans and voted on here. The most popular questions will be asked in the interview. Submissions and voting are open until April 4th at 12pm PDT.

Just A Quickie

So I'm back from a whirlwind weekend trip to Chicago, and frankly still trying to recover from walking like 75 miles a day sight-seeing, but I just had to stop by for a minute because this is too good to not share.

Twitter + Trent Reznor = possibly the greatest thing ever.

"Have CNN on in the background and realize I'm humming the 'Jitterbug' commercial. If you've heard it - you know there's pain involved."
from TweetDeck

And the jingle he's referring to:

Sweet Jeebus. The mental image I have of him humming this little tune while dorking out with his favorite synth made me laugh so hard I snorted.

Trent, you're goddamned killing me here. When can we expect the remix?

Wave Goodbye to What You Were

If you've checked in to NIN.com lately (and who are you kidding, you know you obsessively F5 like the rest of us) there's news from the Big Giant Head.

2.16.09: A note from Trent and a wave goodbye

[edited for length, click above link for full update]

In NIN world, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of our first releases. I've been thinking for some time now it's time to make NIN disappear for a while. Last year's "Lights in the Sky" tour was something I'm quite proud of and seems like the culmination of what I could pull off in terms of an elaborate production. It was also quite difficult to pull off technically and physically night after night and left us all a bit dazed. After some thought, we decided to book a last run of shows across the globe this year. The approach to these shows is quite different from last year - much more raw, spontaneous and less scripted. Fun for us and a different way for you to see us and wave goodbye. I reached out to Jane's [Addiction] to see if they'd want to join us across the US and we all felt it could be a great thing. Will it work? Will it resonate in the marketplace? Who knows. Are there big record label marketing dollars to convince you to attend? Nope. Does it feel right to us and does it seem like it will be fun for us and you? Yes it does. Look for tour dates soon and I hope to see you out there.

Trent

Shhh...hear that? It's the sound of thousands of fangirls and boys alternately crying and bitching about this announcement. But you're not going to hear any of that from these Places Parallel girls, or at least not from me.

I am a little sad to know the end is coming, but not surprised. Trent's been hinting at this for awhile now and, really, let's add it up: ten band members have made up and/or been cycled through the band (although I'm not sure Rich Frownes [aka Jeordie 2.0] should count since he never played live with them), five years of pretty much non-stop touring, four albums released, three sites launched (The Spiral, Remix.nin.com, and a massively overhauled NIN.com), two Grammys lost, and a Saul Williams album in a pear tree. Dude's earned the right to some extended vacation time. And this might be just the kind of down time he needs to finish up some other loose-end projects **cough, cough, Ghosts Film Festival, cough, Year Zero: THE MOVIE, cough, cough** Damn...got something in my throat. My point being, TR is seldom doing nothing for long and I'm certain there will be other goodies fans can appreciate/worship/piss & moan about.

I am definitely planning on seeing NIN again before their final farewell and I'm even contemplating attending the very last show of the tour wherever that lands. Hubby is trying to talk me into Bonnaroo this year since there are a few other acts playing the festival he'd like to see. I'm not exactly sold on that idea yet. Maise and I are wondering since NIN is currently touring with Jane's Addiction if that in anyway guarantees another Lollapalooza appearance. I suppose we can only wait to see what's revealed. I've never seen Jane's Addiction live so this ought to be a treat seeing the original lineup together. Dave Navarro slightly skeeves me out but Perry Farrell is just too much fun to miss. In the dream concert I've made up in my mind Perry comes out between each NIN song to tell a fun little segue.

"Oh all my little pigs...you've been such a beautiful, beautiful audience...but I've been a baaaad boy ...oh yes, yes my little piggies...ha ha ha...YEAH...and right now...I need your DISCIPLINE"

********

"You know, I love to color . Yeah. Coloring. Little coloring books, big coloring books, I love them all. But I can never stay in the lines. No matter how hard I try, no matter how hard I focus...I just can't do it. And the more I stare it down, well, the more the lines begin to blur."

Okay, so maybe you have to be in my head to see just how goddamn funny that would be.

Checking in with Trent...

So the photoblog portion of NIN.com is running again and Trent's been posting some teaser pictures of the band rehearsing. Tonight if you checked in though he posted a picture of what I'm assuming is him trying to prove he actually logs into NIN.com but there are those of us who know better and know what he was really checking up on.



Oh yeah, bitches. Trent reads.

Fingers Crossed

So as you may or may not know NIN has been nominated for a couple of Grammys this year. Best Rock Instrumental Performance for 34 Ghosts I-IV and Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package also for Ghosts I-IV.

We all know Trent has never been much of a fan. Remember last year's short blurb posted to nin.com? Seems he feels the same this year as he posted on his Twitter account a few hours ago:

"... and of course, I'm NOT going to the fucking Grammys."

But who can blame him? He usually gets snubbed and so far this year, unfortunately, seems to be no exception. Rob Sheridan is currently twittering from the Grammys and we've learned that so far NIN has lost to Radiohead in the Boxed category. Such a shame because Ghosts really is an incredibly lovely set. I still keep my copy protected in the original shipping box and plastic bag it came with from any haphazard spills, pet hair, or other accidents that could ruin it. One of these days when I'm not such a slob or so accident prone, I'll put it on display. Maybe.

Rob has taken it pretty gracefully (considering his previous displays of maturity) responding to someone on Twitter who said he should have won:

"I tend to agree (as objectively as possible), but Radiohead are Grammy darlings this year so that was completely expected."

Trent also weighs in on the loss:

"Ghosts DESTROYS In Rainbows deluxe package. No debate. "

And I have to agree with him. I mean just look at them. Radiohead's kinda looks like something you would display on the fridge next to your children's other drawings brought home from school.



Whereas NIN's looks like something you'd actually want to display, perhaps in your living room under protective glass of course (remember I'm spill prone).


I think we still have a while before they get to Best Rock Instrumental Performance. Fingers crossed that NIN gets it or, at the very least, that Metallica doesn't win, although, they are rumored to be the favorites. *eyeroll*

Stay tuned...

Well fuck. NIN didn't win the other category either. It ended up going to "Peaches En Regalia", Frank Zappa. -sigh- Guess there's always next year.

'Almost Here' is the new 'Soon 'HERE NOW'

**MASSIVE EDIT**

So Trent has unleashed his gift upon the masses and HOLY SHIT, what a gift it is!

1.7.09: your gift!

The internet is full of surprises these days.

I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent.

If any of you could find a LINK to that footage I'll bet some enterprising fans could assemble something pretty cool.

Oh yeah, you didn't hear this from me.

posted by trent reznor at 12:56pm

400GB! 400GB!!! As badly as I would love to have all this there's no way I would be capable of downloading that much content or even know what to do with it if I did. So in the meantime I'll patiently wait for ThisOneIsOnUs.org to piece it together in a more manageable format. These are the same people that grouped together on ETS to film the last show in Las Vegas to make an unofficial DVD which will still be completed even though there's all this other "unofficial" *wink, wink* new footage coming from the NIN camp. I think I'll be picking up a copy of each of their editing efforts. Hell, I might even volunteer to help make copies.

I'm always curious and concerned with the legal side of things when Trent does stuff like this. Not that he's ever done something this massive before, but I'm talking about encouraging fans in Australia to steal his music or sneaking out "Closure" via torrents when it was caught up in corporate red tape. I mean, is playing dumb really a defense? Would the record labels have any grounds to go after him? Pardon me, I've been watching way too much "Boston Legal" lately (I've got a bit of a crush on chubby James Spader).

But let's get back to the subject at hand. You guys have heard me say it many times before but I think it bears repeating; it's good to be a NIN fan. So while the masses flood Trent's email and while I know I'll probably get my balls busted for being a fangirl, I'll still post my message here:

Thank you Trent! Thank you so much for this. You're a pretty fucking amazing guy and I'm glad that the Lights in the Sky tour will not go undocumented. It really was the most amazing stage setup I've ever seen. I don't know that this DVD will be able to capture how impressive it was but it's a start and basically all we have to work with at this point. But just because I've ineptly tried show my gratitude, doesn't mean I don't still stand by my opinion that you make for a pretty crap Santa. Christmas was two weeks ago, Mister!

Beyond that I'm at a loss for words. It's a little overwhelming. I'm sure Maise can be a bit more poetic in expressing appreciation for what Trent's doing here.

Maise, care to help me out?

/massive edit
========================================

Trent Reznor, you are a total cocktease.

1.5.09: I didn't forget

Remember that gift I mentioned?
It's almost here.

posted by trent reznor at 4:18pm

And just because you didn't forget the gift doesn't mean that you're any less of a crap Santa, Mister. Get ready to wish everyone a Merry Martin-Luther-King-Jr-mas.

Checking in with Trent...

12.11.08: Regarding NIN music used at Guantanamo Bay for torture

It's difficult for me to imagine anything more profoundly insulting, demeaning and enraging than discovering music you've put your heart and soul into creating has been used for purposes of torture. If there are any legal options that can be realistically taken they will be aggressively pursued, with any potential monetary gains donated to human rights charities. Thank GOD this country has appeared to side with reason and we can put the Bush administration's reign of power, greed, lawlessness and madness behind us.

Trent Reznor

And from one of our own readers:

I'm sorry for saying this here but I fear if I say it on nin.com I'll be blacklisted but Trent has really annoyed me with his latest bit of political grandstanding (about 4 years too late) - his latest comments on Guantanamo Bay - [see above]

Really Trent, what about pregnant women being murdered to start race wars like Sharon Tate? I'm surprised he doesn't break into Guantanamo and nick someone's slipper as a 'really cool momento' like he did her door. He's also been known to say that he'd watch a snuff movie - so apparently on his list of outrages he'd care about, fundamentalist religious madmen are right up there - but pregnant women and poor innnocents tortured for the edification of rich men who want to wallow in the darkness are right at the bottom! Bah, sorry I had to get it out and I really want someone to say something to mitigate what I think is deep hypocrisy - because I do love his music but think sometimes he really should just shut up (you know what you get if you wallow in darkness for years, someone using your music for torture) - I'm really sorry to rant.

Now I'm not going to try and slay our reader here because I do think she has a right to be upset with Trent to a certain degree. He has been known to be a hypocritical ass in the past to lesser charges and I'm sure anyone of us could name multiple instances where we wished he'd shut the fuck up but I think he's got a legit reason for his public outcry on this one. True, he may not have the most pristine track record for saying no to violence having admitted to watching snuff films and, hell, even making the "Broken" movie might make one think that this sort of action is right up Trent's alley BUT I think there's a slight difference between a morbid personal curiosity and having something you created be actively used in the present day for the torture of others in the manner in which the US Government is doing so.

Was it the most mature or politically correct thing to keep a door from the Sharon Tate house as a memento? Probably not. But to say that he has no right to be appalled at this recent discovery and that he should instead just shut up is is something I'm going to have to disagree with you on. Actually I would be upset if he hadn't said something about this. Staying silent would be, to me, the same as condoning it.

I am curious how others feel about this, whether it be about our reader's comment or the situation in general, and encourage further discussion. I'm not out to slay anyone in their opinions unless, of course, you agree with bassist Stevie Benton of Drowning Pool (refer to pg2 of article linked above) who believes this to be "an honor." In that case, it is my civic duty to inform you that you are indeed retarded. That is all, for now.

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!

T Minus 3 Days and Counting...

It's now just three days before Lolla kicks off and the excitement is damned near palpable here at Casa de Iris. The camera batteries are fully charged, the memory card has been cleared off, clean underpants have been packed...in short, we are SO ready to be rocked.

I've been keeping an eye on NIN.com which has resumed photoblogging from the road and what I've seen there has me seriously pumped up. The stage production looks fantastic! It seems as though we're going to get the setup that was lacking in Vienna last year. That's not to say that Trent and Co. didn't give it 110% with the performances we attended but the "Year Zero tour" took such a minimalist approach to stage aesthetics in the beginning. I suppose the idea was to echo the dystopian future laid out in the ARG storyline but damn man, a couple of swinging lamps does not a stage production make. Although...Cardboard_Trent was comedic gold.

So anyhow, I've been trying not to read too many concert reviews because I still want to be surprised at our show on Sunday but that's proving difficult since my curiosity is piqued. While poking around the Ninternets tonight I came across a radio interview Trent did recently for Q101 in Chicago.

Trent phoning it in.

For those who can't listen right off, Trent teases us about a possible collaboration between himself and Saul this weekend, hints at a secret project still in the works with Year Zero along the lines of a TV/internet series, and generally talks about his current situation as a free agent and what it's entailed for him thus far. He even cracks a joke about no longer needing sleep now that he's 70 years old after the interviewer brings up the fact that NIN is nearing its 20 year inception anniversary. Really? 20 years? I think that would bring him up in Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame eligibility age. But that's another story for another day.

If you're having trouble keeping up with the rapid fire, nightly photo updates you can check the unofficial NIN.com Blog & Media Archive. It can take a few hours from the time a picture is first posted on NIN.com but they usually have everything archived by the next morning.

1,000,000 Miles Away

In other news today, Nine Inch Nails released rehearsal footage of "1,000,000". You can watch the original, larger screen version on NIN.com.

This has totally got me all pumped up again about the summer tour. With all that has been released in this past year from Trent and also including the other 5 hours of behind the scene's footage of "Closer" the NIN world is a little over-saturated right now. Too many things to try an absorb which ends up putting me off. Hence the lack of NIN related posts lately. But this video is great. They sound like they're going to be pretty damned good together. There towards the end it sounds like they might need a bit more work but hey, if you add a hell of a lot of volume and some flashing lights at the show, I'd never notice. Besides, as it's been discussed here many times, live always sounds a bit different so I'm not really complaining. They still seem to be giving it 110% and come August this show is going to be fantastic!

I'm so glad to see Finch back in his place as guitarist and I'm THRILLED he shaved off his goat beard. Still not sure what's going on with the rest of his hair but Finck has always rocked the freak look well. Sideshow Bob...err...the other new guy, Justin Meldal-Johnsen, looks as though he's fitting in. Would you believe me if I told you that guy is actually 39?! Anyone out there know the story of what happened with Richard Fownes?

If you haven't ordered it yet and are interested I believe you still have time to get "The Slip" with DVD. I pre-ordered mine the other day because, well, I pick things up and I am a collector. But now I'm actually really excited to watch it. The flood waters are finally receding here so the Post Man had better deliver!

Edit:
They have now added "Letting You" rehearsal video to NIN.com and holy shit this is FANTASTIC! I wasn't too sold on this one on the album but they rock the shit out of it in the video!

More on all this later...time for work. Hopefully they'll have another video up by the time I get home for lunch.

Edit 2.0:
We have "Echoplex". At least it sounds better live.

Two more videos to go. Wonder what we'll get. I can haz "Discipline"?

Deja Vu

So another new NIN single has hit the internets, this time via their official Facebook account. I present to you:

Echoplex

Trent goes on and on and on throughout this ditty how his "voice just echoes off these walls." You know why your voice just echoes off the walls? Hmm? If this song is any indication, it's because you've got nothing left old man and the room that used to hold inspiration for amazing music is EMPTY! And that place, a.k.a. this song, you built from broken parts is exactly that. A song you built out of older, better ones. Is that the whirling noise from "Wish" at about the 2:15 mark? Then there's the piano tinkering thrown in. We get it. Those couple bars of piano are lovely but you're even wearing me out with it already and I'm a piano junkie. Even the guitar (bass? I'm terrible with identifying instruments) towards the end sounds VERY familiar...can't quiet place my finger on where yet but it strikes me as March of the Pigs but slowed down slightly. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way the whole thing just seems like a bad patchwork quilt of old and borrowed sounds.

The only thing "new" to this latest release is the drumbeat but even that isn't original. Just new to the NIN realm. Most others will recognize it as the prerecorded sound bite that comes programed on all keyboards. I believe it's Funky Beat #107 if I'm not mistaken.

I appreciated the seemingly straightforward lyrics of "Discipline" and I'm not saying the lyrics for "Echoplex" aren't honest, it's just that I don't know that I like the direction you're going here. Are you trying to tell us that you're going to be fading away into obscurity and won't be making music anymore because, as I deciphered earlier from the lyrics, you're inspirationally drained? Or is it that you're calling yourself out that all your new songs are echoes of previous works? Can someone help me out here?

Okay, so I may be a bit cranky in this assessment but I stand by my opinion that this song is not working for me in the least little bit. I really want to like it but...um...no. Sorry Mr. Reznor, can we please try this again.

NIN's Ghosts II, Wherein Iris Loves the Music...

...but retains the right to poke fun. But first some other very important NIN related news. According to nin.com yesterday we were to "watch for an announcement tomorrow!" Today was the day and HOLY SHIT what an announcement it was.

I think the only other thing that could have made me happier is a solid confirmation to play Lollapalooza. But as excited as I am right now about the potential greatness of this band/fan interaction (seriously Trent I'm so proud of you!) I also groan at the thought of all the pure and utter crap it will produce and that has already started. Let's face it...at the end of the day a large portion of NIN fans are retarded. But do I plan on making what will probably be an equally retarded entry? Well after a little pep talk from my excellent friends for what has otherwise been the shittiest workday I've ever experienced in my life, the answer is a definite HELLZ YEAH!

For now though I'll continue on where Maise left off with my random review of Ghosts II. Perhaps I shouldn't reveal all my ideas since I may be competing with some of you in the film festival...but oh what the fuck, right.

10 Ghosts II-- So if you nodded off during the soft tinkering piano in #9 Trent's added a nice "CLAP" at the beginning of this number to wake you up. Points off. I was just getting somewhere in my daydream and then you had to go and snap us back to reality. Well not reality...just some TV static, pots and pans percussion, some other noisy bits, and more piano. This track seems to be lacking something to me. It just doesn't really go anywhere musically or take your mind off on a trip.

11 Ghosts II--A slow builder that weaves an interesting path between distorted guitars, warbled synths, piano, and a staggered drum line. This one is excellent for headphones as it shifts from one side to the other. It finishes with a nice fade out that makes you ponder where you've just been. #10 should take notes.

12 Ghosts II--I really like this song but I can't deny that it makes me think of the Dresden Doll's "Delilah". There's really only about 3 second long piano part that makes me think that but then it kind of repeated throughout the song. And now that I've made the association I can't not hear it. I hate to even bring it up for those who may not have made the connection. I'm wondering...was this intentional or did Brian Viglione suggest it?

13 Ghosts II--Ah...sweet, sweet #13. Far and away my favorite track on the whole release. Just Trent noodling away with his piano. Another great one to listen to on headphones. Sit down, close your eyes, feel your breathing slow as you let it sink in and wash over you. -sigh- So relaxing that I believe that Trent may have even nodded off towards the end. Some people who want to take it out of context may say the breathing you hear during the last half of the song may be creepy and a little "the call is coming from inside the house" but they can fuck off. I love that Trent can make this kind of quiet retrospective melody in what I'm sure can still be at times a frat-boy mentality environment. Although I can also picture Trent holed up in his room with his keyboard and beat up boombox ala the "Non-Entity" Hurricane Katrina Benefit performance. My only complaint with this one is what feels to me to be an abrupt ending.

14 Ghosts II--If I were giving these tracks real names this one would definitely be called "Trent Goes to Bollywood". The music video would be an odd assortment of belly dancers, snake charmers, perhaps even the Indian Thriller dance troupe, some hand held Cloverfield-esque footage of walking through the streets of Bangladesh, and it would all be projected on the giant cheese cloth screen during the live performances. Just to keep it in line with Trent's other movie projection projects there would also be pictures of oh...I don't know...rotting coush-coush, a sacred cow chasing down a bird or attacking a kid or something, and maybe this Minnie Mouse(?) just to scare the shit out of little kids and send a "Fuck you" to Disney for maybe an old repressed grudge when they told Trent he was too short to ride the rides. I don't know. Just thinking out loud here.

15 Ghosts II--The feel of this song and the picture accompanying it me think that I'm being held captive in some evil scientists laboratory out in the middle of the woods where the mad doctor performs experiments on those forgotten in some kind of 70's sci-fi thriller. Perhaps Trent had just watched the "Island of Dr. Moreau".

16 Ghosts II--Another track reminiscent of international origin. It's like electric Aboriginal? The "vocals" remind me of someone using an electrolarynx. Either that or one of those auctioneers talk so damned fast you can't really understand them so later when you go to settle your bill you find out you didn't purchase the antique rocking chair that you thought your Grandma would like but instead bought a cardboard box of mismatched shoes, broken drill bits, and a collection of 12 years worth of pocket lint. Yeah it sucks when that happens but if I got to listen to this song when I got back to my car I guess it wouldn't be so bad.

17 Ghosts II--Starts off sounding a bit like "TDTWWA" and "Help Me I'm in Hell". Um-hmm...working my way through...listening...um-hmm...yeah...FUCK, Trent! What did I say about that xylophone? I don't care that you tried to bury it under layers of other noise! This is not acceptable. Did you listen to Lullaby Renditions of NIN and think it was a good idea?

18 Ghosts II--A catchy tune but aside from the small guitar riffs and feedback, I would say it was solely comprised out of old Nintendo game sound bytes. Remember when Meathead remixed "Closer to Mario"? Yeah. Or maybe it predates Nintendo...is that Pong I hear?

If you've not downloaded the album and want to listen to the songs we're referring to then check the playlist here on Channels Parallel. Stay tuned to hear Maise weigh in on Ghosts II and for the eventual third installment. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to make my masterpiece video that will win this "non-contest".

What a Cloverfuck!

One of the things that got Mr. Iris and I to brave the cold weather this past weekend was to watch the highly anticipated Cloverfield. We've been excited about this ever since we saw the preview for it before the Transformer's movie. But OMFG, this movie BLOWS!

Major Spoilers Below Picture!
You've been warned.

Now before anyone starts busting my balls, I begrudgingly give this movie credit for it's "realism," meaning the shaky camera POV throughout the whole movie (because obviously they wouldn't be traveling with a full-body camera stabilizer), the lack of information known by the military (too much knowledge during those scenes would denote that they knew it was coming and did nothing. OMG Terrorist Monsters!), the confused masses fleeing Manhattan like cattle, and all the time the main characters spend sitting around staring blankly or making bad jokes. Those are all things that would probably happen if this were real, but just because those touches are there doesn't mean it makes the movie GOOD.

What really blows is that you have a legitimate monster movie, but you BARELY SEE THE MONSTER. Instead what you get is Hero Boy, his frat buddy, and two other tag-alongs plodding through Manhattan with the notion that they must "save the damsel in distress," aka the girl with whom Hero Boy recently became "more than just friends." To the writer and director, you guys have months of hype and a real element of surprise and that's the plot line you go after? Weak, man, weak. Let me tell you something: if realism is what you were going for, then you should know that boy heroes do not exist. Boys nowadays...they're not going to rescue some one-night stand who's already hooked up with another guy. No fucking way. And especially not if there's some giant outer space praying mantis-looking thing out tearing up the city. Real boys would be tuck-tailing and saving their own skinny asses, and I wouldn't blame them one bit. Shit, I'd probably knock them down trying to get out myself. My friends should know that, while I love them dearly, if a enormous mutant whale-o-pus should venture from the briny deep with a raging case of PMS and begins wreaking havoc in the city we're residing in, then all bets are off, and you're on your own. No hard feelings, guys. I'd expect you to do the same. I can hear some of you saying, "But Iris, he loved her! They said so to each other at the end of the film!" Yeah, yeah, yeah...well I'd be saying some crazy shit too if I were being bombed and death were knocking at the bridge. I mean, no one wants to die single. Am I right?

And while we're on the topic, what about that shitty ending? Just "Hi, I'm so-n-so," bombs drop, and *poof* they're dead, so let's roll the credits? Come on! Obviously the government is still intact enough to send a recovery team/cleanup crew, who found the tape. The opening credits with all the DoD warnings tell us that much, so why not let us in on a little more like where the hell did it come from, what the hell did they do about it, or what the hell was it? Or are the producers trying to set the stage for a sequel with a static-y radio broadcast clue that when played backwards whispers, "it's still alive". Nuccas, please! There isn't enough Dramamine in the world to get me to go to another installment of Gyrating Camera Theater.

And for those that are saying "Jesus, Iris, where's your suspension of disbelief? Can't you just give in a little for the sake of entertainment?" Well, folks, it was all consumed with believing that cell phone batteries come fully charged direct from the package at the local Radio Shack, that the characters are in possession of a SUPER CAMERA that comes with standard lighting, night vision mode, unending amounts of battery power, limitless amounts of video tape, and is also apparently made from that indestructible black box material they use on aircrafts, and that the cameraman's name just happened to be "Hud" (Head-Up Display anyone?). Oh, and the fact Hud films the entire time even while being attacked by the monsters. Not just attacked once--but twice! Okay, so maybe Hud took the "How to Film Bjork in Airports" class and really is that tough. But still...do I have "sucker" written on my forehead?

A big thumbs down for Cloverfield for me. By hey no surprise here...the Big Giant Head liked it. I'd just be careful of his judgment. The Christ Clone Trilogies and Rob Sheridan. 'Nuff said.

Free At Last

So if you're not one of those people who still checks in on NIN.com daily, here's the scoop from the Big Giant Head.

08 October 2007: Big News

Hello everyone. I've waited a LONG time to be able to make the following announcement: as of right now Nine Inch Nails is a totally free agent, free of any recording contract with any label. I have been under recording contracts for 18 years and have watched the business radically mutate from one thing to something inherently very different and it gives me great pleasure to be able to finally have a direct relationship with the audience as I see fit and appropriate. Look for some announcements in the near future regarding 2008. Exciting times, indeed.

posted by Trent Reznor at 10:45 AM.

EEK! Trent's totally on his own now and I couldn't be more psyched about the future. We can talk 'til the cows come home about what his new artistic direction might be but what I find myself completely fascinated with right now is how a person (or group) would be able to pull this off from a monetary standpoint. Obviously Trent's going to be saving some money because he's got his own studio that should be pretty well equipped with all the newest gadgets from the Year Zero and [With_Teeth] albums so no out of pocket expense for studio time. Hell he could probably make a bit of cash by selling out his own studio time if he felt like it. And there are still the royalty checks coming in from all the other albums. And I'm sure there's loads of other income sources that I couldn't even begin to imagine but what concerns me is how do you do the world tour and US tours when there's not a record label to shell out that kind of cash for you? What do you use as collateral? Your music catalog? Your studio/equipment/etc? Your soul? And just what is fair market value for an old industrial rocker's soul these days?

It also makes me wonder about record contracts and how much they generally cover in expenses and therefore what Trent will now be picking up on his own. I mean how far did Interscope have their hands into things like the tour merchandise verses how much Trent had to do with it this last time around (and subsequently the profits from said merchandise)? We all know the first website was found on the back of a t-shirt. Interscope wouldn't have had anything to do with that if this was prior to Trent letting them in on the ARG setup. SO how long has he been studying this to make it on his own? Was the whole ARG game just a test run to see how much pull he had with the internet fans? I guess this is kind of getting away from my original point of how Trent or any of the other bands who are starting in on this "label free" bandwagon are going to make it. And, if they're successful, how is this going to change the scene for other people/bands starting out. These are exciting times and I've just got oodles of questions!

Checking in with Trent, Part 5

posted by Trent Reznor with the caption,
"even better than the real thing!"

Trent is this some new form of marketing you're doing? Are you going to turn NIN into the next KISS? -shakes head- Well at least Barbie will finally have a bad boy to date and quit having to suffer through it with Ken.

I'd have loads more snarky things to say if it weren't for this damned migrane. Have at it kids.

Checking in with Trent, Part 4

It figures that right after we decided to put WTC on hiatus, shit starts happening.

Okay so I'm a little behind this morning but thanks to a tip from reader, Persephone, we see some new live performance pictures surfacing. Now I am severely torn by these photos. Half of me wants to say "yes, Yes, YES take me Trent and we can play helpless prisoner/naughty security guard all. night. long.", and the other half wants to seem detached and oh so cool in front of the other hipster bitches here and say "RECYCLED."

But you know what? Fuck being cool. I own half this blog so I can be however I want to be.

Trent, the gloves are still HAWT! Pfffttt...I didn't even make it to the other pictures without 'em. Matter of fact I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they look better now than they did then. I'm not saying I wasn't intrigued by your kinky little fetish getup back then...it's just that skinny guys who look like I could take them out don't "really" do it for me. But now...oh-ho-ho...now you look like you can play the way I like it. And I’m sorry I said I hated you the other day. You know I didn’t mean it! You just...well...you just sounded like shit. But I bet you brought the fucking house down on this night. -sigh-

I wonder if he consciously picked this prison guard shirt and tie combo out knowing how many Year Zero DIY designed panties he would moisten. I can already hear Dierdre saying, "Well, of course he did, Iris. Trent Reznor is always Asking For It!"

Now bring on the hate. I'm waiting...

Checking in with Trent, Part 3

Is it sad that the best part of this performance is when the noise kicks in towards the middle? Trent, honey, you sound way too out of breath, the pitch is all off, you're screechy/screamy in all the wrong places (really the best part of this song is how smooth and controlled your voice is...was...whatever), and are you fucking making a shadow puppet bird in the beginning?
For any of those who want to start shit and say “well NIN live has never completely sounded like the album versions. That’s part of what Trent loves about touring is how the songs get changed up”, just hold up. Some of my favorite songs are the live versions. See pretty much anything off the And All That Could Have Been DVD. Even with all the love in the world for this man, I still have to call it like I see it this time. Goddammit Trent, this was a highly anticipated song to hear live for me too. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

Thanks to Rob for trying to get a closer shot of the stage...even if it didn’t quite work either.

I will say you look cute here, Trent. Short, but cute.

Grumpy Iris out.

Edit: So if you're one of the ones wondering what the fuck I'm complaining about and can't see the embedded video, check the new live performance video on nin.com of The Great Destroyer.

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