TWITTER-NATION! THE METAL EDITION
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 at 3:57pm by Vince Neilstein
Is Twitter the new Facebook (if Facebook was, in fact, the new MySpace)? MetalSucks isn’t gonna wait to find out, and has now officially joined 2008 by signing up for Twitter (follow us!). In case you’re over the age of 20 and not yet hip to Twitter, Twitter is a social networking site that’s basically just the “status update” section of Facebook with everything else stripped away. Users can update their profiles with short messages and links with quick updates about what they’re currently doing (140 characters or less), from a web interface or from their mobile phone. Musicians have begun dabbling in the world of Twitter, and, naturally, this provides loads of entertainment for us.
Aside from the obvious humor inherent in a bunch of br00tal metal dudes doing something that’s called a “Tweet,” some notable metal musicians are already ensconced in the world of Twitter. And what’s cool about it is that you know, at least until marketing department heads become hip to it, that you’re getting a direct link to the actual person. When Vernon Reid Tweets about the guy that designed his custom pedalboard, you know it’s him. When Fred Durst Tweets about a tattoo of Frankenstein he’s getting… uh, you know it’s him, for better or worse. Let’s look at what some notable quotables in the metal world are saying on Twitter:
Vernon Reid of Living Colour (@vurnt22) is a Twitter whore! The guitar virtuoso Tweets several times a day, and, according to one he posted yesterday, just celebrated his 600th Tweet. Congrats to Vernon! Most of his posts have to do with guitar tech talk, and many of them seem to be direct answers to fan questions, which is pretty fuckin’ cool. Also, apparently there’s some recording action in the Living Colour camp:
Replacing guitars that sizzle & crack on a track
6:58 AM yesterday from webCorey just did an outstanding vocal. Guitars are pretty much done for these sessions. It’s all cool but feels a bit unfinished, being honest about
20 hours ago from web
Fred Durst (@freddurst) is getting a new tattoo:
getting tattoed by Nikki Hurtado right now. He did my Albert Einstein. Now time for Frankenstein’s greatest creation..
7:06 PM Feb 9th from web
And has some words of wisdom to offer the residents of a certain California province:
amazed at how swell everyone drives in LA when it rains.
12:29 PM Feb 6th from web
Is it just me or is the thought of Fred Durst driving in LA in the rain WHILE TWEETING a bit fucking scary?? Thrice (@OfficialThrice) are writing for a new record:
just wrapped day 3 of writing. it’s going really well. ideas are flowing and there’s a lot of positive energy in this little room of ours.-r
9:04 PM Jan 9th from web
Looking forward to that one; the Alchemy Index suite was fantastic. The Dillinger Escape Plan (@dillingerescpln) would like to thank their fans:
thanks to all of you who came to our shows this weekend. The basement show was ridiculous. I cut my ass in Baltimore though
Ex-Soundgarden mainman Chris Cornell (@chriscornell) has joined Twitter-nation too:
I just ate shrimp
10:44 PM Feb 5th from TwitterBerry
That’s about as profound as his new album with Timbaland will be good. And lastly, nothing on the webernets would be legit if Trent Reznor (@treznor) weren’t on board yet:
Ghosts DESTROYS In Rainbows deluxe package. No debate.
4:34 PM Feb 8th from web
Take that, Radiohead grammy! (I’m inclined to agree)
So, join us on Twitter, won’t you? You KNOW you want up-to-the-minute updates on the shenanigans going on at the MetalSucks Mansion and the tomfoolery in which we indulge on a regular basis. Right?
-VN
I’ve joined too. Who needs Facebook?!
Twitter is about as necessary as another remix of that fucking stoned kid after the dentist. Fuck this.
People talk shit on it and then just end up eating their words later on and join up.
FTW!
http://twitter.com/MusicQuizKing
I’m on Twitter, too. Added you guys ;)
http://twitter.com/Raivyn
The correct spelling is “brutal”…. Anyways, fuck Twitter.
I will not get a Facebook or Twitter. Want to know why? Because you don’t have to be updated on every thing a person does. Or update everyone on what you do. Is this life? Is this society? Take a moment from twittering yourself to death and think of the future. Where is this headed? Do you want a complete electronic, consumerist, commercial filled world dedicated to the latest fads and celebrity gossip? Do you wish to never see the world as it naturally exists?
Don’t you realize that as you document every inane thing you do, you are being royally fucked by a government you forgot to keep an eye on?
What’s the most you can lose? What if twitter or facebook didn’t exist? Would your life fall apart?
Get out. Live life. Enjoy the world. There is more than online networking to fulfill yourselves. This may seem a little off or “strange” to most, but the point of living is to strive for enlightenment. Release yourself from the ego and you will be free.
I know there will be jokes made about this post…I don’t care. My final statement will be this: Technology is good, but at an arms length. When it starts to envelop entire lives or starts to invade our bodies, the end of the human being will be over. Sort of like the theme from Fear Factory’s “Obsolete”. Good day.
I started using twitter last month because one of my professors uses it to update the class on stuff. Just yesterday I was wondering what bands and such use it. I did find Century Media and Victory Records both use it.
While I don’t currently use twitter (as in I’m not a member, not that I just haven’t updated lately) there are days where I’m so bored (and self interested haha) that I could just post what I am doing or thinking every 30 seconds.
I leave my facebook account up because I have too many friends who I can only contact through there, but I am resisting twitter as I have resisted a few other things lately… I have enough computer based addictions… and I’m not so naive as to believe that ANYONE really cares THAT much what I am doing to actually subscribe or follow my tweets.
Twitter has been around for at least 2 years. A dude came in to my class at college 2 years ago to talk about some ‘up and coming’ shit, twitter was one thing. I’m surprised it took this long to really break through.
Oh yeah, and by twittering/updating your facebook status constantly, you are making big brother’s job MUCH easier.
Hey Gary,
I’m on Twitter, too. Check it out here.
Now if I can only keep on top of my MySpace, Facebook, MetalSucks blogs, In Cold Blog, Blood of the Scribe blogs, personal website, Flixster, e-mails, etc., etc., etc.
Oh yeah, and maybe finish my next damn book!
Yeah, mine’s http://twitter.com/Richaod/ if anyone’s interested (…you’re not).
Oh, and I highly doubt the Trent Reznor one is real – looks like an infrequently updating fake to me.
One thing people aren’t mentioning about twitter is how often it’s more accurate and more up-to-date with current events. The first pic of the Hudson River landing was from a guy on a ferry boat with a camera phone and a twitter client.
http://www.businessinsider.com/2009/1/us-airways-crash-rescue-picture-citizen-jouralism-twitter-at-work
For instance, I live about an hour from Philadelphia PA. I was ready to hit the sack around midnight about a month ago when my mom emails me saying that there was a small tremor and asking if I felt it. I did not, so trying to prove she’s crazy I started checking out the news sites, local and national. Nothing. Went to search.twitter.com and typed in “earthquake”. Dozens upon dozens of tweets from people living near Lancaster where the epicenter was located. One tweet was a link to the USGS site with info on the tremor.
So, twitter isn’t just about who’s boning who or if Sally thinks the guy down the street is hot, it’s actually pretty useful for info on news/current events.
Twitterin’ since 4/08 at http://www.twitter.com/ianchriste — mostly about preparing to eat bowls of chili or whatnot, or giving away surprise endings to movie — but you’re welcome to it.
True, the twitter feeds from Mumbai during the gunman siege were drama.
My favorite non music or friend twitter feeds…
http://twitter.com/CobraCommander
http://twitter.com/darthvader
http://twitter.com/Demigod1
Who cares? Ah well…
http://twitter.com/goosiejuice