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Today would have been Johnny Cash’s 77th birthday. In his honor, here’s his video for “Hurt” – a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song from the producer of Reign in Blood.
Is this version superior to Trent Reznor’s original? Cash’s age (and personal history) certainly lends the lyrics extra poignancy; he’s not a young man belly aching, but an old man looking back at the mess of his life.
Discuss!
-AR
I know we keep on saying this, but Trent Reznor is just the coolest fucking dude and he keeps making it impossible for us not to comment. The latest, originally posted by Trent himself on Twitter and picked up by Hard Rock Chick, is a behind-the-scenes video shot backstage during a mid-show power outage that nearly drove the Australian audience to riot. The most interesting parts are the head of security prepping the band for a quick exit in case of riot, and Trent making ad-hoc adjustments to the setlist in case power is indeed restored (which it eventually is). These looks into seemingly mundane moments are what I’ve found most fascinating about following Trent over the past year or so; the man just lets it all out for his fans to see.
-VN
NIN Sydney 2.24.09 – Mid-show Power Outage [HD] from Nine Inch Nails on Vimeo.
Uberdrummer Josh Freese is getting ready to release a new solo album, Since 1972 (Freese’s YOB, natch), and is apparently determined to one-up his former boss Trent Reznor for the “Rockstar Adapting to a Changing Market in the Coolest Fucking Way Imaginable” award. Now, it’s entirely possible that Freese is just joshin’ around (sorry, couldn’t resist) – but even if he is, he’s funny as fuck. Here are the various price levels for purchasing Since 1972, and what Freese is (allegedly) offering for said price levels… I don’t even have to make any jokes here because Freese has done all the work for me:
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:
It may be a new year on the calendar, but we’re still talking about the same stupid shit here at MetalSucks. Here’s where we focused our energies this week:
Later, gators…
From nin.com [via MetalSucks Maniac Sukey Scorer], we have an update to Trent Reznor’s mysterious weekend countdown message:
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.
Just the latest in a long, long string of ultimate “bro” moves by Trent Reznor over the past year.
But wait; it doesn’t stop there.
From the front page of NIN.com, posted yesterday by Trent Reznor:
Remember that gift I mentioned?
It’s almost here.
Last time this happened we got a tour, and the time before that a full album — for free. What’s ol’ papa Trent got in store this time?
-VN
[Thanks: Sukey Scorer]
So remember last month when Axl posted a rant about Trent Reznor’s selection of Lostprophets’ drummer Ilan Rubin to fill the drummer’s throne left vacant by the recently-departed Josh Freese? Axl was understandably miffed that a member of the sucktastic Lostprophets would be replacing a legendary member of NIN, but it turns out (as many of you posted) that the kid is actually a phenomenal player.
Not only can the kid beat the shit out of the drums, but he’s got a solo project — dubbed The New Regime — in which he plays every instrument and sings. That’s fucking impressive. What’s more, it’s actually good, and can be summed up in one word thusly: Muse. And I mean that in the best way possible, because Muse is one non-metal band that all metalheads should learn to love.
-VN
There’s a rumor going around that Billy Howerdel’s Ashes Divide have broken up. To which I say: HUH?
The following e-mail was sent out to all Nine Inch Nails fans on their mailing list last night. I’m just gonna go ahead and re-print it in its entirety:
Apparently there’s a new Strapping Young Lad video floating around the Interwebs for the song “Almost Again,” from 2006’s The New Black. The video is intensely dark and morose with twisted imagery that could come only from a demented mind like Downward Spiral-era Trent Reznor… Or, naturally, Devin Towsend. The timing of the video seems odd given the band broke up last year and their greatest hits collection 1994-2006: Chaos Years came out several months ago already… But hey, we’ll take it.
With the death of SYL came the demise of Devin’s skullet, but at least Ronnie James Dio and Karl Simon of The Gates of Slumber still carry the torch.
-VN
[via Buzzgrinder]
Have you been following the Nine Inch Nails blog? If not, put that shit in your RSS reader because you’re really missing out. Anyone that thought Trent Reznor’s groundbreaking media initiatives surrounding the release of Year Zero and The Slip were a flash in the pan or just a publicity stunt was totally wrong; the guy is really talking the talk and walking the walk, and continues to innovate on every level by embracing the Internet as his friend.
To say that Vince and I aren’t Kid Rock fans probably ranks with statements like “Vince and I aren’t Limp Bizkit fans” or “Vince and I aren’t Disturbed fans” in terms of its level of “Well duh”-ness. I once heard some jackass on VH1 says that “Bawitdaba” or whatever the fuck it was called “Sounds like rock re-entering the building,” but to me is always sounded more like dignity taking a nose-dive off the roof.
All of that being said, Kid Rock’s statements in a recent interview with the BBC actually make him sound less like a a rap metal redneck and more like Trent Reznor. When asked why his music isn’t readily available on iTunes, Rock said that “the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money,” but that iTunes stuck to an “old system” whereby everyone gets paid… save for the artist.
While Robin Finck fans everywhere mourn the loss of his Vince Neilstein-size beard (see NIN rehearsal pic right, or click here for additional pics), Trent Reznor has decided to give a little promotional boost to the bands that will be opening for him on his summer tour, including A Place to Bury Strangers, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Crystal Castles, and Deerhunter. Via the NIN website:
“I assume some of you may not be entirely familiar with the acts I’ve chosen to join us on various legs of this tour, so we’ve compiled a sampler EP for you. Click here to download this for free. If you like what you hear, be sure to show up early to the show (and please remember to support them by purchasing their music, if so inclined).”
Well, as usual, Trent has won “coolest rock star” award with this latest move. Most support acts on big tours like this one are lucky if the headliners even acknowledge their presence; by offering this free sample, Reznor is actively encouraging his fans to check out these bands, which shows he has real belief in their talents. What a refreshing change of pace.
-AR
As hinted by another mysterious “2 weeks” blog post exactly two weeks ago and various hints dropped by Trent Reznor during that timeframe, a new Nine Inch Nails album — this one a full, proper with-vocals album as opposed to the instrumental four-album series Ghosts — is available today, called The Slip. The album features the tracks “Discipline” and “Echoplex” (both released for free download last week) and is available for 100% free download at NIN.com in a variety of audio formats, including better-than-CD-quality FLAC files.
Reznor seems to have opted against the model he used to release Ghosts, which made several special editions available in a variety of configurations, including the $300 super-special, signed, deluxe version which made him a millionaire in two days. Why wouldn’t he opt for a similar tactic this time around? Perhaps he is rewarding fans for their goodwill and dedication by giving them a deserved treat, or perhaps we has something else up his sleeve.
Either way: Trent Reznor = the man.
-VN
[Thanks to Bradley S. for the tip.]
Thanks to MetalSucks reader Bradley S. for sending us the new Nine Inch Nails track “Echoplex,” which Trent Reznor just released for free download via iLike. The album ID3 tag of the mp3 says “?” and the comments field says, “Go to nin.com May 5th,” leading further speculation that Reznor will release a proper with-vocals NIN album this coming Monday (as opposed to the instrumental-only Ghosts I-IV).
Spark that bowl up and enjoy your Saturday.
-VN
Crustcake has posted this hilarious new clip for the just-released NIN surprise single, “Discipline.” We’re assuming that the video is fan-made, although an awful lot of love went into it in a pretty short span of time – I mean, that’s about as good a cheap crappy animated Josh Freese as you’re gonna get. Given Trent Reznor’s enthusiasm for memorable music videos and viral marketing, could this be the real deal?
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/I1ZMKfFHU3U" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
-AR
We still aren’t sure what Trent Reznor’s cryptic “2 weeks” announcement on Monday means, but the sudden release of the new song “Discipline” — which features actual vocals, unlike the entirety of Ghosts — has led the Internet rumor mill to churn out musings of a proper NIN-with-vocals album.
Ladies and gentlemen, let this be a lesson in absolutely amazing marketing techniques. Trent is a genius the way he is running this campaign, having proved all the naysayers wrong. The man types two words on a blog and the entire Internet goes into a state of pandemonium.
Anyway, here’s the track. Sorry for the crummy audio quality (if any readers have a better sounding version, hit us up at news [at] metalsucks.net). [now full quality audio]. It kind of reminds me of a slightly less catchy version of “The Hand That Feeds.” But I like.
Nine Inch Nails – “Discipline”
-VN
Yesterday at 5:44pm PDT the mercurial Trent Reznor posted the following message on the official Nine Inch Nails blog:
“2 weeks!”
The last time Trent posted the same exact message (on Feb. 20th), two weeks later we got the surprise announcement that his new records Ghosts was available at that very instant, sending shockwaves around the Internet and the music industry for his untraditional marketing techniques. Two days after that, Reznor had a cool $1.6 million in his pocket.
So what will happen two weeks from yesterday? Too soon for another NIN album? Probably so, but you never know. More likely there will be a massive tour announcement, complete with the newly rejoined Robin Finck. Or the rumored new website / fansite / web experience. Or any number of other possibilities 712 commenters cared to chime in on.
-VN
Y’know, considering the fact that every time we post some GN’R-related news at least one you tells us we talk about GN’R too much, I sure did get a lot of e-mails over the weekend from fans concerned that guitarist Robin Finck may be leaving the band.
So let’s get this out of the way quickly: yes, the above photo of Robin, appearing more goth-friendly than the hippy-dippy look he sported on the last Guns tour, did appear on Friday on the Nine Inch Nails official website with the caption “Welcome back!” Yes, that means he’s going to do another tour with NIN. Now, what does that mean with regards to his future with GN’R? Honestly, I have no fucking idea, and I imagine no one who’s not Finck, Trent Reznor or Axl Rose does, either.
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