Trent Reznor On Keeping His Private Life Private
Imhotep has an interview with Trent Reznor. In the piece, we get to hear Trent talk about the second part of Year Zero, the difference in his writing process for With Teeth versus the process used to compose the more recent albums, and, most interestingly to me, why he has made a conscious decision to keep his private life private:
I don’t really want my fans to see me. What I’ve tried to do in the media is not to let my personality get in the way of the music. In a way, that creates its own aura. Today with the Internet and MTV it is easy to reach out and overexpose yourself to people, and I don’t mean like I was embarrassed about myself, but when you listen to a Nine Inch Nails record, I don’t want you to know what I look like, I want you to create your own version about the record.
As I’ve written in my Oeuvre Blog entries, I’ve always been a listener more concerned with answering the question “How does this lyric apply to my own life, to my own experience?” than most. And I suppose my obsession with Nine Inch Nails has a lot to do with the fact that I don’t think about Trent Reznor when I’m listening to the music. I think about me, and about the lyrics, and about whether or not I’m going to break something as I dance around my house like a maniac.
Half-Blood Prince Movie Stills
As I mentioned, way back in the third Geek Force FiveCast ever, Harry Potter was very nearly a member of my Geek Force Five. So, it should come as no surprise that I am good and thoroughly geeked out about the new batch of Half-Blood Prince promotional stills that popped up recently on The Leaky Cauldron. My favorite, which I’ve included above, shows us director David Yates planning a scene between Harry (Dan Radcliffe) and Ginny (Bonnie Wright). I don’t think I’ve mentioned this online before, but I once planned to write an essay on the relationship between these two characters and how it was telegraphed by Rowling from the very first book.
Yeah, I am an über-Potter geek.
These photos accompanied a “first look” USA Today article that appeared last week.
The Pluto Tapes - Live at SomerVaudeville (Video)
Eventually, I will get off my ass and separate this show by The Pluto Tapes into four pieces, one for each song, which is what I promised my friend Andy Hicks I would do about a month ago. But, for now, I think it is imperative that you all take a look at this awesome show that Andy put on as part of May’s inaugural SomerVaudeville event. If you have time for nothing else, skip directly to the end, to the tag for “Paula Abdul"/"Straight Up”. If that isn’t the most rocking Paula Abdul cover you’ve ever heard, then there’s something wrong with you.
Also, if you’re looking for something to listen to and you don’t already own it, buy a copy of Dead Planets Tell No Tales, the first album by The Pluto Tapes, on iTunes.
Wanted: A Good Pair of Headphones
Yesterday, aside from getting drenched in an afternoon rainstorm that washed through Boston completely unannounced, I managed to break the fifth or sixth set of headphones I’ve had since buying my iPod four years ago. It isn’t enough that my iPod only works when it feels like working. (Is it July 11 yet?) No, no, no. Now, I have to deal with replacing yet another set of broken cans. Sure, I have a spare pair sitting at home, but they’re old, and they’re quiet, and they sound like I’m listening to my music through a pair of literal tin cans. And it’s not like I can afford to plunk down $10 to $20 on a new set when I’m saving every penny I can in order to afford an iPhone.
But, hey, eventually I will have some dough, and I’m wondering if any of you out there have any recommendations on relatively affordable but relatively high quality headphones. Also, how do you keep these things from breaking so frequently? Maybe I just don’t know how to take care of them. I’m not sure. It’s always the wiring by the headphone jack that seems to crap out on me. I’ve tried a bunch of different brands (all earbuds, because they’re more comfortable for me than the behind-the-ear kind, and because the really big over-the-head kind always seem excessive for walking around) but none has lasted longer than six months since the original pair that came with the iPod. Is it just that I’ve been buying cheap, or is it that the cables are prone to failure no matter what? Let me know.
War Games for 99 Cents - This Week Only
Attention Geek Forcers! If you use iTunes at all, even a little bit, then click this link and enjoy the Matthew Broderick masterpiece War Games for only ninety-nine cents! It’s this week’s iTunes 99 Cent Rental of the Week, and I’m sure it’s been years since you’ve watched it, so c’mon and snap to it.
Thanks to Apple TV Junkie for pointing the way.
