Tag Archives: Trent Reznor

Perry Farrell on Jane’s, Reunions In General

Perry Farrell is struggling to keep the recently reunited Jane’s Addiction together before they’ve even kicked off their summer touring schedule. It seems the reasons the band broke up in the first place are still there and not even mediation by Trent Reznor can help.

“He did his best to be both producer and psychologist,” Farrell told Reuters. “He was very respectful, trying to get out of the way and not overproduce. I wish honestly he would’ve produced a little more, but he was a little gun shy after seeing us explode on each other in the studio. He became the referee for a day and after that day I think he was done.”

All the bitching is worth it though, according to Farrell. He has a nice summation of what it means when the original members of a band reform and why it’s important.

“Any time you get a chance to put the original members of a group together, (you should do it). Look at Pink Floyd. I consider Roger Waters to be the greatest live rock act for a festival today. He has a great guitar player, but it’s not David Gilmour. You need the original members if you can have them. I love The Who, love Led Zeppelin, but nobody’s the same when they’re not original members, the people that wrote and recorded those songs and set their vibrations down into those tracks. That’s why it’s important to try to keep your crew together.”

Farrell also says that ticket sales for Lollapalooza 2009 are better than ever.

“At Lollapalooza, we’re selling more tickets than ever,” he said. “People need an even bigger excuse to escape more than ever and there is no better escape than going to a festival and just tripping and taking in music.”

I couldn’t agree more.

Jane’s Addiction: iTunes, Amazon, Insound, wiki

Unreleased Early Elliott Smith: Nine Inch Nails Diss Track

Video: Elliott Smith – “We’re All Friends Now”

This is footage shot by Mary Lou Lord somewhere in Canada in 1995. Lyrics are a badass smackdown of a music industry showcase for Nine Inch Nails:

The feedback starts and the singer yells
“I’d rather die than give you control”
But he’s already sold the whole damn thing for a big loan

Two years later, of course, Smith himself signed a contract with DreamWorks Records, but hey, when you’re young and snotty, it’s easy to be righteous. What a great find! Thanks, Mary Lou.

Via sweetaddy.

Saul Williams Update: The Numbers

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!We previously posted about how Saul Williams and Trent Reznor were collaborating on a project that was one-upping Radiohead. As a fan of Saul Williams, I had been excited about this idea, happily paid $5, and downloaded the 320kbps MP3 version of the album.

A couple months having passed, Reznor now offers up some Saul Williams follow-up and facts:

As of 1/2/08,
154,449 people chose to download Saul’s new record.
28,322 of those people chose to pay $5 for it, meaning:
18.3% chose to pay. […]

If 33,897 people went out and bought Saul’s last record 3 years ago (when more people bought CDs) and over 150K – five times as many – sought out this new record, that’s great – right?

I have to assume the people knowing about this project must either be primarily Saul or NIN fans, as there was very little media coverage outside our direct influence. If that assumption is correct – that most of the people that chose to download Saul’s record came from his or my own fan-base – is it good news that less than one in five feel it was worth $5? I’m not sure what I was expecting but that percentage – primarily from fans – seems disheartening.

Little media coverage? Oh really?

Continue reading Saul Williams Update: The Numbers

Trent Reznor Loves Oink, Tired of John Mayer’s Face

Trent Reznor and Saul Williams Discuss Their New Collaboration, Mourn OiNK in New York Magazine:

Trent: I’ll admit I had an account there and frequented it quite often. At the end of the day, what made OiNK a great place was that it was like the world’s greatest record store. Pretty much anything you could ever imagine, it was there, and it was there in the format you wanted. If OiNK cost anything, I would certainly have paid, but there isn’t the equivalent of that in the retail space right now. iTunes kind of feels like Sam Goody to me. I don’t feel cool when I go there. I’m tired of seeing John Mayer’s face pop up. I feel like I’m being hustled when I visit there, and I don’t think their product is that great. DRM, low bit rate, etc. Amazon has potential, but none of them get around the issue of pre-release leaks. And that’s what’s such a difficult puzzle at the moment. If your favorite band in the world has a leaked record out, do you listen to it or do you not listen to it? People on those boards, they’re grateful for the person that uploaded it — they’re the hero. They’re not stealing it because they’re going to make money off of it; they’re stealing it because they love the band. I’m not saying that I think OiNK is morally correct, but I do know that it existed because it filled a void of what people want.

MP3: NIN – “(Can’t Stop) Me I’m Not” remixed by Halo33 (courtesy of 9inchnails.com)

Previously: Saul Williams One-Ups Radiohead.

Via td.

Saul Williams One-Ups Radiohead

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!Are you familar with Saul Williams? He’s a hip-hop poet/MC who released an amazing single a couple years ago called “List of Demands” (mp3). The album, Saul Williams, wasn’t 100% solid, but it contained at least one more great track, “Black Stacey.” His set at Lollapalooza 2005 was one of the highlights of my year. But we haven’t heard too much from him since then (other than an open letter to Oprah).

But now, with some production and promotion help from Trent Reznor, Williams will be releasing a new album himself. Directly to fans via the internet: The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! And fans get to choose whether they want to pay $5 or no bucks. Kinda like Radiohead. But better.

Find out how it’s better after the jump…

Continue reading Saul Williams One-Ups Radiohead