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People were complaining about the flicker, and I was bored. So? New template get. I'm currently trying to hack the damn .xml sheets to enable post expansion and such, but for now, deal with the epic post length because none of you will move to LJ. Well, some of you did. But my point stands. The links up there are also a result of me being ambitious and trying to see just what I can get out of blogger.
I promised a post about whatever the hell was playing at the moment, and it happens to be this song.
Warning: Senseless rambling ahead of "backspace? what backspace" variety. And swearing. Because I fucking swear, and... it's a NIN song. Hell yeah.
WARNING 2: LONGPOST, LIKE LONGCAT, IS LONG.
CLOSER
Nine Inch Nails
You let me violate you
You let me desecrate you
You let me penetrate you
You let me complicate you
Help me, I broke apart my insides
Help me, I've got no soul to sell
Help me, the only thing that works for me
Help me get away from myself
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to God
You can have my isolation
You can have the hate that it brings
You can have my absence of faith
You can have my everything
Help me, you tear down my reason
Help me, it's your sex I can smell
Help me, you make me perfect
Help me become somebody else
I wanna fuck you like an animal
I wanna feel you from the inside
I wanna fuck you like an animal
My whole existence is flawed
You get me closer to God
Through every forest
Above the trees
Within my stomach
Scraped off my knees
I drink the honey
Inside your hive
You are the reason
I stay alive
Now I am going on pure memory, so forgive any inaccuracies. Closer is one of Nine Inch Nail's more popular songs, hailing all the way back from '94- the released single features at least five remixes of this song, titled, in order: Closer to God, Closer (Precursor), Closer (Deviation), Closer (Internal) and Closer (Further Away). The song makes use of a (heavily modified, but nontheless) kick drum sample from some Iggy Pop song- cool thing is, the snare drum heard throughout the thing? It's actually white noise- Trent did some funny stuff for it. It's a typical song from them, an example of a stripped-down industrial rock type song- if you know nothing about NIN, educate yourself at Wiki, because they are incredible.
This is also the kind of song I fucking live for.
Seriously- Closer is one of the first songs I fell in love with during my discovery of the Industrial genre. I can talk at length about my early music upbringing later, but for now, this song. It's beautiful, gorgeous, and one of the sexiest songs in existance (
I don't know what it is about it- from the industrial sound to the haunting tone, the sentiment expressed to the apparent "blasphemies" to the frank, uncensored sexuality- I've fallen in love with the whole package. This song is beautiful, this song is glorious- the beat gets you, the lyrics grab you and don't let go. It's a song of violence, obsession, and a twisted, morbid hope- abuse, addiction, the undermining of the human condition due to carnal desire, the battle of one man, a song about sex. It's a victory, a blaze to follow in the fight against censorship.
In the time this song was released- '94, remember- the artists big at the time were (the artist formerly known as) Prince. Madonna. Those people were the definition of edgy, close, raw, sensual- and then along came the man known as Trent Reznor and he kicked their asses back down from whence they came. I could rant for ages about how this song has affected me (it has in many, many ways- an inspiration), but I'll shut up for a moment, and take a step back.
So my song just changed, and now it's by a man known as Marilyn Manson (dude looks like a lady, to quote Aerosmith).
I am filled with nothing but respect and admiration for him, his music, and his ideals. This man, known to call himself God and masturbate on stage, claiming the title the Revenant of the Church of Satan (or something to that effect- priest? pope? I have no fucking idea). His songs denounce god, denounce goodness, and talk of sex, violence and drugs, obsession and despair, death and hatred. Marilyn Manson also happens to be Trent Reznor's protege- or rather, used to be, as his career has rather blossomed far away from his former mentor. He paints his skin white and wears black lipstick, and spends his time writing riffs the likes of which will explode many of your brains (you guys should give thrash metal a go sometime), one of the most influential and popular names of industrial, hailed by devoted fans as Jesus or God as Trent is hailed the Anti-Christ. "God and the Anti-Christ have spoken" is a pledge you sometimes hear among diehard fans.
Respect and admiration. I kid you not.
The guy's practically my hero.
(He also paints in his spare time, is remarkably polite and soft-spoken, intelligent and involved.
Aside from violence in video games, MM's music was one of the things that Dylan Klebold and his friend Eric Harris were supposed to have listened to- for a large time he was given the full bulk of the blame, to the point of rallies being held in his not-honor in the boys' hometown. He was interviewed about this in Michael Moore (lol MM)'s documentary Bowling for Columbine, and his interview is one of the most striking points of the whole thing for me- it was what I remembered most. You'll know him when you see him, boots and make up and all, but a video of this interview can be found here.
Also note that the accusations were utter bullshit, Dylan and Eric were fans of oldschool industrial- the likes of Rammstein and Godflesh, believing that MM was a sellout. I respect their opinion. Rammstein and Godflesh rock hard.)
System of a Down was my first love. They were my introduction to music, my foray into metal and the world beyond the shit that everyone in my class was listening to that I just couldn't get. My love for SoaD holds strong, but my loyalty with music has always lain with alternative, grunge, metal, and hard rock- and at the very roots of it, my true loyalties lie with Industrial.
Why this is is because of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson- I fell in love with them the moment I heard them and until now this hasn't let go.
I understand that many of you do not share my music tastes. I do not understand you denouncing my music as noise- people who say or ask "that's not music, that's just screaming and noise", irk me beyond all reason.
Music is expression, music is freedom, music is a universal language through which everyone speaks and everyone moves to the same rhythm and beat- and there is nothing more universal than anger, than lust. Music is a thing of beauty that brings feelings, concepts, ideas and emotions to the surface that we may explore, experience, and share- and just as your country pop ballads are the epitome of love, my metalcore is the epitome of anger.
Well, not quite. Thrash is the epitome of raw, raw aggression, but my point stands.
To anyone looking to sample the glory that is Industrial music: Nine Inch Nails, Godflesh, Rammstein, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, 16Volt, Atari Teenage Riot, Rosewater, A Perfect Circle, Kraftwerk, Tool, Combichrist, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM. In no particular order. And you know what? Smashing Pumpkins.
To anyone keen on NIN alone, Closer, Suck, Piggy, Hurt, Head Like a Hole, Sin, Heresy, March of the Pigs, Gave Up, Wish, Into the Void, We're In This Together, The Day The World Went Away (Still version), The Becoming, Mr. Self-Destruct, The Hand That Feeds (won the Grammy, I think? not their best, but fucking catchy), okay need to stop now, but Starfuckers Inc.
And Marilyn Manson, well, plenty of songs as well, but I'll go with The Beautiful People, Coma White, Kiddie Grinder, Torniquet, Lunchbox, Heart Shaped Glasses (recent!), This Is the New Shit, mOBSCENE, Disposable Teens, Rock is Dead, s(AINT), Slutgarden, Man That You Fear, Minute of Decay, Irresponsible Hate Anthem, Godeatsgod, Ka-boom Ka-boom, Antichrist Superstar, The Reflecting God- okay, stopping now.
For the record, this may be wear my loyalty lies, where my heart is, where my home is, but that doesn't mean I can't pack my bags and haul my ass away from home and take a trip around the countryside and enjoy the scenery. I don't point and go "THAT TREE ISN'T MADE OF CONCRETE, I HATE IT, I'M GOING HOME."
Extended metaphor translation: I listen to plenty of stuff.
I'm running out of words and Mythbusters is loaded up in the background.
So I'll leave you with some of what Marilyn Manson has to offer, in the terms his most famous song (not his best, by any means). Again, by memory. Please have your eyes gloss over the typos. Thx.
And I don't want you, and I don't need you
Don't bother to resist or I'll beet you
It's not your fault that you're always wrong
The weak ones are there to justify the strong
The beautiful people, the beautiful people
It's all relative to the size of the steeple
Can't see the forest for the trees
Can't smell your own shit on your knees
Hey! You!
What do you see?
Something beautiful, something free?
Hey! You!
Do you wanna be mean?
You live with apes, man-- it's hard to be clean
- The Beautiful People.
Here's to rampant sexuality and aggression (not necessarily in that order or seperate) in songs, we need more of that.
I'm off to bed (here's hoping I'll dream of Closer).
/end post written at 3AM.
Dad cut off internet.
This will be posted in the morning.
