5.17.2006

A-With-Ah Teeth-Ah!

Yesterday, between 6 and 6:30pm, the sun came out in Boston for the first time in about 10 days. I think many of us up here in the Northeast had forgotten what it looked like to the see the city in more vivid color, and the three hour post-rain bike ride provided much of that. This was cause for celebration, so riding to Grasshopper - the Asian vegan/vegetarian food joint in Allston - was in order.

But there is greater cause for celebration - today Trent Reznor turns 41. The man behind the moniker of Nine Inch Nails is currently preparing for a six-week tour that will bring him all around the US, once again, in support of his latest album, With Teeth. Additionally, he'll be touring with Peaches and Bauhaus.

More thoughts on why you should be admonished if you've never heard Bauhaus later, but don't worry for now - help is on the way. In the meantime, whether you have all of Reznor's Halos or only an old copy of 1993's The Downward Spiral, be sure to give them a listen at some point today.

I'd been a steady fan of With Teeth since the middle of April 2005, but talking with friends of mine who found it to be disappointing in Reznor's line of work, I've been reconsidering my perspective on the album...since January. My fanaticism for NIN has lasted at least ten years, at this point, and it'll be some time before I've decided whether to hold it up alongside his other genius works, or toss it in the same pile as Tori Amos' most recent and most atrocious release, The Beekeeper. (Being a long-time fan of Amos' work as well, moreso than any other artist, that pile is not one that any musician wants to be in.)

The thing I'll leave you with for Reznor's birthday is a strange dedication to a town he lived and thrived in for many years: New Orleans. After last year's destruction of hurricane Katrina, Reznor was able to access some of the worst parts of town via the mayor's permission, and shot some graphic photos of the destruction that had occured from the event. You can view them here. I've gotten the impression that Reznor, like many from the New Orleans area, fears that many Americans outside of the south will find it easy to forget about the tragedies of last year's flooding. This is one of his efforts to remind aside from his copious donations to relief efforts.


1 comment:

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