Here is No Why

Destroying Instruments Is Stupid

July 31, 2008 11:20 PM

strongly prefer The Daily Show to The Colbert Report. In fact, I don't really like Colbert that much. I mean, I don't dislike him, I just think he's greatly, ridiculously inferior to Jon Stewart. And even with The Daily Show, I don't really like the interview segment. I don't really like the interview segment with any show. Even when I was a religious Conan O'Brien watcher, I would mostly tune in for the monologue and the sketches. So it was that after the two noninterview segments of The Daily Show tonight, I started trolling around for other things to watch. I stumbled on a live performance by Nine Inch Nails.

Now, I was never the biggest NIN fan. In fact, I generally disliked them. Like, everyone loved "Perfect Drug," but I thought it was a really lame song. I just didn't get what was supposed to make it awesome. I mean, I like "Head Like a Hole" and "Closer," obviously, and "Hurt" is one of the best songs ever, and "A Warm Place" would be on the playlist I'd put on while killing myself, but NIN never did much for me beyond those and a few others. Still, live performances are generally awesome, so I decided to leave it on in the background while I did other things. And I came to a few conclusions.

First, Nine Inch Nails sorta sucks live. This is a combination of the fact that I didn't know and didn't get into most of the songs and the fact that I thought most of the music and performances were really uncompelling. It just didn't do anything for me.

Second, "Hurt" is a fucking amazing song.

Third, destroying instruments on stage is really, really, really stupid. I've always thought this, actually.

See, I've been a fourteen year old kid who would have done anything for an electric guitar. When that's what you are, there's nothing more excruciating than watching someone you look up to take a perfectly functional musical instrument and destroy it for no reason other than it's "cool." At the end of their set, one of the NIN guitarists took his Stratocaster and shoved it through the speakers in his ridiculously expensive Mesa/Boogie amp. Then he smashed it around a little more. Then he took the entire speaker cabinet and threw it and the guitar off the stage. And then the other guitarist smashed a mic stand with his guitar and then threw his guitar halfway across the stage. Then they all walked away. And, yeah, the feedback was cool. But at least two instruments and an amp got destroyed, and for what? Nothing.

I don't care how "cool" it is, destroying instruments like that is nothing other than wasteful. If you want to throw away thousands of dollars, fine, but why take an instrument that could have inspired the next Jimi Hendrix or Eric Clapton and destroy it, man?

I think it's lame and stupid and wasteful and borderline immoral.

7 Comments

tRJ said:

I saw Nine Inch Nails on The Fragile tour, and it was a damn near religious experience. What is wrong with you?

August 1, 2008 8:36 AM

Ismael Tapia II said:

Yeah, but see, you like NIN and know their songs to begin with. So obviously you're going to enjoy their performance. Also, the one I saw really seemed like it was especially week. The guys lacked energy and it seemed like they were phoning it in. But I've heard that they're usually good.

August 1, 2008 10:26 AM

Vice said:

I take issue with calling Stephen Colbert "ridiculously inferior" to Jon Stewart. Both are tremendously good at what they do. I kind of think Colbert might be more talented than Stewart, because Colbert is playing a character the entire time. For all intents and purposes, Jon Stewart can't act. He's awesome at being sarcastic news anchor, but I bet Colbert would be just as good at that.

Furthermore, never forget Colbert's performance at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner. That was about the most awe-inspiring "telling truth to power" moments I've ever seen. The man has balls the size of...well...me. And while I'm not a particularly large person, I would make a particularly large testicle.

August 1, 2008 4:56 PM

Anonymouse said:

I saw Trent and the boys (whoever they are for any given tour) during both the Downward Spiral tour and the tour with David Bowie. The Downward Spiral concert was amazing. It might have been the right time in my life for that show, but I really think it was one of the best concerts I'll ever see. I feel strongly enough about the NIN portion to ignore the Marylin Manson and Jim Rose Circus portions of that particular show. Nine Inch Nails were amazing. That said, I heard one of the songs off the newest album and I was just confused by it. Trent was very cutting edge, and produced one of the best albums ever in Pretty Hate Machine--in 1989. Since then, I think that Trent has gotten a little too full of himself, a little too artsy, and has simply lost the magic touch. Or, just maybe, my musical tastes have evolved since High School.

August 1, 2008 7:39 PM

Dee said:

staying totally relevant, i always picture trent reznor as sirius black when i read harry potter books 3-7, based on the initial description we get in book3. no dis to gary oldman, but i will always be a little disappointed that trent reznor wasn't cast in the movies.

August 2, 2008 11:17 AM

Valerie said:

I like NIN. Saw em during the Fragile tour, thought it was pretty awesome. I have seen better concerts, but it was definitely very good.

I agree that breaking instruments is kind of dumb, but whatever, freedom of expression or something. Some people think that eating dye and pooping on canvas is a form of artistic expression, and I don't really see it, but I guess there's room to disagree.

August 6, 2008 4:49 PM

Ismael Tapia II said:

Mr. Vice,
The Correspondents Dinner thing was pretty fucking awesome. And very ballsy indeed. But it doesn't make the show any better. Don't get me wrong, the Colbert Report is awesome. But The Daily Show is awesomer, in my opinion.

Anonymouse,
So here's something interesting. I think I would have enjoyed the Marilyn Manson portion of the show more. I know, I know, I'm an idiot.

It's not that I dislike NIN, it's that I never really connected with most of the music. I like harmony and melody in my music, and NIN sometimes doesn't have that. I mean, some of their songs sound like hobos beating on old train cars. Not exactly my style.

Dee,
You know, I see exactly where you're coming from, but that could be because I think you've mentioned this to me before. But the Trent Reznor on display at the show I watched would have been a horrible Sirius Black. He looked more like a muscle-bound frat jock than good ol' Padfoot. Actually, he looked a lot like Henry Rollins.

Valerie,
I don't know what tour this was on, but I'm pretty sure it was way after The Fragile. That came out in, what, 2000 or so? They seemed a lot older and nonenergetic in what I saw. Also, there was a half-transparent screen between the audience and the band for about half the show. I found that pretty obnoxious, and I think it would have pissed me off if I had been in the audience to not have an unobstructed view of the band I paid to see.

Freedom of expression is fine, and of course they have the right to break their instruments. But I sort of think there are the broad confines of what someone has the right to do and the much narrower confines of what is a good idea. Breaking instruments, as far as I'm concerned, is dumb, but not wrong, I suppose.

August 7, 2008 9:20 AM