I was listening yesterday to one of my favourite covers of one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands: Johnny Cash covering Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt" .
I've always loved Trent Reznor of NIN, as far as I'm concerned everything he touches turns to gold (musically speaking.) "Hurt," though popular, is an extermely anomalous piece for the Alt/Industrial band. The song is full of nuanced tonality and beautiful melodic lyricism. You can see immediately why the song appealed to Cash.
You can watch and listen to Nine Inch Nails perform "Hurt" on Youtube.
Trent Reznor's accompanying video is classic NIN: over the top and intentionally provocative, but not necessarily deeply meaningful. Still, he skillfully moves between volume extremes, at times almost whispering. The melody alternates between a haunting, minor scale accompanyment to the verses, and a satisfying major key for the simple, repetitive refrain.
Reznor himself is quoted as saying that the song means much more coming from Johnny Cash, and frankly I agree. In fact, listening to Cash you can hear the pain of regret in his voice, and see in his eyes both bitterness and nostalgia. The words seem appropriate for an aging musician with a storied past.
Click here to see Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" on YouTube.
Cash's choice of acousitc guitar (Reznor has a recording in acoustic too, incidentally) and piano lends itself well to momentum of the piece; Reznor's pounding, repetitious chords are brought to life under Cash's sensitive musical touch. Cash, I think, exhibits greater asthetic sensibility when choosing how to move between loud and quiet: and where NIN's version tends to drag, his coaxes. He paces himself, thereby pulling the listener through the song as it ebbs and flows, compelling you forward to a rising crescendo. And when Cash, his voice pained, sings the line "If I could start again, a million miles away / I would keep myself... I would find a way" the crest falls smoothly into silence.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Re-Write: Two Weeks Left
I remember the last presidential election vividly.
I had just moved back to the U.S. and had just started my freshman year at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The Red Sox had just won the World Series for the first time in 86 years. The movie Garden State came out that fall: The Shins and The Postal Service followed me everywhere I went.
Jon Stewart and his team at The Daily Show (almost none of whom are still on the cast now) were covering Indecision 2004.
It was my first year to vote.
Steph, my roommate, drove all the way home to New Jersey during early voting because she felt her vote would matter more down there. I crawled home on Monday after a four day Halloween bender at Hampshire College, and voted on Tuesday afternoon, in the miserable drizzling cold of a November in New England. Briefly, it seemed like we had a chance.
I remember staying up to watch the election with my roommate. There were election watching parties going on all over, but we opted out, largely because we both just had a feeling it wasn't going to go our way.
As soon as it was obvious Bush had been reelected, we just turned off the lights and lay there, talking about we felt excluded, pushed aside by all those big bossy red-states trying to impose their "values" on everyone else. I felt like I didn't belong in a country hijacked by stupid close-minded xenophobic religious nuts. I still feel that way some times.
But I refuse to let them ruin America for me. The truth is, I love this country for all the things they hate about it. I love Massachusetts and California for allowing gay-marriage. I love Colorado for decriminalising marijuana possession. And I'm thankful for organizations like the ACLU and Amnesty International and the NAACP who are working to keep America fair and safe for everyone.
And I mean everyone, even the people at the Yearning for Zion Ranch - even they have freedom of religious expression. Separation of Church and State, and limited government, is not just for me or people who holds views like mine, it's for everyone.
I had just moved back to the U.S. and had just started my freshman year at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts. The Red Sox had just won the World Series for the first time in 86 years. The movie Garden State came out that fall: The Shins and The Postal Service followed me everywhere I went.
Jon Stewart and his team at The Daily Show (almost none of whom are still on the cast now) were covering Indecision 2004.
It was my first year to vote.
Steph, my roommate, drove all the way home to New Jersey during early voting because she felt her vote would matter more down there. I crawled home on Monday after a four day Halloween bender at Hampshire College, and voted on Tuesday afternoon, in the miserable drizzling cold of a November in New England. Briefly, it seemed like we had a chance.
I remember staying up to watch the election with my roommate. There were election watching parties going on all over, but we opted out, largely because we both just had a feeling it wasn't going to go our way.
As soon as it was obvious Bush had been reelected, we just turned off the lights and lay there, talking about we felt excluded, pushed aside by all those big bossy red-states trying to impose their "values" on everyone else. I felt like I didn't belong in a country hijacked by stupid close-minded xenophobic religious nuts. I still feel that way some times.
But I refuse to let them ruin America for me. The truth is, I love this country for all the things they hate about it. I love Massachusetts and California for allowing gay-marriage. I love Colorado for decriminalising marijuana possession. And I'm thankful for organizations like the ACLU and Amnesty International and the NAACP who are working to keep America fair and safe for everyone.
And I mean everyone, even the people at the Yearning for Zion Ranch - even they have freedom of religious expression. Separation of Church and State, and limited government, is not just for me or people who holds views like mine, it's for everyone.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Two Weeks Left: A Reflection
I remember the last presidential election vividly. I had just moved back to the U.S. and had just started my freshman year at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts (and I still have trouble spelling it!) The Red Sox had just won the World Series for the first time in 86 years. The movie Garden State came out that fall, and the soundtrack was playing everywhere: The Smiths and The Shins and The Postal Service followed me everywhere I went. Jon Stewart and his team (almost none of whom are still on the cast now) were covering Indecision 2004, and it was my first year to vote.
They said "people are turning out in record numbers" and "young people are getting involved more than ever before." People talked about the winds of change, about making a difference.
I remember staying up to watch the election with my roommate. There were election watching parties going on all over, but we opted out, largely because we both just had a feeling it wasn't going to go our way. Steph, my roommate, had driven all the way home to New Jersey during early voting to vote in her home state because she felt her vote would matter more down there.
I had crawled home on Monday after a four day Halloween bender at Hampshire College, and voted on Tuesday afternoon, in the miserable drizzling cold of a November in New England.
As soon as it was obvious Bush had been reelected, we just turned off the lights and lay there, talking about we felt excluded, pushed aside by all those big bossy red-states trying to impose their "values" on everyone else.
Three weeks later, when Thanksgiving rolled around, I just couldn't bring myself to stay in the U.S., the idea of a national holiday just depressed me, so I went to Canada. I was so dissolusioned. I felt like I didn't belong in this country. That I had nothing in common with a country that has been hijacked by stupid close-minded xenophobic religious nuts. I still feel that way some times.
But I refuse to let them ruin America for me. The truth is, I love this country for all the things they hate about it. I love Massachusetts and California for allowing gay-marriage. I love Colorado for decriminalising marijuana possession. And I'm thankful for organizations like the ACLU and Amnesty International and the NAACP who are working to keep America fair and safe for everyone.
They said "people are turning out in record numbers" and "young people are getting involved more than ever before." People talked about the winds of change, about making a difference.
I remember staying up to watch the election with my roommate. There were election watching parties going on all over, but we opted out, largely because we both just had a feeling it wasn't going to go our way. Steph, my roommate, had driven all the way home to New Jersey during early voting to vote in her home state because she felt her vote would matter more down there.
I had crawled home on Monday after a four day Halloween bender at Hampshire College, and voted on Tuesday afternoon, in the miserable drizzling cold of a November in New England.
As soon as it was obvious Bush had been reelected, we just turned off the lights and lay there, talking about we felt excluded, pushed aside by all those big bossy red-states trying to impose their "values" on everyone else.
Three weeks later, when Thanksgiving rolled around, I just couldn't bring myself to stay in the U.S., the idea of a national holiday just depressed me, so I went to Canada. I was so dissolusioned. I felt like I didn't belong in this country. That I had nothing in common with a country that has been hijacked by stupid close-minded xenophobic religious nuts. I still feel that way some times.
But I refuse to let them ruin America for me. The truth is, I love this country for all the things they hate about it. I love Massachusetts and California for allowing gay-marriage. I love Colorado for decriminalising marijuana possession. And I'm thankful for organizations like the ACLU and Amnesty International and the NAACP who are working to keep America fair and safe for everyone.
Monday, October 20, 2008
SNL: Laughing all the way to the polls
NBC's Saturday Night Live has recently upped the ante of their political satire with some of the best impersonations and timely sketches since the 2000 elections.
Our generation grew up watching Darrell Hammond do a dead-on Bill Clinton, and lucky for him he's got another potential (is that too generous at this point?) president to spoof. Hammond has been doing a pretty good John McCain recently; my only qualm is that he hasn't really gotten down that creepy grimace yet.
Meanwhile Fred Armison, (who incidentally is also the go-to guy to play the likes of Steve Jobs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) has been doing a bang-up job at playing Barack Obama. From his profesorial pauses, his nervous tic "well, look," to his upward intonation - Armison's got it down.
Watch: First Debate on Hulu.com
Tina Fey, first female head-writer for SNL and star of NBC's 30 Rock has returned to the sketch scene to play Sarah Palin, a character she debuted alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.
Watch: If Only I Had Wanted It More... on Hulu.com
So acurate and popular has been Tina Fey's Sarah Palin that the real Sarah Palin actually joined the show last week for two brief appearances.
Watch: Moose Killa on Hulu.com
Personally I think this is SNL at it's best.
Our generation grew up watching Darrell Hammond do a dead-on Bill Clinton, and lucky for him he's got another potential (is that too generous at this point?) president to spoof. Hammond has been doing a pretty good John McCain recently; my only qualm is that he hasn't really gotten down that creepy grimace yet.
Meanwhile Fred Armison, (who incidentally is also the go-to guy to play the likes of Steve Jobs and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) has been doing a bang-up job at playing Barack Obama. From his profesorial pauses, his nervous tic "well, look," to his upward intonation - Armison's got it down.
Watch: First Debate on Hulu.com
Tina Fey, first female head-writer for SNL and star of NBC's 30 Rock has returned to the sketch scene to play Sarah Palin, a character she debuted alongside Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton.
Watch: If Only I Had Wanted It More... on Hulu.com
So acurate and popular has been Tina Fey's Sarah Palin that the real Sarah Palin actually joined the show last week for two brief appearances.
Watch: Moose Killa on Hulu.com
Personally I think this is SNL at it's best.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
