[eleven59]

[rx]

huh? i didn't know NIN was political. what's up with the flood of political bands?

and what's up with MTV being so lame?

[eleven59]

Originally Posted by rx

huh? i didn't know NIN was political. what's up with the flood of political bands?

I read a post from Trent on nin.com a while back that said something about not really caring about politics until now, and only now because he finally has a strong opinion about something.

[rx]

Originally Posted by eleven59

I read a post from Trent on nin.com a while back that said something about not really caring about politics until now, and only now because he finally has a strong opinion about something.

oh. I STILL don't understand politics. this is what living in hawaii does to you. you're not very involved with things happening in the mainland... when I first came to seattle, everyone was political and shite it was crazy! I'm a freshman in college and I'm totally lost, but that's ok

[Regor]

Fuck politics. Make metal and STFU!

I'm so sick and tired of 'politics' running shit. Most recently, for example, SOAD's BYOB. Blah Blah Blah. "Why don't presidents fight the war, why do they always send the poor?" Do you think you're REALLY making people think about this issue if you scream it 100x in a song over and over again??

It's simple. Presidents are figureheads with 'power'. They 'send the poor' because the 'poor' need money, and so the government give them jobs in the Army. It's how it works. PLAIN AND SIMPLE. There's nothing 'controversial' about it. ONE president can't fight a war. GET A FUCKING CLUE AND MAKE BETTER MUSIC!


I liked my metal and politics like they were in the 80s/90s. As far as I'm concerned, Megadeth was the best political metal act ever. MegaDave knew how to write inspiring lyrics that provoked thought.

Rage Against the Machine yelling "Fuck you I won't do what you tell me" over and over to the point of absurdity with only 8 different lines of lyrics in the entire song is just crappy music.

It's no wonder I'm forced to listen to European metal for good shit these days.



(Sorry. It's 5:50am and I can't fall back asleep!)

[Hawksmoor]

Simple and real do not equal good.

But hey, to each his own, and there have been loads of good songs coming from political inspiration.

[Drew]

System of a Down blow. Personal opinion, of course, but I just find them annoying.

Actually, let me rephrase. They don't blow, they just annoy the crap out of me.

Regor, with all due respect (and I mean that literally, bro, you rock. ), I disagree completely with you in regards to the separation between music and politics. As a musician, you find yourself in a very public position, with a large and diverse audience who will at least give a cursory listen to anything you say. If at the same time you find that you have strong views on the current political situation in your country (whichever country that may be), then it's stupid NOT to try to use the forum you're a part of as an instrument for spreading change, or at the very least awareness.

A common counterargument to this is, "why should celebreities think their opinions matter more than ordinary people, and thus get involved in political causes?" I don't buy that. It'sd not that they matter more - everyone's opinion on politics is equally valid. It's just, they're in the singular position where they have the power to do so. Think about it - if you followed politics intently, had strong opinions on what changes needed to be made in the interest of your country, and suddenly had an international presence, would you just stop caring about politics because you suddenly had the power to make change?

Not all good music, metal or otherwise, is about drinking beer and getting laid. One of the albums I consider the best in recent years, OSI's debut, was a concept album on the government control of the dissimination of information, promped by Kevin Moore's reaction to 9/11, and named for an actual Donald Rumsfield project, the Office of Strategic Influence, that sought to "release misinformation to America's enemies through the American media."

I'm not saying there aren't plenty of crappy political songs. But there's also plenty of crapy songs about sex, drugs, beer, cars, relationships, and whatever, and I don't think it's fair to judge the entire genre on the merits of the weakest links.

-D

PS- I happen to like that Rage song.

[Metal Ken]

Originally Posted by Trent Reznor

Waaaaaaaah

I'm sick of people trying to use all these images of george bush. i'm not a fan of the guy really, but come, its just a bit Cliche' to use him in a negative light. Holy crap! That hasnt been done before...

I heard their new song on the radio, SOAD that is.. ANd these lyrics are stupid to the point of absurdity, I agree 100%.
"Why don't presidents fight the war, why do they always send the poor?" WOW! CAUSE ITS COMPLETELY UNFEASIBLE TO HAVE A STEEL CAGE MATCH WITH OUR WORLD LEADERS!!! Something about a band that comes from across the world to our country to bitch about our country doesnt sit right with me. I'm not a patriot.. i'm just thinking "Where do these guys have room to talk?" It kinda invalidates their whole opinion.

I dont generally dig political songs, HOWEVER, if the song is well written and has a concise, clear message in a well written format, then why the hell not..
I liked Testaments politcal songs a lot (Perilous Nation, f.ex ) and Kreator's take on some stuff, like Terrorism on their new album. Great songs. Like i said, as long as they're done well.

Sorry if this doesnt make a lot of sense. Venting ;p

[Regor]

No offense taken.

I'm all for 'freedom of speech'. As long as it's worth listening to. Whiny political bitching just annoys the fuck outta me. My favorite 'political' songs though, are Forclosure of a Dream and ...And Justice. THOSE kind of lyrics make you think. Shouting "WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?" over and over is just absurd. Fuck it pisses me off when a band doesn't take the time to write GOOD shit. I struggle with songs with my band. Why? Because I'm no lyricist. I'm a rhythm guitarist, and I will belt out heavy metal riff after heavy metal riff until I die. I have soooo many half written riffs that I forget them on a daily basis. ALL of which are great riffs (IMO). Now, am I going to take one of my 'babies' and put some shit lyrics to it just to make a song and hope it works? Fuck no. They deserve better than that, and the people who will want to listen to them deserve more inspiring lyrics than that.


We've got a song that my drummer actually came up with the lyrics for. It's called "Blame Game". Basically, he was sick of the idea of society pawning the 'blame' for everyone's actions on someone or something else. Blame TV, blame the government, blame society.... and the point of the song is, screw the scapegoat... you've only yourself to blame.

My point? One of the local bands that we're friends with that have helped us out with getting gigs started, their lead singer LOVES that song. He loves the concept and idea of the song. THAT makes me happy. Not just a random "That's a cool song" compliment, but a "I love the idea behind that song" compliment. Means more to me.

[/rant]

[rx]

Originally Posted by Regor

It's no wonder I'm forced to listen to European metal for good shit these days.