Trent Reznor Reacts To Nine Inch Nails' Music Being Used For Torture At Guantanamo Bay
Band Photo: Nine Inch Nails (?)
Trent Reznor has posted a message online regarding Nine Inch Nails' music being used at Guantanamo Bay for torture:
"It's difficult for me to imagine anything more profoundly insulting, demeaning and enraging than discovering music you've put your heart and soul into creating has been used for purposes of torture. If there are any legal options that can be realistically taken they will be aggressively pursued, with any potential monetary gains donated to human rights charities. Thank GOD this country has appeared to side with reason and we can put the Bush administration's reign of power, greed, lawlessness and madness behind us."
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78 Comments on "Reznor Reacts To NIN Music Used For Torture"
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Member
I'm glad he gave his opinion about this; I feel the same way. In fact, there are some songs used from different bands that are used for torture. I don't know how many of them mind that their music is used in disturbing, sickening ways, however I don't like the idea at all.
Hey guys, it's me, Trent. I'm an ungrateful twit that hails from the United States of America. You may know, the place those animals in Guantanamo would love to burn to the ground while they slice my head off with a dull and rusty steak knife. I'm really opposed to my government playing my music to these terror suspects because you know, that's torture. It's not torture when someone slowly saws your head off with the aforementioned knife, no, those are just freedom fighters getting back at us infidels for the simple act of breathing air.
So remember kids, buy my music so that I always have a stage to spew my ignorant ramblings about politics and those who keep me safe so that I can open my fat bloated mouth.
Sincerely,
Trent
P.S. - I'm tooootally high right now.
Member
Jenny, I don't understand those types of people either. They have psychological problems that can't be helped.
As for Trent Reznor, I enjoy listening to his music every now and then because some of it is pretty cool. But what he said about Bush is unjustifiable. Bush doesn't know everything that goes on this country, and to think he does is just a case of you being blind. As for the dude above....your an idiot. Trent Reznor has started releasing music free to public for download, THEREFORE, I doubt he gives a sh** about people buying his music, he already has a sh** ton of it anyways, why would he need more.
Member
Jake.Shall.Perish. : kudos to you.
I don't really listen to Trent, but people are shooting out words and missing the target of the concept completely. It doesn't matter who's music is being used to torture people; using music in that manner is just stupid with the reason of that being that music is an art form, and should not be used in this way in the first place.
Former Contributor
I see we have another person who doesn't fully understand the "IP Logged" feature. You can put as many names on there as you want but we all know it's still you....
This is kind of a hard issue to take a side on. Musicians should probably take this sort of thing a lot less personally because their music isn't being singled out for being bad, it's being singled out because the kind of people the government is interrogating in places like Guantanamo Bay either haven't heard anything like it before or because they are morally opposed to it. On the other hand I can't say that I wouldn't be seriously depressed to hear that the music I had poured my soul into was being used to annoy the sh** out of someone. It's a bad situation all around, not only because the actions of U.S. pushed a lot of these people over the edge to become terrorists in the first place, but also because a good portion of the people being held in prisons like this are not only innocent but haven't even been told what their alleged crimes are due to the Patriot Act. There really are no easy answers here, and I think many of the people taking either side are completely missing many of the points involved with their arguments.
Member
Yeah, I guess some faceless guy on the internet who I don't know from Adam has a point over the musician who I don't know from Adam. Apparently you have some strong feelings on this. You might be a bit new here, but most of the people who post on this site are pretty open minded. Present your case in a way that explains your viewpoint in a valid, intelligent fashion. You might be surprised. But considering that you have posted several times to a group of people you care nothing about, we might not hear from you again.
Trent may object to his music being played at volume to prisoners (which will be what they're using it for, and I would bet $10 the track they're playing is something like "Closer", just because the sentiments would probably be the most likely to upset someone with an islamist moral code, and you don't have to listen very hard to the lyrics to get to the offensive part) but I don't see how he could have a legal position to take. He allowed widespread distribution of his creation, so it's a question of tough luck if people choose to use it in ways he finds morally objectionable. Other than to protect copyright there aren't really terms and conditions on music. Unless he was to include some sort of label that states explicitly that the music was not to be used for the purposes of torture, what can he do to stop it? I imagine he'd find it highly offensive to learn that (for example) a rapist had listened to "Closer" before going out and committing a rape, but what could he do about it? For all we know, soldiers in Abu Ghraib might have been grooving out to "Capital G" on their iPods whilst humiliating prisoners. The whole thing is a non-issue, but Trent loves to be seen as morally upright on edgy topics. Better than not giving a damn, that's for sure.
Member
Trent's fantasy is a reign of power,greed,lawlessness & madness at the nearest leather S&M shop.They despise our culture & way of life;they hate everything about us;why not torment them with our"decadent"music?NIN is in good company(the favorite torture song is"Yellow Submarine" by the Beatles,and I don't hear the surviving Beatles grousing about it.)Oh,and have fun trying to sue the U.S. military.Whatever gets these sons of dogs to talk is OK by me.
Writer/Reviewer
ATTILATHEHEN and AMERICAN PATRIOT et al
As a rule most American servicemen who have endured torture at the hands of our current and former enemies have made efforts to reduce our own torture methods. This includes proven war heroes like John McCain and John Kerry.
Besides ethical justification theres something far more important:
The validity of the information provided by those being tortured...
i.e. Captives will say ANYTHING--whether it's true or false--to give the interrogator the information that HE wants to hear. John McCain himself admitted to saying things under torture merely to get them to stop.
This kind of "information" led to the Iraq war. A quagmire even the fiercest warhawks lament. Our fight was and is with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I'm not saying I wouldn't love to torture Bin Laden, nothing would make me happier but I think the government should at least get an ok from the artists--I'm sure Slayer and Deicide would be fine with it.
This is regarding the sarcastic comment about not wanting to hurt the feelings of people that want us reduced to ashes. So I guess you're saying that it would be fine for them to torture Americans, since the Americans seem to want to reduce them to ashes. It's not a patriotic issue buddy, it's an issue about humanity. Don't bring your negative views about another race into it. That's just stupid. As for Trent...he has the right to be upset about it, of course. AC/DC wasn't exactly happy when "Night Prowler" was being used as part of a serial killing ritual.
Member
"American Patriot" how the f***ing hell would you know if all of these Human Beings wanted Westerners to be reduced to ashes. Anyone that keeps tabs on the happenings at Guantanamo Bay know for a FACT that the majority of the people imprisoned have been held their illegally, by international and U.S law. That sounds very Un American to my ass.
Member
Zinnia and Allied: Here we go with Liberal mania.
I know a good portion of the people in Middle Eastern countries have no beef with us. I am refering to the fundamentalits' who have taken the Koran and wiped their asses with it.
Allied, your point was going well. until post 40. I'll let you wallow in you Bush Derangement Syndrome, as I can clearly see, your opinion about this country is already made up.
Zinnia: Let's not put our ignorance waaaaaayyyyyy out in front shall we? Did you even READ the post?
This is going to be a good one. I'm just curious if either one of you have served our country?
I think it is great that they are tortering those arab FU CKS. Now Im sure if any one close to you was killed by some sort of terrorist group. I thnk you to would be mad and would want to bring
PUNISHMENT to any one that harms you. I know i would. I bring PUNISHMENT at almost a daily level due to my MMA at team Quest. You just put on some good tunes like NAILBOMB and turn those MUTHERFU CK ERS out... With PUNISHMENT........
"I am refering to the fundamentalits' who have taken the Koran and wiped their asses with it. "
Thank god someone understands it (or at least speaks it). It is those muslims who give all middle eastern people a bad name. Same concept is applied to America. Except instead of muslims it would be the nationlist patriots etc. I don't mean to offend anyone hear who has ever served. But I am pretty sure everyone knows what I am talking about. Anyways, it's those exact stereotype people from the middle east see the American's as. (Kind of like the general drawing of jews in WWII [big nose etc.])
Man, NIN's music has been torturing me for ye..., oh, that's already been said.
I love the way these morons think that just because Bush is gone EVERYTHINGS gonna magically change. I got news for Trent fa**ot, ALL POLITICIANS ARE THE SAME! Bush just had the balls to not try to disguise it. Oh and Obama's never made a hard decision in his life. Whenever they come up he is convieniently (oh I'm not even gonna try to spell that word) busy doing something else. Just look at the situation with the Illinois governor, not to mention his voting record. Get a fu cking clue.
Writer, Reviewer
I agree with the following:
"...people are shooting out words and missing the target of the concept completely. It doesn't matter who's music is being used to torture people; using music in that manner is just stupid with the reason of that being that music is an art form, and should not be used in this way in the first place." - Jenny, though I would've gone a step further - it is not only things of an artistic nature that should not be used as torture devices: nothing should be. There is no scenario in which torture is ok. None. Period. Some softer forms of 'torture', like sleep deprevation and the removal of natural patterns (ie by having the detainee in full light 24/7), I'm not entirely against. They mess with your cycles, but if regulated properly should have no permanent effects and should not be physically painful or threatening.
Everything except the final paragraph of RM?'s post 37.
"Race is an abstract concept used to divide us. We are all of the same race - human." - post 44, though the problem is not in cultural differences themselves but in an unwillingness to accept cultural differences.
And post 52 (bristowe) was dead on.
Member
I can completely see where Trent Reznor is coming from. He's poured his time, his sweat and blood, etc., into his artform (music) and it's just being used to torture. Like several have said in this thread earlier, it's just not okay to torture someone.
I think psythe hit it right on in post 61, and b.bristowe in post 51.
IF this story is true, well its pretty f***ing easy to understand that Trent is p***ed off. But then again, what do we know for sure? Whats the source on this story?? Would the US Forces or whoever just state "hey, we're using Nine Inch Nails for torture"?? Besides, if you wanna torture someone, we all know there's better stuff out there, such as Lou Reed's Metal Machine Music, for one.
Yes I have served our country.
Yes I believe terrorists deserve the worst of what's coming to them. No I don't think Guantanamo Bay is in any way justified, it's illegal.
For the record, the world does not hate the United States. Some loud-mouthed world leaders do, yes. Some fanatics do, yes. But travel more, meet people, you'll see most people are actually fairly pleasant and don't hate the US or the West. Saying "most the world hates the West" are the words of a typical boring American citizen who believe everything they read and see on the screen.
Sad that this forum is filled with either extreme "all media is liberal and hates America" people or "Bush is responsible for everything that's evil" people. Wake the f*** up and recognize that very very few people making the most noise on your TV screen are painting a BS picture of typical life in the year 2008.
Supporter
to be honest, if i got hold of the people that bombed london a few years back then music is the last thi9ng id use. because id just take time slicind and skinning them. as i am sure people in the USa would with the 9/11 scum.
Music is perfect psychological warfare. as has been mentioned, pop music ect would work on us because of how appalling it is.
Metallicas black album was blasted out day and night as troops invaded baghdad in desert storm.
it aint Bush it aint blair it aint unique, the anti establishment muppets, get off your highchairs and back into the prams and go to sleep with a bottle in your mouths, you aint adult enough to speak.
give most of us time alone with these terrorist C***s and they will be screaming (and gurgling blood) for psychological assaults.
Member
"Metallicas black album was blasted out day and night as troops invaded baghdad in desert storm.
it aint Bush it aint blair it aint unique, the anti establishment muppets, get off your highchairs and back into the prams and go to sleep with a bottle in your mouths, you aint adult enough to speak.
give most of us time alone with these terrorist C***s and they will be screaming (and gurgling blood) for psychological assaults."
The reason there are terrorists.
Member
oh and "you'll see most people are actually fairly pleasant and don't hate the US or the West. Saying "most the world hates the West"
Funny enough, they do. I've been to England, Scotland and Ireland and everyone I talked to across the water didn't care much for the U.S. at all. No offense to any U.S. citizens, but I can see why. I mean just the shear fact that they went over there to find Osama Bin Ladin and killed Saddam instead, but they are still there? Yeah, I'd hate the U.S. too. Iraq is actually worse off now because of the 2nd invasion. The Taliban occupies somewhere around 60-70% of the middle east...Yeah, I'd be f***ing choked too, wouldn't you?
Anyways that's off topic, good luck to Reznor, although I doubt he'll have any luck with the case. I mean, Reznor>;Lawyer>;Law Firm>;Law>;Government
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Writer, Reviewer
Good job. Glad he's not keeping the coin himself, too.