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2006.06.14
[Dear_Trent_#_34]
Dear Trent,
I'm not sure I can do it, but I wanted to try to tell you what it's like for me, a longtime follower of your doings, to see you look like this at the end of a tour:
I mean, I just keep thinking back to last time, and to the end of the Self Destruct tour, remembering the vaguely evasive look in your eyes, and the sense of scratchy vulnerability just beneath the skin. Then I look at this.
Seeing you looking so well? Glowing with physical and creative vitality, engaged in stemming the boredom of endless touring with totally brilliant little plots like working with Saul WIlliams, or these beautiful radio performances, and writing your own new record? Surrounded by people you obviously respect? Shit, man. Words fail me.
A long time ago, you told me a devastating and beautiful story. You had a kind of rare courage, and a near inability to be untruthful, and you inspired me to be bold; to let my own truth have its voice. I've said before that you and your work were like a compass for me -- a true north -- and that's absolutely true. I'm not going to tell you the whole story of my life, or anything. Suffice it to say that I, personally, did not spiral downward into a deadly narcotic and alcoholic abyss, but I did say "No" like you did, to lots of things that it would have been much easier and safer to say "Yes" to. When your trajectory took you so far south (and I don't mean to New Orleans, I mean to the gaping maw of hell, where hell = stupid rock star death), I thought... maybe it's better to learn how to say "Yes" to those fucking things.
I'm still not sure I know the answer. Like you, I guess, I'm just trying to live my life, and do the things I should do. I can't say I always succeed as spectacularly as you do in your work, Sparklepants, but I just wanted to say that seeing you there, with your good skin and fresh shave, your eyes closed to sing, your grip tight on that microphone -- in other words, IN YOUR MOTHERFUCKING ELEMENT -- fills me with the feeling that good things are possible; that there is hope, and that human beings can be beautiful, resplendent creatures.
Thank you, Trent. I needed that.
Love,
Dierdre
Posted by Dierdre ~ in dear_trent | Permalink
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That is, quite simply, a beautiful fucking picture. Has anyone heard the D.C. radio show?
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 7:15:43 AM
I have. It was FUCKING AWESOME. They did TV on the Radio's "Dreams", "Final Solution" by Bauhaus, and Trent sang "Bela Lugosi is Dead".
Yeah. Really. It was glorious. What a great combination of music he has with him right now. SO GOOD.
Posted by: Jane | Jun 14, 2006 7:25:36 AM
Have any of you people listened to that TV on the Radio record that's currently linked in our "Absrobing" section? I mean, if you haven't, I totally understand; I was way behind the curve, myself, but if not, you need to remedy that shit, because it is beautiful.
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 14, 2006 7:37:23 AM
I haven't had a chance to check them out yet. I kind of wish we had them instead of Peaches, as I've already seen her before.
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 8:00:27 AM
peter murphy reminds me of the character from the matrix. but i saw an inconvient truth-- talk about feeling horrible and selfish and repulsive...anyways-- i recoomend every one who hasn't seen it go see it as soon as humanly possile.
Posted by: Tori | Jun 14, 2006 9:45:02 PM
So, I just realized where that quote on Trent's new red t-shirt comes from. It's Jack Kerouac, from "Mexico City Blues". I hunted it down on the interbots, as my copy of that business is in a box in someone's garage right now, but it's from the 211th chorus:
The wheel of the quivering meat conception
Turns in the void expelling human beings,
Pigs, turtles, frogs, insects, nits,
Mice, lice, lizards, rats, roan
Racinghorses, poxy bubolic pigtics,
Horrible, unnameable lice of vultures,
Murderous attacking dog-armies
Of Africa, Rhinos roaming in the jungle,
Vast boars and huge gigantic bull
Elephants, rams, eagles, condors,
Pones and Porcupines and Pills-
All the endless conception of living beings
Gnashing everywhere in Consciousness
Throughout the ten directions of space
Occupying all the quarters in & out,
From super-microscopic no-bug
To huge Galaxy Lightyear Bowell
Illuminating the sky of one Mind-
Poor! I wish I was free
of that slaving meat wheel
and safe in heaven dead
Just thought I'd share.
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 14, 2006 10:36:46 PM
Which shirt is this?
new pic on nin.com (6/14):
Okay, I still have a crush on the Italian.
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 11:07:07 PM
So D - Absrobing? What exactly is that? Some sort of new fashion trend in Paris for dressing your mid section? Although I don't see how it would relate to listening to a CD. You seem to be slipping with these misspellings and stuffs recently. At the risk of bringing out the bearcat in Jane you might want to do some more proofreading, lest she start unleashing on all of us again. You may end up finding an “Asking_For_It: Grammatical_Flubs_By_Those_That_Ought_To_Know_Better” creation in your inbox, quoting all our errors along with page references to help books, mocking us all at the same time.
And again while meandering around today, I come across this. I wonder where the fuck did your cute little bellybuttongo? Some free advice Trent, old boy. I know you’ve had a lot of time off between records and with this last “in between” period you kicked your bad habits so you may have had more coherent time to yourself, but dude…continually checking for lint fluff can be just as bad of a habit. I mean, you changed the shape of your bellybutton for Christ’s sake.
Posted by: Iris | Jun 14, 2006 11:09:49 PM
I’ve seen that shirt. He wore it at Kim's show didn't he? Maise, check out the frc.com site…they’ve got a few shots of it but I could never tell what the hell it said. Interesting item to quote from. Is there more to it than just the excerpt you hunted down D?
Oh and the Italian…let’s just not get me started again on how fucking adorable he is. He can be as badass as he wants with Trent & Co. but all I have to do is fire up the old MWM to hear that sweet, sweet man. And another helpful tip from Iris. Alessandro, if you feel the need to butch up your image please refrain from divulging your interests in anime porn. That’s not butch, it’s just creepy.
Posted by: Iris | Jun 14, 2006 11:25:45 PM
Iris, your trumped-up belly button controversy is like an eye doctor appointment. "Better 1? Better 2? Better 1?" They totally look the same to me.
That first picture brings out the drooling fangirl in me. Inadvertent glimpse of stomach...I'm as giddy as a Victorian who's just been flashed half an ankle.
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 11:26:36 PM
That picture of Trent's midriff from maggiebear totally juices me every fucking time. Seriously, I would eat that sexy bitch alive.
Oh, and Iris -- thank's for bringing it with the bitchiness about my typographical carelessness. I didn't even SEE that one. I am slipping!!
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 14, 2006 11:30:05 PM
I really need to get back to Italy. Every young Italian man is as hot as Alessandro or hotter...every one! The streets are filled with men who could all be model material. Don't even get me started about the enormous group of Italian soliders I saw at the airport in Rome.
Every single one of them will eventually turn into a crusty old Italian man, though. That's nature's way.
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 11:34:52 PM
Oh, and you know what? Although usually I am firmly in the "Band? What band?!" camp, and feel that anyone on stage with Trent Reznor may as well be made of cardboard, for all I care, I'm going to have to go ahead and admit that the latest picture of Mr. Cortini is rather nice.
However, I'm going to leave the crushing on him to you ladies. I've only got room for a rock star paramour, and that room is taken.
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 14, 2006 11:34:59 PM
Can I just say that I love that you two are online at this time of night? I'm trapped in this terrible pattern of work, home improvement, more work, lying in bed wide awake thinking about everything that has to be done before the end of next week, fitful sleep, and going back to work...
Posted by: maise | Jun 14, 2006 11:47:44 PM
Well Maise, I have a feeling I may be visiting that eye doctor soon. My eyesight has been starting to fail somewhat (could be because work, alone, has me staring at a computer screen for the better part of 10 hours a day). That fact was recently backed up with the vision test they make you take when renewing your driver’s license.
DL Lady: Look in this device and read me the first line.
Iris: Uhh…I can’t read anything.
DL Lady: Well just try as best you can.
Iris: Look lady I can’t even make an educated guess on this one.
DL Lady: Alright, well how many fingers and I holding up?
Iris: Two?
DL Lady: Well it was three but I guess a thumb isn't really considered a finger. Go stand over there and we’ll take your picture for you new license.
Iris: **thinks to self** Holy shit I passed!
So if you’re walking anywhere near the street in my local area, just make sure the sign that you’re holding up that says “DON’T HIT ME, I’M A PEDESTRIAN” is clearly visible and in large print.
Posted by: Iris | Jun 14, 2006 11:50:54 PM
Actual eyesight is highly overrated. My eye color is pretty, but the world two inches away from my corneas is a complete blur.
Every time I go to the eye doctor, they say, "Wow, your eyes are so BAD...I can't believe how STRONG your prescription is!!!"
Elijah Wood is apparently crazy near-sighted too, and look how pretty his eyes are. A lovely young man, even when he's a cannibalistic serial killer.
Posted by: maise | Jun 15, 2006 12:02:09 AM
Ooh, ooh! I'm in the near-sighted club, too. I can't see a fucking thing that's more than about 10 inches from my face without my corrective eye-wear.
Elijah Wood's eyes should be in a museum. They are freakish. And, on that topic, I recommend this hilarious youtube gem. Yeah, it's a non-sequitur. What of it??
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 15, 2006 1:26:22 AM
I think it's time to give up the dream that Trent actually reads, but I like that shirt. At least it's better than his oblique sartorial military references.
Posted by: Jane | Jun 15, 2006 4:35:02 AM
A big improvement over the sergeant shirt...
Posted by: maise | Jun 15, 2006 7:08:27 AM
I love this site you guys. I went to the DC/VA show on 6/13/06, it was off the chain, no pun intended. Trent looks better with age, I am a lesbian, but he is a tasty beast. I wrote a virtual letter to him on my blog, I also frequent this site.
I agree, I think Peter Murphy looks like a Matrix character, especially with his outfits, he is so animated. Sparklepants was so fucking hot on Tuesday. Gosh, I wish I was still there. I heart Trent!
Posted by: Christy | Jun 15, 2006 6:53:51 PM
You know, Christy, he IS tasty, and here at WTC, I think it's safe to say that all of us, except Gabriel the Vile, heart him. I checked your blog, and I love that you're spreading the "Sparklepants" name. If only it would sweep the NINternet! How awesome would it be if EVERYONE the NINternet over called him "Sparklepants" or "notre amour"?
I also read that you are battling cancer, and wanted to send you some healing vibes using all my telekinetic powers, but I'm not sure how much good it will do you, alas. Be well, compatriot in Trent-love. I know I speak for Chainsers the world over when I send you my best wishes.
Thanks for reading, and thanks for stopping by. I hope we hear more from you...
Posted by: Dierdre | Jun 15, 2006 11:45:59 PM
If the shirt we're talking about is the red one that he got totally soaked in at the beginning of my concert - it says "Safe In Heaven, Dead."
There's references to that every-damn-where. There's no telling if it's promoting the book, the production company, or the band... or if Trent just thought it was a neat quote and decided to buy it when he was last in Australia.
Posted by: Kim | Jun 16, 2006 10:56:21 AM
Dierdre, that Lord of the Rings thing had my husband and me *in tears.*
Posted by: maise | Jun 16, 2006 12:11:49 PM
Off topic,
I am going to see an inconvienent truth tomorrow. I am mildly dreading it.
Speaking of Elijah Wood, has anyone seen Everything is Illuminated? It's my new fave. Elijah is good, but the movie rocks because of Eugene Hutz's performance.
And Diedre, thanks for the pic. For once I am speechless.
Healing vibes, Christy.
Posted by: Lavender | Jun 16, 2006 12:16:26 PM
Don't worry, Lavender. The movie isn't that dire and hopeless. There are times when Al Gore is downright amusing. "Mmmm, gold bars..." (You'll know it when you see it.)
I wanted to see "Everything Is Illuminated," but never got around to it. Also, I really wanted to see him in that soccer hooligan movie, but alas. My husband doesn't think he would make a convincing soccer hooligan.
Posted by: maise | Jun 16, 2006 12:24:09 PM
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