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Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails

Date: Dec 29 2008

Themes: Alternative

Grammar: Comparatives and Superlatives

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

Plenty of bands make a few albums, earn a ton of money, and then disappear. Or they keep making music, but it all sounds the same. Only some artists stay on the scene for many years and continue to develop as musicians.

Trent Reznor has been making music and producing music for two decades now. His band Nine Inch Nails first became popular in the 1990s with an industrial sound. Since then, he’s not only continued to make albums, but also influenced younger musicians like Marilyn Manson.

Whether or not you like NIN’s mix of heavy metal and dark electronic music, it’s pretty clear that they’re more than just a passing fad. In 2008, Reznor released two new albums, The Slip and Ghosts I-IV, which is 36 instrumental tracks. The band asked fans to make YouTube videos to go with the songs, and so far, more than 2000 people have. Listen to Mason and Devan talk about how Nine Inch Nails has evolved over the years.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Devan

Devan

Mason:  I saw a picture of Trent Reznor. He’s been pumpin’ iron. He’s like…He’s got biceps like my quads right now. And he’s all clean-cut.

Devan:  He toned down the gothic look sort of, or…?

Mason:  He went like Henry Rollins on the world. So his aggro, really awesome electronic music has a whole new layer of depth. Because it’s not angsty, it’s angry.

Devan:  That’s crazy. So their music has totally changed? What does the new album sound like?

Mason:  I’m more of a layman when it comes to Nine Inch Nails, so it more or less sounds like the same old stuff, but just he keeps getting more sophisticated with it. It’s that same kind of drum and bass kind of thing, with rattling chains, and…uh…screaming.

Devan:  I heard they were doing some contest…Or maybe it wasn’t a contest, but they were just telling their fans to make videos for the songs on the new album, did you hear about that?

Mason:  Yeah, that’s part of the thing, is he’s really getting the fans working for him and getting people involved in the process…It’s not really about he goes away and makes an album and then you go and buy it. It’s this collaborative process between the artist and the fans.

 

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Discussion

Trent Reznor used to have a really dark look, but now he looks more like an ordinary, clean-cut guy. His music has changed a little, too. He’s still doing a lot of electronic music, but it’s more mature and complex. Mason doesn’t know a lot about Nine Inch Nails, though, so the new stuff sounds a lot like the old stuff to him.

Devan tells Mason that NIN asked their fans to make videos for the songs on their new album. Mason says that the fan videos are part of the new spirit of the band. They want to be more involved with their fans. It’s part of the band’s new image.

Have you ever changed your image? What was your old style and what is your new one?

 

Comments

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雪*

雪*

China

................................................................i like it

12:19 PM Dec 31 2011 |

rockerita11

Colombia

eyp i have cahnaged my image … well just once or twuice…. but i think that we are what we feel,, we are what we know life is not just your image or how you ese the clothes or your hair… is a lot  of knowledge  and … we are learning…

02:07 AM Jan 04 2010 |

samiabenarab

France

hi Naomi

09:54 AM Feb 03 2009 |

samiabenarab

France

I've changed my clothing style 8 years ago, I used to wear short skurts all the time. now I wear "HIDJAB". HIDJAB is the islamique woman dress. It means that every muslim woman have to cover her body exept her face and hands, by beeing dressed with a scarf that cover the head and the chest, and a wide and long dress to the ankels.

09:36 AM Feb 03 2009 |

lu_cifer

China

NIN hold a consert with Brett Anderson(Suede) in Beijing in 2008.Really fantastic!!!But actually im a fan of Suede not NIN…:P

08:30 AM Jan 04 2009 |

magic1015

magic1015

China

bows to metal !

03:48 PM Dec 31 2008 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

I don’t know this band Nini Inch Nails…I like bands that mix eletronic music with heavy metal,for example White Zombie (some musics);Prodigy and others…

07:11 PM Dec 30 2008 |

Marcelolic

Marcelolic

Brazil

When I was teenager I used to dressed black shirts of bands,torn pants and boots,listened heavy metal (I listen until today hehe)...and my hairs?! God! hahaha I used it kind "MOICANO" (a kind of haircut as the punks used)...After I served the army,I began to shave my hairs and I'm like that until today hehe :D

07:05 PM Dec 30 2008 |

8rees

8rees

Japan

Nine Inch Nails is the only one industrial metal band who can sell a lot of albums

even though they still make dark and sometimes complex sounds.

I'm not a NIN fan. But I can see why people like them.

I got and listened their latest album The Slip (which could be downloaded for free), and that was  pretty good.

I did't feel they changed a lot in it (Trent Reznor certainly changed his look though).

02:16 AM Dec 30 2008 |

Ak#Ok

Ak#Ok

Eritrea

"T.I.P" Is the Man 

"KinG of Da South" YA baby !!! 

01:02 AM Dec 30 2008 |

Ak#Ok

Ak#Ok

Eritrea

I never heard of this band are they that popular ??

01:01 AM Dec 30 2008 |

Fernando1247

Venezuela

I admire this band. It’s my favorite. Actually, they came here (Venezuela) in October and the concert was the best!!!

11:42 PM Dec 29 2008 |

kique

Mexico

great musician.¡¡¡¡¡¡

 

10:50 PM Dec 29 2008 |

endless_2007

Hungary

 

My favourite musician…artist.. without any doubt. Even David Lynch worked together with Trent.

 

10:18 PM Dec 29 2008 |

Caê

Caê

Brazil

If this band influenced Marlyn Maison, it seems to me not good music.

03:40 PM Dec 29 2008 |

miffoo

miffoo

Slovakia

I haven’t heard this band

10:13 AM Dec 29 2008 |

lukeyy

lukeyy

China

I like to listening to music,but I never heard of this band. I will search on the internet for it,and download some to listen.I will collect his music and upload the in my space.(my space: http://lukeyylu.spaces.live.com/)

07:35 AM Dec 29 2008 |

Naomi1010

Naomi1010

Taiwan

Honestly,I have never heard of this band before,but I checked them online and thought it’s not bad to listen to different types of music.Pretty cool!!

01:18 AM Dec 29 2008 |

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