[personal profile] rusty_halo
Saturday - Nine Inch Nails listening party. They played the new album twice. It's good. Not Downward Spiral good, but an enjoyable listen. The Hand That Feeds is nice and catchy, the one with the "Don't You Know What You Are" chorus is classic angry NIN, and the last song is really pretty and got the most interesting crowd reaction; I think people weren't sure what to make of it. It was sort of a Hurt style quiet album closer. The only thing I really didn't like was "With Teeth"--Trent sings it "with-ah teeth-ah." Lame.

So, yeah. Mainly, I can't wait to see them live.

The crowd sucked, though; lots of boring suburban people who'd never been to a club before and didn't know how to act. And I got there two hours early and stood in the rain, which wasn't fun. But [livejournal.com profile] drujan showed up, so it was good to have company.

And we got rare limited edition 7" vinyl singles! They were free if you pre-ordered the album for $15. Very nice.

And my new roommate moved in Sunday. THANK GOD. This is such a weight off my shoulders. So far, so good... he's barely been around. *crosses fingers*

And I saw Sin City with [livejournal.com profile] jaydk. Very disappointing. It was visually stunning, and so well made, but it was all style; there was no substance at all. The story wasn't engaging on an emotional or intellectual level. It got so repetitive: big strong tough guy saves whore-with-heart-of-gold from evil bad guy(s). Throw in some graphic violence, repeat for two hours. It got boring. Just old fashioned sexism... nothing subversive, or new, or emotionally sympathetic, or interesting. I am sad for the lost potential. (And I enjoy film noir immensely; but good films noir have more going on underneath than just the stylistic conventions of the genre.)

So, guess what I've been doing lately....

If you said "obsessively trying to collect every bit of art Raymond Watts has ever been involved with," you would be correct.

Actually, I got the coolest thing yesterday. An underground music video compilation from Berlin from 1988. It's got the video for Pig's "Shit for Brains," one of the first singles from the first Pig album. Raymond is so YOUNG!! It's absolutely precious and adorable. It's kind of a cheesy 80s-type video, with those goofy video effects that were popular back then. Raymond is in his mid-20's, with short hair, an earring, and a leather jacket. You can totally see it as an antecedent to the much darker work he would do in the future, and as a really interesting take on the sort of musical genre stuff that was going on at the time. It's an artist who hasn't quite come into his own yet, but you can see that he's got a lot of potential. Plus, did I mention that he's so young and adorable?!!!!

I've also managed to obtain, over the past few weeks, just about every Pig music video that was ever made. (Fountain of Miracles, Seven Veils, Painiac, Everything). Also, the original Schaft Arbor Vitate video, which is much better than the Watts version (which is currently available at watts-hq.com). It's very high quality, too. That video is just awesome: stylish, well-made, powerful, fits the song... like everything a music video should be. And it's got Raymond, shirtless, in leather pants.

I also got some interview footage--looks like it's from Japan, maybe 1994. He's so articulate and well-spoken, and he has such a high vocabulary and such an interesting way of putting words and concepts together. I can see why his lyrics appeal to me--he has a great command of language and ability to play with words in interesting ways. Plus it's just so cool to see him in the interview--all posh British accent and so well spoken--and then see him totally insane onstage. And it's also an interesting contrast to the KMFDM DVDs, on which he's several years older, and always goofing off, almost never serious. It's so neat to see him all young and sincere.

Oh yeah, another thing I got--a KMFDM bootleg from '95, in which Raymond is blond. He has incredible stage presence, and his performance is amazing--he's very expressive, constantly moving around, gesturing with his hands, interacting with the crowd, etc. In the middle of it, he holds up a PIG t-shirt and then lights it on fire. It's awesome.

I also got a radio interview from 2001, with Raymond and Bryan Black (from the sick city). It's kind of frustrating, because the DJ (which I think is Jared from Chemlab) talks over them and answers questions for them, the most frustrating thing an interviewer can do! But Raymond has some interesting things to say, mostly about the music industry and not getting along with TVT. (Has anyone ever gotten along with TVT? Wasn't NIN's entire Broken record a gigantic hissy fit at TVT?) Apparently they said he's not "radio" enough, which is so hilariously clueless, and so depressing. This amazing artist who's been around since the genesis of industrial music, who's been a member of several of the major acts of the history of the scene, that have had so much influence on the development of industrial music (and without which NIN and Manson etc. wouldn't exist), and you're complaining that he's not radio friendly??? Although there's quite a funny part where the DJ plays a Manson song and Raymond falls out of his chair laughing. And I was really weirded out by the fact that Raymond didn't know what eBay was. It's 2001 and you don't know eBay? I guess it's a generational divide.

So anyway, I think I've gotten most of what's commonly available. I have a few more EPs/singles/side projects to collect. Then all that's left will be KMFDM bootlegs and possibly Japanese bootlegs--apparently, Raymond toured Japan in '99 as Pig opening for Buck-Tick and again in 2001 with Schwein. There are quite a few concert reports floating around, but frustratingly they are in JAPANESE, and running them through internet translators produces tantalizing, but incomprehensible, text.

I did find one in English, though, which SO makes me want to be able to read the other ones. Click here to read it.

This is a report of Schwein (a band with 2 members of Buck-Tick, plus Raymond and various others) in 2001. The A-chan she is referring to is the gorgeous lead singer of Buck-Tick. (Actually I've been downloading a lot of Buck-Tick stuff too, because they are quite good.)

Actually I wouldn't like to recall this live anymore 'cause it's tooooooo~~~ erotic, pornographic, obscene!!!!
At first day A-chan came out with a cigarette on his mouth, and blow the smoke to the audience.
We could even smell it!!! I thought he was almost drunk at that time when I saw his eyes.
Than he went to the middle of the stage. Raymond and he held each other tight and...... had deep kisses~~~~~!!!!!
Damn! What were they doing??? A-chan couldn't resist Raymond's seduce and lay down in Raymond's arms
just like a pure girl. Woooooooo~~~~~~


The music of live was much better than album. It feels full, active and various. Everybody jumped in "Lard, Lips, Liquor".
A-chan rose up his hands and danced, twisted his cute, thin waist ~~~ They were all drunk, crazy but beautiful!!!
Raymond and A-chan spitted vodka and beer into the audience, laid against each other's shoulder holding bottles
and sang this song. I felt really moved at that scene.


and

But Raymond is really #$%#%%~~~~~ He put "FXXK" between every two words of his MC and said many things bad.
( and we shouted back in English, Sorry to others.) Sometimes A-chan and Ray sang with the same microphone
and two mouths (and tongues!!!) touched each other.
In "Schwein", Ray sang "You're mine, forever." and A-chan answered "Yes, Ya, oh~~*&%#~~~~" with almost kissing.
What an erotic sight! Audience almost got crazy ( me, too ).
At first day, once the string of Ray's guitar cut off. Ray just took the guitar with his left hand and let someone change the string.
Ray himself held A-chan with right hand and ...... kissed him again!!!!! Why did Ray love to kiss A-chan so much???? >_<=333

Sometimes Ray grabbed A-chan from the back and stick their body tightly, then twisted with A-chan and their #$%^& are together.
Gush...... Sometimes Ray would touch some places he shouldn't from the back (Like crxxch ...... Can you imagine that ......???)
and A-chan enjoyed that!!! At last day Ray even pushed down A-chan's head and [P----] him from the back.
Ray put his finger before mouth to notice everyone to be quiet ...... Mamamiya! What live is it??


and

At last, Ray kissed both Arianne and A-chan mouth to mouth. (Ray~~~~~~~!!!!!!!! How dare you!!!)

Um, yeah. I really rather wish I'd been there for this!

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-05 12:38 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] meko00.livejournal.com
And my new roommate moved in Sunday
Oh that's great! I hope he a) behaves b) stays.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-05 12:40 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rusty_halo.livejournal.com
Thank you!! Me too. :)

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-05 12:44 pm (UTC)
minim_calibre: (Default)
From: [personal profile] minim_calibre
May he be a good roommate, and not a bad one.

Just old fashioned sexism... nothing subversive, or new, or emotionally sympathetic, or interesting.

Yeah, that's kind of the fault of the source text there, or, rather, being exceedingly faithful to it. Frank, he's got some issues.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-05 03:13 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rusty_halo.livejournal.com
Oh, shut up. This is LIVEJOURNAL; everyone here is a geek.

Hey, did you read that Japanese stuff? Isn't that slashy-delicious?

Imagine if James Marsters made out with a stunningly hot guy in Japan. Every single person on my friends' list would be firing up the altavista translator....

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-05 03:30 pm (UTC)
ext_12691: (Default)
From: [identity profile] 10zlaine.livejournal.com
Their command of English almost makes it way dirtier. Maybe it's the juvenile use of words that makes it so naughty!bad!....hee!

That japanese guy is totally hot.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-06 09:02 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] chenanceou.livejournal.com
I miss you! Argh! I wish I could have seen Sincity with you guys so I could diss it. Sniff.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-06 12:56 pm (UTC)
aea: (Default)
From: [personal profile] aea
Um, that concert?
::THUD::

When you said you get immersed into something, you get deep in there. Congratulations on acquiring all that Pig stuff. All you need now is Raymond Watts.

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-06 01:34 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] rusty_halo.livejournal.com
I just love that Japanese concert description... and how the way the girl describes it makes it sound so obscene. >:)

When you said you get immersed into something, you get deep in there.

Yeah, I wasn't kidding! Hey, it gives me something to do...

All you need now is Raymond Watts.

Nah, I would not want to spoil the illusion. There is a huge different between ART (which can be enjoyed/appreciated passionately and wholeheartedly) and ARTIST (which is a fallible and flawed human being just like anyone). It's very dangerous, and ultimately disappointing, to confuse the two....

(JMHO).

(no subject)

Date: 2005-04-12 02:31 pm (UTC)
aea: (Default)
From: [personal profile] aea
It's very dangerous, and ultimately disappointing, to confuse the two....

No, I agree. I think we covered this a few posts ago. He's just so pretty. An with a pretty brain. ;D

rusty-halo.com

I blog about fannish things. Busy with work so don't update often. Mirrored at rusty-halo.com.

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