I always watch the Oscars for, among other things, the gowns that I can readily criticize with no emotional attachment or boo-yahs from "nice" people who think I should give the lady who won something in writing/cinematography/music/animation/whatever (and who is clearly not an actress) "a break" because, ya know, she's not an actress.
Whatever. Adapt, people!
The one surprise for me this evening was that Trent Reznor (!) won for best musical score for The Social Network. I haven't seen the movie, so I was not only surprised that he was nominated, but I was shocked to shit when he actually WON!
And he was a complete and total grown-up about it! Witness!
(Sorry for the bad recording presently. That's all we got right now, peeps.)
Wtf! WHERE IS THE ANGER!? WHERE IS THE CYNICISM!?
Fucking amazing. Also, very, very cool. Not only has Trent grown up, but it appears that Gen X has grown up as well.
Generation X, that is. If you are confused about how/why this could occur, let me direct you to the following:
In the 1991 book Generations, William Strauss and Neil Howe call this generation the "13th Generation" and define the birth years as 1961 to 1981. 1970, the approximate mid-point of the "13th Generation", had the lowest birth rate of this period.
According to the authors, Generation X is "the 13th generation" to be familiar with the flag of the United States (counting back to the peers of Benjamin Franklin).[3] The label was also chosen because, according to their generational theory, it is considered a "Reactive" or "Nomad" generation, composed of those who were children during a spiritual awakening.
Yeah. That's pretty much us. Also, I hear that we are cynical and lazy.
Growing up in a historical span of relative geopolitical peace for the US, this generation saw the inception of the home computer, the rise of videogames, cable television and the Internet as a tool for social and commercial purposes. Other attributes identified with this demographic are peaks in U.S. urban decay, the AIDS epidemic, the War on Drugs, the Dot-com bubble, the New York City blackout of 1977, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the Iran hostage crisis, the Iran-Contra Affair, Desert Storm, the rise and fall of disco, 1980s rock "hair bands" such as Motley Crue and Bon Jovi, new wave, techno and punk rock, gangsta rap, heavy metal, 1990s grunge/alternative rock bands such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, and the hip hop culture. Along with early members of Generation Y, Generation Xers are sometimes referred to as the MTV Generation.
(snip)
Often the children of divorced parents,[citation needed] change is more the rule for the people of Generation X than the exception.[citation needed] Unlike their parents who challenged leaders with an intent to replace them, Generation X tend to ignore leaders. [18]
For me, and for many of us, Trent Reznor/NIN (same difference, really) remained an unbridled voice in a broken world. His electronica, from the start, was angry and questioning, and he refused to back down into a music industry that not only didn't want him, but was seriously ready to suppress him. Almost all of his work was underground, with members of Gen X sharing CDs with one another and trying their best to make sense of Trent's nominally self-loathing lyrics.
The guy is a fucking pioneer, in many ways. Trent put together lyrics that were not at all inspirational (in fact, they were depressing and awful in most respects), but that spoke the truth. NIN invented music and lyrics that we Gen Xers absolutely respected, because that was how we felt about ourselves, too.
Early NIN:
If you were pretty sure that the world sucks in all sorts of ways, Trent Reznor/NIN was quite adept in convincing you that you were right.
More:
Nice combat boots, yo. Very pre-grunge. Trent Reznor used to be, uhm, a bit disturbed. I think the next song will testify to that unequivocally (don't watch this one at work, people. Srsly.).
Nine Inch Nails started to expand into soundtracks, especially if the movies themselves were effing weird. "The Perfect Drug", from the movie The Lost Highway, is one of the best videos I've ever seen. Very gothic, extremely cool.
Trent Reznor became such an indie success that even Johnny Cash was impressed. Cash performed a cover of NIN's "Hurt", which is stunningly sad.
A more modern Trent Reznor is still a questioning and apathetic Trent Reznor, save nothing. Clearly about our government:
Last, but not least, we have one of my very favorites:
Has Trent Reznor grown up, now that he's won an Oscar and appears to be happily married? I wish him all the best but, honestly, who the fuck cares?! His past works are enough to carry me through an American plutocracy government.