Trent Reznor has given up his Twitter account and says he'll stop using other social networking sites, too, because, as he says in a post on the Nine Inch Nails forum, "idiots rule."
The twits he is referring to are from the Metal Sludge world. Metal Sludge is a website which features a groupie section where female fans "discuss" having "sex" with rock stars. There's also apparently a lot of racism that goes on on the site, according to Reznor, and he says that these people have discovered Twitter makes him pretty sick.
"Metal Sludge is the home of the absolutely worst people I've ever come across," he wrote. "It's populated mainly by unattractive plump females who publicly fantasize about having sex with guys in bands. Kind of like a role-playing game where people NOBODY will fuck make up stories about their incredible sexual encounters with people they WISH they could fuck.
"It would be kind of funny in a sad and pathetic way except the fun doesn't stop there - hate and good old-fashioned outright blatant racism are also encouraged to spice things up and remind you how truly ugly these scourges are. TRULY ugly on the inside (the outside is obvious)."
Reznor's problem with this extends to Twitter because Metal Sludge types have apparently been showing up and "spewing hate" at him and his fiancee, West Indian Girl's Mariqueen Maandig.
"A few years ago some people tuned me in to that world and when I figured out who these people were, I was amazed that I'd been seeing them in the front rows of the shows for months. I really don't understand what kind of 'fan' spends that kind of time and money to travel across the country seeing a band, to then dedicate an incredible amount of time and energy into non-stop hate diatribes online. That one puzzles me a little."
When Reznor left Interscope Records and became an independent artist, he realized he'd need to become familiar with the internet and social media tools in order to market himself. He says he realized major labels were clueless with this kind of thing, so he decided to immerse himself in it in order to figure out what fans wanted. That was the case with Twitter, too.
"I approached that as a place to be less formal and more off-the-cuff, honest and 'human'," he writes. "I was not expecting to broadcast details of my love life there, but it happened because I'm in love and it's all I think about and that's that. If this has bummed you out or destroyed what you've projected on me, fair enough — it's probably time for you to leave. You are right, I'm not the same person I was in 1994 (and I'm happy about that). Are you?"
Reznor concludes by telling his fans that he'll "be tuning out of the social networking sites because at the end of the day it's now doing more harm than good in the bigger picture and the experiment seems to have yielded a result. Idiots rule."
You can see Reznor with Nine Inch Nails here:
June 12 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 13 Manchester, TN @ Great Stage Park (Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival)
June 19 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
June 20 Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival
June 21 Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
June 23 Poznan, Poland @ Malta International Theatre Festival
June 24 Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena
June 26 Milan, Italy @ Idroscalo
June 27 St. Gallen, Switzerland @ St. Gallen Open Air Festival
June 30 Berlin, Germany @ Berlin Arena
July 2 Arvika, Sweden @ Arvika Festival
July 3 Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
July 5 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
July 7 Paris, France @ Le Zenith
July 8 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Heineken Music Hall
July 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
July 11 Balado, Scotland @ Balado Airfield (T In The Park)
July 12 Eadestown, Ireland @ Punchestown Racecourse (Oxegen Festival)
July 14 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening News Arena
July 15 London, England @ O2 Arena
July 18 Istanbul, Turkey @ Rock N Coke Festival
July 20 Athens, Greece @ Vrahon Theater
July 22 Rome, Italy @ Rockinrome
July 24 Budapest, Hungary @ Syma Sport And Event Centre
July 25 Targu Mures, Romania @ Peninsula Festival
July 28 Nimes, France @ Festival De Nimes
July 30 Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
July 31 Paredes De Coura, Portugal @ Paredes De Coura Festival
Aug. 2 Knebworth, England @ Knebworth House (Sonisphere)
Aug. 5 Manila, Philippines @ Araneta Coliseum
Aug. 7 Tokyo, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Aug. 8 Osaka, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Aug. 10 Singapore, Singapore @ Fort Canning Park
Aug. 12 Taipei, Taiwan @ Nan-kang 101
The twits he is referring to are from the Metal Sludge world. Metal Sludge is a website which features a groupie section where female fans "discuss" having "sex" with rock stars. There's also apparently a lot of racism that goes on on the site, according to Reznor, and he says that these people have discovered Twitter makes him pretty sick.
"Metal Sludge is the home of the absolutely worst people I've ever come across," he wrote. "It's populated mainly by unattractive plump females who publicly fantasize about having sex with guys in bands. Kind of like a role-playing game where people NOBODY will fuck make up stories about their incredible sexual encounters with people they WISH they could fuck.
"It would be kind of funny in a sad and pathetic way except the fun doesn't stop there - hate and good old-fashioned outright blatant racism are also encouraged to spice things up and remind you how truly ugly these scourges are. TRULY ugly on the inside (the outside is obvious)."
Reznor's problem with this extends to Twitter because Metal Sludge types have apparently been showing up and "spewing hate" at him and his fiancee, West Indian Girl's Mariqueen Maandig.
"A few years ago some people tuned me in to that world and when I figured out who these people were, I was amazed that I'd been seeing them in the front rows of the shows for months. I really don't understand what kind of 'fan' spends that kind of time and money to travel across the country seeing a band, to then dedicate an incredible amount of time and energy into non-stop hate diatribes online. That one puzzles me a little."
When Reznor left Interscope Records and became an independent artist, he realized he'd need to become familiar with the internet and social media tools in order to market himself. He says he realized major labels were clueless with this kind of thing, so he decided to immerse himself in it in order to figure out what fans wanted. That was the case with Twitter, too.
"I approached that as a place to be less formal and more off-the-cuff, honest and 'human'," he writes. "I was not expecting to broadcast details of my love life there, but it happened because I'm in love and it's all I think about and that's that. If this has bummed you out or destroyed what you've projected on me, fair enough — it's probably time for you to leave. You are right, I'm not the same person I was in 1994 (and I'm happy about that). Are you?"
Reznor concludes by telling his fans that he'll "be tuning out of the social networking sites because at the end of the day it's now doing more harm than good in the bigger picture and the experiment seems to have yielded a result. Idiots rule."
You can see Reznor with Nine Inch Nails here:
June 12 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 13 Manchester, TN @ Great Stage Park (Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival)
June 19 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
June 20 Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival
June 21 Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
June 23 Poznan, Poland @ Malta International Theatre Festival
June 24 Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena
June 26 Milan, Italy @ Idroscalo
June 27 St. Gallen, Switzerland @ St. Gallen Open Air Festival
June 30 Berlin, Germany @ Berlin Arena
July 2 Arvika, Sweden @ Arvika Festival
July 3 Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
July 5 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
July 7 Paris, France @ Le Zenith
July 8 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Heineken Music Hall
July 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
July 11 Balado, Scotland @ Balado Airfield (T In The Park)
July 12 Eadestown, Ireland @ Punchestown Racecourse (Oxegen Festival)
July 14 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening News Arena
July 15 London, England @ O2 Arena
July 18 Istanbul, Turkey @ Rock N Coke Festival
July 20 Athens, Greece @ Vrahon Theater
July 22 Rome, Italy @ Rockinrome
July 24 Budapest, Hungary @ Syma Sport And Event Centre
July 25 Targu Mures, Romania @ Peninsula Festival
July 28 Nimes, France @ Festival De Nimes
July 30 Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
July 31 Paredes De Coura, Portugal @ Paredes De Coura Festival
Aug. 2 Knebworth, England @ Knebworth House (Sonisphere)
Aug. 5 Manila, Philippines @ Araneta Coliseum
Aug. 7 Tokyo, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Aug. 8 Osaka, Japan @ Summersonic Festival
Aug. 10 Singapore, Singapore @ Fort Canning Park
Aug. 12 Taipei, Taiwan @ Nan-kang 101
