Nine Inch Nails ~ Get Down Make Love/Closer
(written: 22 March 2004)
Back in the Napster days, I remember coming across a musical genre by the name of 'porn groove'. I distinctly recall smiling to myself, imagining those cheesy bass riffs we all know and love...
But then I remembered just one song that might fit the bill for me... and what a great song it is; produced by god of heroin Al Jourgenson, and written originally by Freddie Mercury. A song that makes me feel violated just listening to it... that flosses my inhibitions with barbed wire and leaves me quivering with intensity.
And no, before you read on, rest assured that this entry isn't about fucking. But it certainly could be.
The words that you said match the rhythm of my bed.
Like any good early 90s NIN track, this song is one part comedy, one part seething sexual angst, and one part boot-to-the-head.
The beat is something you would hear out of a tricked-out Honda cruising the strip in Sodom. And it builds, like any reasonably complete 'act of love', to Trent shooting death rays of cacophony from his throat as if he were transformed to Mecha-Reznor, and is running amok in downtown Cleveland.
Only Trent Reznor could sample Japanese pornography and make it sexy, not sleazy.
But I, err, promised this wouldn't be about fucking. You can see that this song takes my mind to all the wild and dirrty places you need to show ID to enjoy.
Like that one time at Abstract, we were dancing to this song, and I-
Yeah.
It's the veritable melting pot of emotions in this song that gets me. On the surface, it's a song about fucking. But deep down inside, I think not only is it a tribute to Freddie Mercury, it's also a commentary on... I don't know, not taking this life thing too seriously. And not being afraid to explore parts unknown of your desires.
But then again I tend to read way too much into Reznor related things. Him and his mysterious 'Annie' sent me into fits of fantasy about what made him such the bitter, heartbroken man I can now identify with. (I am not about to fracture my keyboardist's skull to show it, though) I once wrote an essay on how the song 'Closer' (you know... the *sigh* 'fuck you like an animal' song) was really not just a lament for tail... but also for the pure love of God.
I was convinced of this- that 'Closer' was some subtle masterpiece for the first generation raised without God, until I went to see NIN in concert at the old Maple Leaf Gardens. And he played 'Closer'. And he said 'this is a song about fucking!'
Well, I refuse to believe it! He was being ironic, yeah- that's it. Plus he was newly medicated... and no one is really themselves on those happy little pills. And sometimes they certainly aren't ready and able to get down, make love
But I digress from one sex-charged anthem to another. 'Closer' is certainly porn groove, but it is polished ('protected') porn groove... ahhh, hell! let's just do this:
'Closer' is out there, and all YEAH! and stuff. But 'Get Down Make Love' gives you a lot more to think about... it assaults from many more angles... from both hard (heh), and soft (double heh) places.
And then there was this one time after particularly good Chinese food that- well, errr, pardon this entry if it lacks in detailed personal memories.
I'm such a dirrty dirrty...
'come on so heaVVVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!'
photos by kam