From time to time, we here at HU write about Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails.  Though their marketing strategies in recent years have been overshadowed by other multicolor releases, Reznor continues to pursue creative outlets for bucking the system like other bands we, ahem, may closely follow.

His latest antics come in the form of a New Year’s gift.  From Reznor’s latest blog:

The internet is full of surprises these days.
I was contacted by a mysterious, shadowy group of subversives who SOMEHOW managed to film a substantial amount (over 400 GB!) of raw, unedited HD footage from three separate complete shows of our Lights in the Sky tour. Security must have been lacking at these shows because the quality of the footage is excellent.

If any of you could find a LINK to that footage I’ll bet some enterprising fans could assemble something pretty cool.

Oh yeah, you didn’t hear this from me.

As expected, the official NIN messageboard is all a-twitter with posts about this news; fans are starting to collaborate and create some very cool things.  Side note: When did Trent Reznor get so hot?

Will the Smashing Pumpkins follow suit in the future?  I bet there are a lot of tasty documentary outtakes out there…

Part of this week’s podcast was obsolete before I even started editing it, as we recorded on Sunday before all the official announcements about the 20th anniversary tour.  However, we did touch on some of the early rumors as well as the If All Goes Wrong DVD features and everyone’s favorite cryptic multimedia mash-up: the Machina Mystery.

Listen to the whole show (1:08:24)

(download)(iTunes)

This week’s topics:

Panelists
-Chris, Jason, Jill, and Andrew

News
-The 20th anniversary tour rumors begin with two dates in Los Angeles.  Is the band playing smaller venues by choice or necessity? (5:45)

-Another since-confirmed rumor: Smashing Pumpkins join the Bridge School Benefit for a third time.  Will we hear an acoustic rendition of G.L.O.W.?  Plus, Andrew tells us how small children react to Marilyn Manson. (4:32)

-The features and setlist of If All Goes Wrong are released, and we’re generally stoked.  Are any of us in the Ghost Children featurette?  Jill expresses her love for The Crying Tree of Mercury. (16:36)

-Billy’s interview in EQ magazine is published online.  Is there a musical genre that the next Pumpkins album won’t be influenced by? (11:41)

In-Depth Discussion
-We take on the Machina Mystery and its reception by the public after the recent series of articles on sp.com on the topic.  Eerie parallels between Machina and Nine Inch Nails’ Year Zero abound. (21:38)

This Week in Pumpkins History
-The Pumpkins appear on Saturday Night Live and show off their acting chops. (3:22)

Song of the Week
-Age of Innocence, October 31st, 1999

One thing we didn’t have time to discuss during our talk of the Machina Mystery: If D’Arcy hadn’t quit and the band went through with the plan to be “in character” throughout the album’s release and tour, would the public’s reaction to the album have been any different?  Feel free to posit your theories in the comments.

Hot on the heels of Trent Reznor (”as always” jokes go here kthx), Billy Corgan comes to Knoxville tonight. Nine Inch Nails played at that city’s Civic Auditorium last night, supported by none other than Deerhunter — yes, that Deerhunter, the opening act fired by Corgan last year in nearby Asheville and replaced with a local drum circle, much to the delight of HU’s Jill.

The Smashing Pumpkins are at the ornate Tennessee Theatre instead, where sans opening bands they will enjoy the “historic” setting and their third sellout crowd in four August tour dates. If you wish to cite concert updates from blogs or Web forums, or to write your own firsthand account of the gig, the comments on this post are available.

Via IPC Media, it has been brought to my attention that Trent Reznor, a man who’s never pretended that anyone but him was important to the band (?) known as “Nine Inch Nails”, said that the use of the Pumpkins name (now?) “is a bit corporate”.

“A bit” sounds to me about the same proportion of “corporate” that goes into everything that is Nine Inch Nails, a fact that I’d guess Mr. Reznor would readily concede. So, not to shit on NME.com or anything, but I’m not sure why I’m supposed to care that he said this.