It’s late August, and change is in the air. Autumn is close, the grey wind, the orange and red leaves, the wine, the fire. They are our days of rebirth, Nicola’s and mine. Autumn is for us the real beginning of our year, and like all beginnings I wish it would hurry up slowly…. I’m eager for the electricity and the fizz, and at the same time I never want to let go of these sleepy days, the heat and the smell of cut grass and the meandering afternoons that slide slowly into soft nights.
But autumn’s coming. I can feel it.
So here’s an autumn song. For those who’ve been following the music I’ve posted here recently, and who aren’t familiar with Nine Inch Nails (waving at parents), just let me say — this isn’t U2, and it’s not Traffic. This is the raw part of the landscape, the wilder side of where I live musically.
I played this song constantly when I was writing “Dangerous Space.” If you like that story then perhaps you’ll imagine that you are Mars in your studio, where you have always been safe until Duncan Black came into your life. And it’s 2 AM and Noir is there, sweating and grinning and juiced on music. Everyone’s doors are open. No one’s going home. Johnny says Let’s do this fucking song and they look at each other in the way you’ve come to know and then they do, they play. And Duncan sings. And you watch him, and you listen, and you put your hands on this music and lay it down.
When I went looking for the song, I found something unexpected — an X-Files Mulder/Krycek slash vid. I’ve written before about my interest in vidding, and I think the vid in that previous post (“Defying Gravity”) is gorgeous — seriously, go see it if you haven’t, it’s exciting and expansive and full of the particular joy of being completely oneself, even when that’s a scary thing to be or to have others see about you. Today’s vid is more…autumnal. All about longing, the unspoken conversations, the impulse to begin… Perfect for the song and the season.
There are no bad words or nudity in any of this, so perhaps it’s safe for work. Although I wouldn’t call it safe in any way, myself. And that’s autumn for you.
That’s a fantastic vid and it puts their relationship in a whole new light for me. I was so focused on Scully & Mulder.
I’ve always loved NIN and I’m usually my most creative & productive when I’m listening to Reznor. I go pretty deep into that creative space.
Thanks for posting this!
Glad you enjoyed it.
Yes, I can totally imagine them playing this music. That’s cool to hear about thanks. Definitely not safe, but might be safer for people to play at work than ‘Closer.’ (smile)
Hah, well, just about anything is safer for delicate ears than “Closer” (which is an excellent test of a go-go dancer’s total commitment to going with the song, by the way…)
And if anyone’s curious, well, give it a listen. Just don’t say the management didn’t warn you.
They play that song at your club? Whoa. Sounds more interesting than some of the stuff they play down here. Is that on the list of stuff lesbians like? I’m guessing no, ….but maybe it should be.
There’s actually a club mix of Closer, believe it or not.
I dunno, maybe some women are put off by the fact that it’s a man singing, but I’ve never really let that get in the way for me. As far as I’m concerned, if I’m into the song, then the singer speaks for me regardless of who they are.