Blog Post 7: Song Nine Inch Nails, Capital G

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_1T0YibRVg

“Capital G” by Nine Inch Nails is about how greed transforms people specifically greedy politicians. This song was from the “Year Zero” album released in 2007 and the entire album criticizes the United States government’s policies, during the Bush administration and how they will affect the world in fifteen years. So if you analyze “Capital G” along with all the other songs in the album, this one song is implying that U.S. politicians are greedy and that as new candidates they come in with moral principles but as money comes into play they abandon those moral principles and ethical causes because they want more money. So “G,” according to Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails front man, means greed, but some people say that it is “G” for George W. Bush, which also fits.

I find the entire “Year Zero” album as an example of media convergence where the “flow of content is often believed to lead to collective creativity and community building” (Verstrate). During the release of “Year Zero” Trent Reznor’s marketing techniques involved creating an alternate reality were everyone can participate, for example behind the album is a phone number and if you dial the number it leads to the “Bureau of Morality’s” voice mail. There were also several posters posted that says “Art is Resistance, you have a voice…” In addition to that Trent Reznor also hid some USB flash drives in some concerts, intended for his unsuspecting fans to find and listen to some unreleased tracks and see some lab footage of people being tested by biological weapons used by the “Bureau of Morality.” Also in one of the Nine Inch Nails t-shirts were it shows the tour dates, some numbers were specifically highlighted and if you dial the number you hear various recorded phone calls from innocent civilians hiding from soldiers breaking into their homes and later they are found and screaming on the phone and into your ear. So Trent Reznor’s publicity stunts allowed for unsuspecting fans and people to be a part of a fictitious reality and community which is the ruined America due to the policies at the time.