"I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real."

Hurt by Johnny Cash and Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails are a industrial rock group that was most popular in the early to mid 1990's. The only official member of the group is Trent Reznor who writes and composes all of the material. A somewhat unique sound, Nine Inch Nails are one of my favorite groups from that era. One of their biggest hits is called "Hurt". Slower and more accessible that most of NIN material, "Hurt" received a lot of airplay on radio and on MTV. Perhaps the thing that most stand out about the song are it's haunting lyrics, which can be interpreted as being about drug addiction, depression or both. The title of this post is a line from the song.

A decade later, Johnny Cash was recording music and his producer suggested that he cover "Hurt". The result that came out was possibly the best cover tune ever. Recorded just after the death of his wife June, Cash himself was ailing and was a few months away from dying himself. What came out is the hurt and sorrow that Cash was feeling at the time. The video itself was also haunting, showing an aging Johnny Cash but also showing a younger Johnny and June Cash. One person who was moved by the Cash version of "Hurt" was Reznor himself who said "I pop the video in, and wow... Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. [I felt like] I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore... It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. [Somehow] that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning — different, but every bit as pure". (Alternative Press#194, September 2004.) I couldn't agree more. Those who want to see the Johnny Cash version of the song can click here.

Donald Trump and Obama Birth Certificate

In a recent blog here on Poets and Madmen, I talked about Donald Trump's plan to run for the Republican nomination for President. I speculated on how much of a sideshow it would be. Especially if God forbid, he'd get elected President. It didn't take me long to prove me right. As of late, Trump has brought up an old conspiracy theory surrounding Obama. He questioned Obama's citizenship.

This conspiracy theory is nothing new. The theory is that Obama was born out of the United States and therefore ineligible to become President of the United States. You expect to here this stuff from someone who broadcasts on shortwave radio. Not from someone who wants to become leader of the free world. Yet, this stuff was been coming out of Trump's mouth. Trump, most notable appeared on a recent episode of The View and demanded to see Obama's birth certificate.

Now I'm not a fan of Obama. But I can say with confidence that he was born in Hawaii. If he was not eligible to be President, he never would have received the Democratic nomination for President because Hillary Clinton or one of his other opponents would have found out about it. I wonder what is Trump thinking. If people think you are crazy, you will not be elected President. Just ask Ross Perot and Howard Dean. In the meantime, Trump looks like he'll provide me with a lot of writing material for my blog if he runs for President.