THE NIN HOTLINE

Wednesday March 28, 2012

Full performance footage of NIN on Dance Party USA unearthed

Over on Echoing the Sound, TheBang posted the fruits of a $100 purchase: A first generation video recording of NIN's infamous performance on Dance Party USA, from 1988 or 1989. The only evidence of the existence of this clip, for a long time, was the sample "Let's hear it for Nine Inch Nails, woo! They're good!" on the US Head Like a Hole single. Over a decade later, a Closure DVD set surfaced on The Pirate Bay, and it contained a short clip of the performance. Now the whole thing has been uploaded to YouTube, so in a matter of hours (or days), all the usual music blogs will be posting it without all the cutesy backstory and credit that we like to bring to our posts. Well, when we post anything at all.

Thanks, TheBang!

UPDATE: Shortly after we posted this, it got picked up by Pitchfork, in such a fashion that my little rant about never getting credit suddenly feels dated. Thanks Carrie!

Not long after that, Trent posted the following to Twitter:

Many years ago, a young and naive Nine Inch Nails were asked what TV shows they'd be interested in appearing on. As a joke (and likely drunk), they thought of the most absurd choice they could come up with at the time. They were then informed their bluff had been called and were actually booked on said show (thanks again Sioux Z). They hopped in their Honda Civic touring vehicle (hatchback) and travelled many miles to (I think) NJ for the big show. They had a laugh making fun of the people, their fashion choices and hairstyles. Life was good. Years later, the internet is discovered...

There's a moral in there somewhere.

Come to think of it, Skrillex may indeed owe me some publishing on that hairdo...

I don't care - going on Dance Party USA to headbang and throw your guitarist around while people in science fiction costumes do the running-man dance is fucking awesome, especially twenty years later.