Thank you, Mr. Reznor!

[Ozone]

In an excerpt from Revolver magazine that was published a few months ago, Reznor spills the beans on Jonathan Davis and KoRn.

'"I know your baiting me" Reznor says, smiling warmly. "I know how KORN did their last record," he starts, letting his guard down. "I know where a lot of Jonathan Davis's lyrics came from, because he did not write them."

Reznor is refering to the songwriters and producers Linda Perry, the Matrix, and his own friend and colleague Atticus Ross, who worked on Korn's 7th album, See you on the other side.

"When the day comes that I have to hire the flavor of the day to write my records for me so I can sound like I used to stick a fork in me."'


In case you've been in a hole for the past fifteen years or so, KoRn has never had good songwriting, never will, and have been using producers to write their songs for them or at least over-assist in the process for about ten years now. To witness the lack of intelligence of most KoRn fans, including illogical arguments and possibly the worst grammar I have ever seen in my life, check out the tools at: hxxp://www.kornspace.com/main/comment.php?comment.news.678

[phyco126]

Um, just a quick thing. Since when is having someone write your songs a bad thing?

[ilovemyguitar]

I'm with Phyco on this. The art of interpretation is a valid one. In fact, the idea of singers and musicians writing their own music is a relatively new thing in the scope of music history.

Granted, Korn isn't exactly one of my favorite bands. I am intrigued to hear that they're working with Linda Perry, though; I'm a huge fan of hers.

[GhaleonOne]

While I can't stand Korn, personally, I have to agree with the above sentiment that I have no real problem with bands who let others write their music for them. I respect bands or artists that write their own music a great deal. It means they're talented. But if I like a band and find out they don't write their own music, I'll still listen to them if I like their stuff. My only problem is with bands who pretend they wrote their own music, when in fact, someone else did. That, I have a problem with.

In fact, some bands should stick with not writing their own music. A good example that comes to mind... Some of you may remember Jars of Clay. They're first CD was really good IMO, but I found out later, after I bought the CD that they didn't write the music for it. Okay, no biggie. But then, with every CD afterwards, they wrote their own music. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as the first album. Some liked them more, and it wasn't bad music. Just a different style that I didn't think was better.

[ilovemyguitar]

My favorite parallel to draw on the whole "writing their own music" issue is to look at actors. I don't think anyone can look at a great actor like Robert DeNiro or Meryl Streep and say they aren't talented artists, but they obviously don't write their own scripts. The same goes for singers who are singing showtunes or opera (like me). One can be a great singer without writing the music one is singing.

[Ozone]

It wasn't that someone was writing their songs, the point is that they're still denying it, claiming to still be all '-Fatal Hopper- the system,' and a focus on how absolutely absurd the response from their fans has been.

[phyco126]

It wasn't that someone was writing their songs, the point is that they're still denying it, claiming to still be all '-Fatal Hopper- the system,' and a focus on how absolutely absurd the response from their fans has been.

Ah, well, yeah, I can totally understand that then. In that case, I do agree with G1, if someone writes your song, then don't deny it. Period.

[GhaleonOne]

Gotcha Ozone. In that case, yeah, just reaffirms my dislike for Korn even more.

[Kizyr]

My favorite parallel to draw on the whole "writing their own music" issue is to look at actors.

Directors, too, might be a good comparison. You can be an amazing director without having written all your own scripts. And a great screenwriter doesn't necessarily make for a great director, either. KF

[DezoPenguin]

But Ozone has a good point, too. There's nothing wrong with having a songwriter or lyricist write your music (indeed, since I happen...or used, at least...to be a more "pop" oriented music fan, I wouldn't trust some of those idols to write their autograph, let alone a song...). But when your "mission statement" as a musician to your fans is "Yah, we do all our own stuff, 'cause, y'know, we're all anti-corporate an' stuff while we suck up our huge mass-marketed recording fees and concert appearances an' merchandising an' stuffage" while lying about it, that's different.

And come to think of it, any major, struck-it-rich music group which still acts like it's the voice of the counterculture ought to be kicked around for blatant hypocricy.

[Ozone]

Thank ya It's kind of like how SlipKnot changed their tune when they got their first real taste of commercial success. It's kind of sad really, and I don't even like SlipKnot... not even a little bit.

[MetalFRO]

As a singer/songwriter myself, I understand both viewpoints. I write lyrics and melodies, but I can't play all the instruments, or write riffs, so when I'm in a band, the songwriting is definitely a group effort. If I could write all my own stuff & play all the instruments, I would.

Coming from that perspective, there's a difference between banal music (like Britney Spears) where they're in it for the money, and an artist, say, like, Norah Jones, who may not write all her own stuff, but has enough artistic ability to put her own spin or flair on it so that she makes it her own. Korn does that as well, to an extent, but if they're denying that other songwriters are involved, they're fooling themselves. MOST producers or exec producers have a hand in SOME part of the production/recording of the music. Even Nirvana bent to the whim of Butch Vig when he was in the studio doing Nevermind w/ them - he pushed Kurt Cobain to do vocal overdubs in some parts, and Kurt went along w/ it. It ended up sounding great on the record, even if it wasn't the original intent. There's a fine line between artistic integrity & giving in for the same of money.