the meathead perspective

May 1, 2025

More Than A Peeling

Hello, friends! I know it's been a few weeks since I last updated the ol’ meat purse here, so I just thought I'd check in and see how you're doing. Everything okay? Any exciting new developments in NIN World?

I suppose the thing everyone is talking about at the moment is the latest installment in Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s endless quest to compose the music for literally every piece of media in the known universe—and also their second Disney movie score (who could forget their phenomenal work on 2022’s Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers?).

The Mouse House, in its endless quest to squeeze every penny out of literally every intellectual property in the known universe, has somehow found time——between shitting out Star Wars spinoffs——to make another sequel to that movie where the Dude rides around on a magic light bike. This time, they’ve cast the human equivalent of overcooked quinoa, Jared Leto, in the lead role. Unfortunately, I happen to have a pretty strict rule about watching a maximum of one Leto film per decade, and having already suffered through his shockingly awful performance (even for him) in House of Gucci, it looks like I'm going to have to sit this one out. Sorry.

But hey, at least the music sounds cool! The ten seconds I heard in the new Tron: Ares trailer sounded very promising! In all seriousness, this might just end up being NIN’s best non-tennis-related musical offering in years. It sounds very dark and edgy——kind of like I hoped With Teeth would be, but wasn’t. It’s just too bad they’re not touring anymore, because then maybe we’d get to hear some of this very dark and edgy music performed live.

Wait, what’s that you say? They are touring again? This year?? They’ve already sold out arenas worldwide??? And the tour is named after lyrics from a song from 30 years ago???? Well I’ll be dipped in pig shit——miracles really do happen!

According to the official Nine Inch Nails website——currently designed using what appears to be the most bland, corporate template Canva offers for under $50——the “Peel It Back [NIN] 2025” tour kicks off on June 15 in Trent’s native Ireland. The gang will allegedly be spreading the gospel across Europe for the following month or so, then returning home to Trumpistan in preparation for the next leg of the tour in August.

While this is all extremely exciting, the obvious question at this point is: What on earth will I wear? Well, one option would be to visit the “STORE” section of Trent's website, where you can select from a wide array of tour merch typeset in Helvetica Bold (the Jared Leto of fonts). They’ve got a hoodie, a T-shirt, and even a hat! You kids like hats, right? Looks like they’ve got you covered——from the waist up, at least. What more could you possibly need?

Here's the crazy thing. Through sheer coincidence, I just so happen to also be launching a collection of "Peel It Back" merchandise! What are the odds!? That’s right——starting today, at this exact moment, you can purchase your very own official Meathead Perspective Peel It Back clothing and accessories to flaunt in front of those less sophisticated concert-goers. And it’s cheaper than that overpriced crap they’re hawking over on NIN’s site, to boot. Introducing The Official Meathead Perspective Online Pop-Up Merch Dispensary and Temporary Happiness Outlet!

First, we’ve got T-shirts. Just imagine rolling up to Dickies Arena in Ft. Worth, TX wearing one of these bad boys. You'll be the envy of everyone in Section 220 Row H! Based on a breathtakingly beautiful watercolor painting by yours truly, these shirts are screen-printed locally and are made of soft, 100% pre-shrunk cotton, so not only will you look cool as hell at the concert, you’ll continue looking cool as hell long afterwards, even after your shirt has gone through the washer multiple times. What are NIN.com's shirts made of? I don't know, but probably something cheap and shitty like rayon. I would never subject you to that. Because I’m such a nice guy——and because I don’t want to fuck with Trent’s profit margins too much——this initial run of shirts is quite small and limited to large and medium sizes only, but more may be made available in the future if there’s enough interest. And why wouldn't there be for a niche fan website that hasn't been regularly updated in over 15 years?

But wait... there's more! If you've been dying to deface public property (or your own) with some obscure Meathead Perspective imagery that no one else outside of a NIN concert will ever recognize or understand, boy are you in luck. The Official Meathead Perspective Online Pop-Up Merch Dispensary and Temporary Happiness Outlet is pleased to also offer not one, but two unique sticker designs, as opposed to NIN.com's *checks notes* zero sticker designs. These beautiful full-color, glossy stickers can be applied practically anywhere——your laptop, locker, local government buildings, a police car, you name it! Get creative!

At this point, after being bombarded with such a dizzying array of quality merchandise, you're probably thinking there's no way there could possibly be anything else that The Official Meathead Perspective Online Pop-Up Merch Dispensary and Temporary Happiness Outlet could have to offer to the discerning NIN fan. If that's the case, you're completely fucking wrong, pal. We've got one more opportunity for you to fill that gnawing emptiness in your soul. And no, it's not an umbrella, sorry.

After spending several hours painting the “Peel It Back” watercolor portrait of our Lord and Savior, and producing T-shirts and stickers featuring the same, I felt like I still hadn't stared at that image quite enough. I needed it to be permanently seared onto my retinas, and to haunt my dreams for the next several decades. Then it hit me: Why not paint ten more of the exact same thing, each copy painstakingly reproduced by hand, and at a maddeningly small scale? So I did exactly that, and essentially guaranteed that the last thing that flashes through my mind before I leave this world will be a horribly drawn cartoon image of TR. These fucking adorable little micro-paintings, perfect for an art museum for ants, are now available only at The Official Meathead Perspective Online Pop-Up Merch Dispensary and Temporary Happiness Outlet. There are only ten of these in existence, and there will never be any more, so when they're gone, they're gone. As a bonus, each one comes with a signed Certificate of Authenticity, verifying that you’ve acquired an actual Meathead original and not some bootleg printed on a mousepad and drop-shipped from Shenzhen.

Here at the Meathead Perspective, we know you have a choice in purchasing NIN-related apparel and accessories, so thank you for your help in enabling this deeply unnecessary but heartfelt endeavor. I guess that about wraps things up for today. I can't think of anything else to write about here. Thanks for stopping by, everybody! See you again in 2028 (or whenever TR & AR do something worth writing about)!

(But why does it feel like I'm forgetting something? I covered the shirts, the stickers, the miniature paintings, the dumb fucking Jared Leto movie... what else is there?)

Oh, right! I almost forgot! There was this one other thing I wanted to mention. So, way back in the year 2008, which may or may not be before you were even born, our favorite band ever was crisscrossing the Western hemisphere for the Lights In The Sky tour. During this time, out of the pure goodness of my heart, I created a fun activity book that NIN fans could download for free, print and take with them to help prevent boredom during dull moments like waiting in line or listening to the Ghosts I-IV interlude. And wouldn't you know, the book turned out to be something of a hit among people who weren't Trent Reznor, even inexplicably appearing in the artwork of former Sting drummer Josh Freese’s second solo album, Since 1972.

Well, better sweep your bangs, squeeze into those skinny jeans and update your Tumblr with the latest Obama memes, because it's 2008 again, Broseph! (Hehe XD)

I deeply hate myself for writing that. Sorry. Let's start over.

In the spirit of wistful nostalgia for those halcyon days when I was still too young for a colonoscopy, I'm moderately pleased to announce the existence of Meathead's Peel It Back Tour Companion and Fun Book!

This book is jam packed with mind-blowingly fun activities like puzzles, coloring pages, and trivia challenges designed to weed out the casual fans——those who just learned Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are two separate individuals and not one guy named Trent Reznorenaticusross——from the die-hard devotees who own every version of every NIN release, including the ultra-rare Danish import of Broken that came with a tin of smoked herring. It's guaranteed to bring minutes of unbridled joy to you and your friends, parents, or whoever you conned into going to the show with you. If nothing else, it should give you something to look at during Boyz Noize besides your phone. That's the Meathead Guarantee™. Oh, and did I mention it's free? When was the last time NIN ever gave you anything for free?

Click here to download Meathead's Peel It Back Tour Companion and Fun Book!

Click here to download the fancypants 11"x17" version for the discerning connoisseur who won't settle for anything less than saddle stitch for their NIN humor booklets.
(If you don't know what that is, just stick with the regular version. You'll be fine.)

It's my sincere hope that these offerings will help make your Nine Inch Nails concert experience a memorable one, whether it's your first time or you've been going to shows since back when Trent could still pull off the leather-and-fishnets look. If you’re the kind of person who finds joy in absurd little art projects and dorky in-jokes about a band that peaked commercially in the ‘90s, written by someone who also peaked in the '90s, then I made this for you. If not, then go buy a stupid hat at NIN.com instead. I don't fucking care.

Love,
Meathead