Editing Nothing Records (section)

=== The<!--not a mistake--> The ===
Prior to arriving at Nothing Records, [[The<!--not a mistake--> The]] was an established, commercial success, with many critically acclaimed, hit albums, such as ''[[Infected (The<!--not a mistake--> The album)|Infected]]'', ''[[Mind Bomb]]'' and ''[[Dusk (The<!--not a mistake--> The album)|Dusk]]'' over the course of the 1980s and early 1990s.  The<!--not a mistake--> The is an English rock band, fronted by singer/songwriter [[Matt Johnson (singer)|Matt Johnson]], who has served as the only constant member of the band since its formation.  After having spent the majority of their career on [[Epic Records]], the band found themselves at creative odds with their label over the recording of The<!--not a mistake--> The's 1997 album ''Gun Sluts''.<ref name="Bond">{{cite news | url = http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/uncertain-smile-6416650 | title = Uncertain Smile | first = Jonathan | last = Bond | work = [[Phoenix New Times]] | date = 2000-05-18 | access-date = 2017-08-06}}</ref>  The songs were more experimental in nature and Epic requested that Johnson revise the album to add more radio-friendly content, to which Johnson refused.<ref name="Bond"/>  Johnson also delivered a second studio album, entitled ''[[NakedSelf]]'', to the label.  "They didn't like that either.  They asked me if I could make it more commercial and I was outraged.  I said 'forget it,'" Johnson recalled.<ref name="Bond"/>  With both sides at an impasse, Johnson decided it was time to part ways with Epic.  After a year of legal wrangling, the band was finally freed from their deal with Epic / [[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony]].  In spite of their creative differences, Johnson stated, "The split from them was amicable, it wasn't acrimonious.  I had a very positive relationship with Epic at that time, but they became really, really pop oriented and I was thoroughly marginalized."<ref name="Bond"/>

For the first time in eighteen years, The<!--not a mistake--> The were free agents, in search of a new label.  Nothing Records president John A. Malm, Jr. was a huge fan of The<!--not a mistake--> The and became eager to sign them to Nothing Records.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} [[Trent Reznor]] too had been a big fan of the band, stating "Matt Johnson's music was one of the main reasons I began working on [[Nine Inch Nails]].  The passion, the honesty and the nakedness of his work opened doors of possibilities in my head."<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.westword.com/music/still-pissed-off-after-all-these-years-5062553 | title = Still Pissed Off After All These Years | first = Michael | last = Roberts | work = [[Westword]] | date = 2000-05-04 | access-date = 2017-08-06}}</ref>  A contract offer from Nothing was accepted by the band in 1999, with Johnson initially very optimistic about the ideology of label and their partnership, commenting at the time, "The music industry is increasing corporatization, homogenization and general awfulness.  It was a simple decision for me to choose Nothing Records, I feel we share many of the same beliefs and passions and already it feels like a natural home to me.  I'm feeling galvanized and extremely excited about the next few years."<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.mtv.com/news/1434787/the-the-inks-deal-with-nothing-records-will-tour-in-fall/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170807021007/http://www.mtv.com/news/1434787/the-the-inks-deal-with-nothing-records-will-tour-in-fall/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = August 7, 2017 | title = The<!--not a mistake--> The Inks Deal with Nothing Records; Will Tour in Fall | last = unknown | work = [[MTV]] | date = 1999-08-03 | access-date = 2017-08-06}}</ref>

Although the band already had ''Gun Sluts'' completed, they opted to leave it unreleased, which is how it remains to this day.  Instead Johnson decided to focus on ''NakedSelf'' for Nothing Records.  ''NakedSelf'' did, however, feature one track, "DesielBreeze," from the unreleased ''Gun Sluts'' album.  Overall, the album was a mature, contemplative piece, released on February 29, 2000 on Nothing Records to wide critical acclaim.  A deluxe CD version was also released, featuring an expanded booklet of photography.  Instead of a traditional music video to promote the album, the band filmed a trailer for the album.  The ''NakedSelf'' trailer featured several excerpts from album set to video footage, as well as interview clips with Matt Johnson.  The trailer appeared on Th<!--not a mistake-->e The's website and was released as a promotional piece to press and music video outlets.  However, it quietly vanished from circulation in subsequent years and has become sought-after by collectors.

''NakedSelf'' was led by the single "ShrunkenMan".  However, instead of featuring remixes, Johnson recruited other musicians to record cover versions of the song, including [[Foetus (band)|Foetus]], [[John Parish]] and [[DAAU]].  The resulting single was titled ''Interpretations: Issue 1 - ShrunkenMan''.  The single was released on April 10, 2000, exclusively in the UK, with no American release.  The title referenced future planned volumes for other singles from the album, which would follow the same cover song format, but their struggles with the label would ultimately result in the series ending at just a single volume.  The band also embarked on their "World Tour of Tiny Spaces" in support of the album; a fourteen-month trek that would span the globe.  While on tour, the band pressed self-released a single for ''Gun Sluts'', which was a one-track single featuring the eponymous song from the unreleased album.  The CD single was initially available exclusively on tour, then later through the band's website.

It was during the promotional stage of the album that Matt Johnson began to feel a heightened frustration with the lack of support from Nothing Records.  Johnson recalled, "In Detroit, I got a call from an [[NPR]] station.  They said they'd been begging the label for copies of the album and they wouldn't give them one.  NPR had to beg and phone and beg and eventually got one.  Then the NPR affiliate had to send someone to drive forty minutes to pick me up and take me to the station to do the interview, because the record label wouldn't do it.  I've never known anything like it."<ref name="Bond"/>  With a great deal of personal, professional and emotional investment in ''NakedSelf'', Johnson began to feel deep unhappiness toward his partnership with Nothing Records and the emerging, corporate conglomerate controlling them, which consisted of [[Interscope Records]], [[Universal Music Distribution]], [[Seagram|Seagram's]] and [[Vivendi Entertainment]].  While many of the other acts on the label opted to quietly depart, or fight their battles in private, Johnson elected to make his battle very public, publishing an essay on his website called "The<!--not a mistake--> The Vs. The Corporate Monster."<ref name="auto3">{{cite news | url = http://www.thethe.com/news/2001/01/ | title = The<!--not a mistake--> The Vs. The Corporate Monster | first = Matt | last = Johnson | work = [[The<!--not a mistake--> The]] | date = 2001-01-01 | access-date = 2017-08-06 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170606171017/http://www.thethe.com/news/2001/01/ | archive-date = 2017-06-06 }}</ref>  The essay detailed Johnson's extreme dissatisfaction over his experiences with the label, although his targets were primarily Seagrams and the larger music corporations as a whole.  Johnson wrote in the essay:

<blockquote>In order to get the green light for the Universal/PolyGram merger, Seagrams promised their shareholders a return on cuts, not profits. They have a huge artist stable raped from three established major labels and two thirds has got to go, bringing it down to a trim, wealthy machine made up of just the plump ripe sellers. Millions of sales are now required to cover the increasing overheads at these labels. Overheads increased through ludicrous executive bonus payouts, inflated expense accounts and the quest for the Porsche. The artist is put to work harder and faster, in order to feed the machine. [[Vivendi Entertainment|Vivendi]][[Universal Music Distribution|Universal]][[Sony Music Entertainment|Sony]][[AOL]][[Time Inc.|Time]][[EMI|Emi]][[Warner Communications|Warner]][[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]], all represent a basket of share dividends to holders who are quick to move on when the coming gets tough.  After a 7 year lay off, I recently released ''NakedSelf'', an album that is generally considered one of the best of my career to some of the best reviews I've ever had. I've also been on tour since November 1999 selling out shows by word of mouth across Europe and America to fantastic audience response. Yet the reaction from Interscope/Universal has been destructive and negative in the extreme. Their utter dependence on the radio means that the good ship The<!--not a mistake--> The is abandoned as soon as the fear of no-play takes hold. They can think of no alternative and why should they when they can swiftly move on to the next act on the plank (step forward [[Beck]], whoops! step forward [[Nine Inch Nails]]..oh dear, [[No Doubt]]..Ouch! [[Chris Cornell]]. ... ?) One act after another has fallen into the ocean. Being signed to the Universal conglomerate has been like being trapped on a cruise on the [[Mary Celeste]]. The lights are on but nobody's home.<ref name="auto3"/></blockquote>

Johnson also took the time to credit select individuals within these corporations, who were overpowered by the merges, stating "There are many decent, hard working people in this company who wanted to work in the music business for all the right reasons, but now find their hands are tied behind their backs as they are not allowed to get behind the projects they really believe in."<ref name="auto3"/>

Along with the essay, Johnson made a bold move at the time, by opting to give away ''NakedSelf'' for free on The<!--not a mistake--> The's website, on a track by track, weekly basis.  He stated:

<blockquote>As Universal/Interscope seem either incapable or unwilling (or both) to distribute and promote my album properly, and as they've refused to give it back to me, then I've been forced to consider alternative ways of reaching my audience. After much deliberation I have therefore decided to offer free downloads of ''NakedSelf'' on a song by song/week by week basis from my official site. www.thethe.com. By doing so I hope more people (including the bulk of my audience) will finally get the chance to hear this album and hopefully support me by purchasing this CD and future releases. For me to just walk away from ''NakedSelf'' now would be like leaving a baby on a doorstep and I just can't do it. I believe in this album too much.<ref name="auto3"/></blockquote>

In the wake of the essay, the relationship between The<!--not a mistake--> The and Interscope/Universal became very publicly toxic.  Plans for a second single for "TheWhisperers," made it as far as a promo single pressing.  Plans were in the works for a follow-up ''Interpertations: Issue 2 - TheWhisperers'', but these plans were scrapped.  The<!--not a mistake--> The then parted ways with Nothing Records.

In 2002, after their departure from Nothing Records, The<!--not a mistake--> The returned to their former label, Epic, with whom Johnson still had an amicable relationship, to revisit the band's back catalogue.  The band released a best-of collection, entitled ''[[45 RPM: The Singles of The<!--not a mistake--> The]]'', which included two new songs, "Pillar Box Red" and "Deep Down Truth."  The band also released the ''London Town 1983 - 1993'' box set, which was composed of remastered reissues of their albums ''[[Soul Mining]]'', ''[[Infected (The<!--not a mistake--> The album)|Infected]]'', ''[[Mind Bomb]]'' and ''[[Dusk (The<!--not a mistake--> The album)|Dusk]]'', as well as an exclusive fifth disc, featuring a soundtrack piece called "In The AM."  The reissued albums were all also released individually, featuring new cover artwork.

In June 2002, The<!--not a mistake--> The played the [[Meltdown Festival]] in at London's Royal Festival Music Hall as guests of [[David Bowie]].  The performance consisted of Matt Johnson and [[J. G. Thirlwell]] performing tapes and loops before video projections.  Also available at the show was an exclusive double CD, entitled ''Film Music''.  The first disc, called ''Silent Tongue'', consisted of unreleased film music, while the second disc was the ''45 RPM'' collection.  It was never made available again after the show and remains one of the most sought-after releases amongst fans.  The performance also remains The<!--not a mistake--> The's final show to date, although Johnson has announced a series of new The<!--not a mistake--> The shows for 2018; their first in 16 years.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.thethe.com/news/the-the-comeback-special-first-concerts-in-16-years/ | title = The<!--not a mistake--> The Comeback Special: First Concerts in 16 Years | first = Matt | last = Johnson | work = [[The<!--not a mistake--> The]] | date = 2017 | access-date = 2017-09-16 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225316/http://www.thethe.com/news/the-the-comeback-special-first-concerts-in-16-years/ | archive-date = 2017-09-16 }}</ref>

After 2002, Johnson entered a long-term, self-imposed exile from the music industry, with only sparse releases of the band, all self-released through Johnson's Lazarus label.  In 2007, the band released a single for a new song, entitled "Mrs Mac", an autobiographical song about Johnson's first day at school as a child.  In 2010, they released a CD soundtrack to the film ''[[Tony (2009 film)|Tony]]'', which was directed by Matt Johnson's brother, ''[[Gerard Johnson (director)|Gerard Johnson]]''.  In 2012, they released a soundtrack to the film ''Moonbug'', directed by [[Nichola Bruce]].  In 2015, the band released another soundtrack to the film ''[[Hyena (2014 film)|Hyena]]'', also directed by Johnson's brother Gerard.  In 2017, the film ''The Inertia Variations'', directed by Johanna St. Michaels began playing the film festival circuit.  The documentary chronicles the band's career.  To celebrate the release of the film, the band released a new 7-inch single, "We Can't Stop What's Coming" for [[Record Store Day]] in 2017, collaborating once again with [[Johnny Marr]].<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.thethe.com/news/2017/06/ | title = We Can't Stop What's Coming: V2 Now Available | first = Matt | last = Johnson | work = [[The<!--not a mistake--> The]] | date = 2017 | access-date = 2017-09-16 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170916225504/http://www.thethe.com/news/2017/06/ | archive-date = 2017-09-16 }}</ref>

Johnson has become known as a reclusive artist, staying far removed from the public eye for most of the time since ''NakedSelf''.  However, he has sporadically released 15-minute broadcasts during his sabbatical, called Radio Cinéola, available for download from the band's website.  The Radio Cinéola broadcasts have featured quite a number of rare and unreleased The<!--not a mistake--> The songs, including several from the band's era with Nothing Records.  Episode 6 of the show, entitled "Blue Moon in June," featured the song "Justice 4 Jesus," which is from yet another unreleased album from the band, entitled ''Karmic Gravity''.  Originally announced under the name of ''Two Blocks Below Canal'', the album was later re-titled ''Karmic Gravity''.  Alongside ''Gun Sluts'' and ''NakedSelf'', it comprises The<!--not a mistake--> The's "New York Trilogy" of albums, all of which were recorded while Johnson was living in New York.  Of the three, to date, only ''NakedSelf'' has been released.  The same, sixth episode of Radio Cinéola also featured a previously unreleased song from ''Gun Sluts'', entitled "Psychic Sauna," as well as an unreleased "GlobalEyes (Alternate Version)" from ''NakedSelf''.  Episode 11, entitled "Remember, Remember," features the song "Body Bonfire," an unreleased instrumental from ''NakedSelf'', while episode 12, entitled "Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind," features "Phantom Walls (Live with Eric Schermerhorn)," an unreleased live version of the song from ''NakedSelf''.  Episode 14, entitled "Deep Space", also features "Shrunken Man (Lunar Version)," an alternate version of the track from ''NakedSelf''.

Rumors have persisted for years of a new studio album being in the works, but to date, nothing has been officially announced.  However, in the wake of the success of the "We Can't Stop What's Coming" single, The<!--not a mistake--> The announced a series of live shows for 2018, which sold out immediately.  They also announced a box set, ''Radio Cineola Trilogy: A Broadcast by The<!--not a mistake--> The'', featuring three albums.  The first, ''The End of the Day'', features songs, interpretations and performances.  The second album, ''The Inertia Variations'', features poetry, soundscapes and spoken word.  The third album, ''Midnight to Midnight'', features electronic scores, political commentary and broadcasts.  The flurry of activity in 2017 and 2018 marks a decided shift for the band, once again stepping forward into the public eye, after nearly two decades of self-imposed seclusion from the mainstream.

The<!--not a mistake--> The's departure from Nothing, in particular, seemed to mirror the greater problems dogging Nothing Records in their later years, as their roster became increasingly depleted and their reputation shifted into being known for corporate red tape and artistic futility, rather than the artistic freedom it was founded upon, signifying the beginning of the end for the label.  It was fitting then that The<!--not a mistake--> The would become the final band to ever sign with the label.{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}}