My Top 100 Favourite Music Videos: #21

#21: "Starfuckers, Inc." - Nine Inch Nails
Release Date: 2000
Director: Robert Hales
Fun Fact: The song is a dig at image-obsessed vain celebrity musicians; Trent takes a stab at loads of artists in the song and in the video, the best example is when he throws balls at plates with musician plates on them. Some of these celebrities mocked include Marilyn Manson, Courtney Love of Hole, David Lee Roth, Michael Stipe of REM, Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins and Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit!

The story behind this video and song is what makes this one of my favourite music videos of all time. Basically, Trent has issues with image-obsessed celebrities; he's quite old fashioned in the respect that if you're a musician your main priority should be about the music, and your status as a celebrity is not important. He has issues with a lot of people, and he decided to take his frustrations out on these people in one single song and music video. And what a music video it is.

Trent rides in a limousine with a sexy young lady who's face is hidden, before going to a circus. At the circus he takes part in some games, namely throwing balls at plates with the faces of these celebrity musicians, he also sees a rather obese lady sitting on a tank full of waste. She resembles Courtney Love. He throws the ball at the switch which makes her fall into the disgusting waste tank. At one point he's throwing music albums into a toilet, one you can clearly see is "Mechanical Animals" by Marilyn Manson. Trent Reznor's issues with Marilyn Manson go back a long way and they still don't see eye to eye now.

But the plot twist in the entire video is that Marilyn Manson is actually the "sexy young lady" in the limousine with Trent! It was a fantastic plot twist that no one sees coming! Trent and Manson briefly made amends in the year 2000, released this music video, did a short tour together... before falling out again. They've never seen eye to eye again since. But the fact that for one moment, these two amazing metal legends rekindled their friendship, to shit on all of these celebrities together, including themselves, creates one of the most magical music videos of all time. In my opinion of course. Seriously watch this video if you haven't seen it before, it's a brilliant "diss" video, if you want to use rap slang!
Note: This is the third and last video from the year 2000 in this list.

Here is the video for your enjoyment!

Click here to see #20 on the list or here for #22!