“I give my mind the liberty to follow the first wise or foolish idea that presents itself.”
-Robert Greene
“Twisted Transistor” was the lead single from Korn‘s seventh studio album, See You on the Other Side. Produced by The Matrix (Avril Lavigne) and Atticus Ross (Nine Inch Nails), it marked a turning point in the band’s musical direction.
As Korn fans know, it was the band’s first release without founding guitarist Brian “Head” Welch. He had departed the group in February of 2005, for religious and personal reasons.
But even before Head’s departure, the band had begun work on a new album. They had been working with production group The Matrix, who were known as working with pop artists such as Avril Lavigne and the Mooney Suzuki. Atticus Ross has long been known as Trent Reznor’s musical partner-in-noise in Nine Inch Nails, and has an impressive resume as an Oscar-winning composer.
“Twisted Transistor” was the first taste fans would get from the album, and it came with a more experimental, industrial edge than previous Korn tracks, definitely more melodic and electronic. The chorus goes:
“Because the music do and then it’s reaching
Inside you, forever preaching
Fuck you, too, your scream’s a whisper
Hang on, you twisted transistor.”
Catchy as hell, with processed vocal effects. The band’s down-tuned guitars and imposing rhythm section remain. It just wasn’t as raw as what you’d hear on their earlier work.
If you were being kind, you might say that “Twisted Transistor” was controversial on release. Some didn’t know what to make of this new, experimental Korn sound, with some feeling the band were moving a little too far from their roots. But then, you heard that from fans with every Korn album. Follow the Leader was too commercial, Issues was too watered down, Untouchables was over-produced, and so on. Every new album is wrong or bad in some way. And I get it. I was young too, once. We all love to gatekeep, talk about authenticity in art and all that cool stuff. But the beauty of Korn, to some of us at least, is that they never rest on their laurels. They are always willing to explore, to broaden themselves and their sound, and they sometimes earn themselves new fans along the way.
It was different in a lyrical sense as well. Frontman Jonathan Davis is known for his lyrics about depression, anxiety, and alienation. But “Twisted Transistor” is something of an ode to the power of music, and how it can affect people on a deep emotional and psychological level. The title itself may be a reference to the processed, digital sound of the then-new album, and may have been inspired by Korn’s constant back-and-forth with the music industry over their career.
The song opens with the lyrics…
“Hey you, hey you,
Devil’s little sister
Listening to your twisted transistor…”
This suggests a kind of manipulation or control through sound, and is definitely a signature Davis style of wordplay in his lyrics. The “twisted transistor” described is almost like a siren call of ancient mythology. It is warped and unnatural, and yet one can’t help but listen. It promises pleasure and escape, luring the listener into its world with a sound that overwhelms reason.
In The Art of Seduction, author Robert Greene talks about the various seducer archetypes in history, fiction, mythology, and so on. The song may be a sort of siren, calling out. The band themselves seem to fit the Dandy archetype — deliberately setting themselves apart from the mainstream, flaunting a “twisted,” alienated style. As a fan of Korn’s music and a longtime reader of Greene’s work, I interpret “Twisted Transistor” as more than just a single you’d hear on rock radio. It was a layered seduction act disguised as sound — alienating some, but drawing in many more.
It also falls into about five of the 48 Laws of Power: 6) Court attention at all costs; 25) Re-create yourself; 27) Play on people’s need to believe to create a cult-like following; 32) Play to people’s fantasies; 33) Discover each man’s thumbscrew.
Korn’s single was loud, playful, and deliberately quirky in comparison to their earlier works. It grabs people’s attention, and I would say it exemplifies this law: visibility is power, obscurity is death. Part of how this is achieved is by constantly evolving, to never rest on their laurels, and reveal new ideas and skills in every release. The band have long cultivated a fervent fanbase among outsiders and alienated youth. And while they very much became the mainstream, they did subtly position themselves in a leadership position of sorts, where listeners would bond over a shared release. The lyrics and production of “Twisted Transistor” satisfy the belief that pain can be transformed into energy and rebellion, transcending hardship. Plus the song offers catharsis. The listener’s twistedness and vulnerability are powerful, because the music can carry it. For listeners who feel powerless or unheard, a song like this can really tap into their mood.
The music video may be remembered for this more than the track itself. Directed by Dave Meyers, the video features an ensemble cast of rappers parodying the members of Korn. Lil Jon as Jonathan Davis; Snoop Dogg as guitarist James “Munky” Shaffer, Xzibit as bassist Fieldy, and David Banner as drummer David Silveria. The actual band members appear as record label executives, pushing this other Korn to create more commercially-friendly music that can push units.
“They’ve done their homework,” Davis enthused in an interview with MTV News. “Such a good job, in fact, that it takes a few seconds before realising, ‘Hey, that’s Lil Jon singing, not Jonathan Davis.’ ‘And that’s Snoop Dogg in the dreads and bodysuit, not Munky.’ ‘And that’s Xzibit wearing Fieldy’s signature headband and David Banner banging on David Silveria’s drums.'”
“Just watching Xzibit holding my bass straight up and down and jumping around, he’s really into character,” Fieldy added. “They’re eating it up, man. It’s gonna be the best video ever.”
And the rappers seemed to be right into it.
“It’s like an alternate world,” Banner was quoted as saying. “It’s a day in the life of the actual group, so they took little quirks about everybody’s personality and amplified it a whole lot. David the drummer is the pretty boy in the group, so he keeps a mirror around, he has to make sure that he’s tight before he goes onstage.”
I was in stitches watching it then, and I love it now. It’s a beautiful sendup of industry politics, commercial cynicism, and the nature of fame.
The relationship between Korn and the hip-hop world goes back to the band’s early days, including the rappers in the video. Lil Jon had been handling production duties on a cover of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power,” featuring Xzibit. They’d toured with Snoop Dogg on the Lollapalooza Tour in 1997, and again when they joined Linkin Park on the 2004 edition of Projekt Revolution.
A band has to make an impression when it comes to the lead single, and with “Twisted Transistor,” Korn did exactly that. This was their first single without Head, and the first to embrace outsiders (pop producers) being part of the writing and recording process. They could have stuck with the tried and true nu-metal formula, but they took the bold step of reinventing themselves with an industrial edge. In shedding their old skin, they recreated themselves and maintained relevance.
Edit: Snoop Dogg is performing at the AFL Grand Final today!
Lawrence Deveney 