Nothing is an ambitious web venture, which allows users to collaborate in the project of creating a web-based version of absolute nothingness.

The project starts with a simple database of all worldly knowledge and wisdom, arranged into an infinite number of discrete items called nodes. After registering their choice of username (any combination of at least 6 null characters), users can begin to annihilate nodes at will.

The front page of the site displays recently annihilated nodes, as well as nodes which are deemed by experienced users to have been especially worth eliminating. Clicking on any of these will bring the user to an utterly blank screen, and novice users will normally spend their time simply immersing themselves in this oblivion for a time. However, once they've browsed around a little, they are encouraged to participate in the process, by selecting nodes to erase. This is mainly done by searching on the name of a node. If it has not already been annihilated, the user will be presented with its entire contents, which he/she can then obliterate. In order to encourage this type of participation, the user gains "experience" for this action.

The project is already quite well advanced, although the beauty of it is that there is no limit to the amount of knowledge which can be removed. However, the administrators of Nothing are concerned that there is a heavy bias towards eliminating certain areas of knowledge. For example, all possible information on Linux, Microsoft and Nothing Culture has already been removed, and significant dents have been made in sex and gun control. However, an enormous amount of information on Art, Literature and Science remains in the database, and the admins are trying to encourage users to attack this type of content soon.

Other concerns for the future of Nothing include the problem of financial support. The Nothing admins have had difficulty in finding advertisers who are willing to pay for the privilege of displaying a banner ad which will be instantly deleted by the first user who sees it. However, the project gets by on the good will of its users, and the utter dedication of its creators to the ideal of nothingness on the web.

Consider this. Nothing and something are made up notions that are a complication of the particular way our brains happen to work. Buddhists will tell you that a state of emptiness, of nothingness, is englightenment. There is logic behind this. Because thought is a reductive process, and truthfully, the difference between something and nothing can only be apprehended by thought. Or put differently, nothing is good or bad (or nothing or something) but thinking makes it so.

Or, the difference between any two things is in the eye of the beholder. To two different eyes, the universe has an entirely different shape - and nothingness, or its absence, is really a conceptual shortcut. Nothing in nature is empty, even by our own measurement. Nothing is a placeholder. A gear in our cognitive machine.

So the Buddhist's point is that by approaching the state where you are empty, where you do not think, you discover the similarity and diversity of all things. In other words, you apprehend the all the simultaneous possibilities of all the possible interpretations of the moment - which is an incoherent, chaotic jumble from which nothing useful can be deduced, but then... it's thought's job to be useful, and Buddha's nature to be enlightened.

The term "nothing" was (in the Shakespearean day) a word to represent the female genitalia; a slang for it, if you will. There are many silent references to it in many of Shakespeare's plays. For instance take Act 3, scene two of Hamlet, in Hamlet and Orphelia's dialogue:

HAMLET: I mean, my head upon your lap?

OPHELIA: Ay, my lord.

HAMLET: Do you think I meant country matters?

OPHELIA: I think nothing, my lord.

HAMLET: That's a fair thought to lie between maids' legs.

OPHELIA: What is, my lord?

HAMLET: Nothing.


If you know what the play "Much Ado About Nothing" is actually about, the title is quite a play on words. Mr. Shakespeare certainly was crafty in weaving those references into casual conversation. There are many instances, especially in his many odes, where the reference is quite clear.

With how often it is rumored that men think about sex, it is quite truthful to reply to "What were you thinking about?" with a coy "Oh, nothing."

"Nothing" is a great song written by Edie Brickell. It's the ninth song on Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars, the album that made Edie Brickell & New Bohemians famous. That was in 1989, I think. I wasn't too good at keeping track of time back then.

This song wasn't such a big hit, not like that first track. Maybe it doesn't have what it takes to play over and over on the radio. I'd still buy the whole CD just for this song, even if it didn't have "What I Am" on it.

I think this is one of the best love songs ever, and it doesn't even use the word.

Just reading the lyrics won't show you why this song is so good. Even with the funny little "handwriting" kind of style they used in the CD liner notes, the words look almost cold. You really need to hear Edie singing them and the music wrapping around them. I'll try to tell you the way it sounds to me but I think you should listen to it for yourself if you ever get the chance.

Here's the "official" printed lyrics:

     Are you in a bad mood?
     Don't you wanna talk about it?
     Did I say somethin' rude?
     You don't have to cry about it.
     Aren't you feeling okay?
     Would you like a little company?
     Or did you have a bad day?
     Are you mad at me? - Let it show
     Don't tell me nothing - I don't wanna know
There's nothing I hate more than nothing
Nothing keeps me up at night
I toss and turn over nothing
Nothing could cause a great BIG fight
    Hey - what's the matter?
    Don't tell me nothing.

Well this is all fine if you already have the CD. If you just had trouble hearing all the words, this takes care of that little problem. Now I'll try to fill in some of what gets left out. There's too much. I won't be able to get it all, but maybe I can get enough.

When the music starts it's just one lone guitar, picking out high, soft notes, sad and gentle. The rest of the band joins in slow and calm, like someone trying to get close to a shy kitten. Before you know it, they've built up into the main groove of the song. When Edie starts singing, her voice is the same way.

Are you in a bad mood?
Don't you wanna talk about it?
Did I say somethin' rude?
You don't have to cry about it.

In the first verse you can already hear her changing the mood. She starts out sharing your sadness, but her arm will go around you and she'll start to lift you up. She won't let you stay alone and silent. By the time she says you don't have to cry, she is thinking of someplace where you'll both be able to laugh. She knows you won't get there without more work.

Aren't you feeling okay?
Would you like a little company?
Or did you have a bad day?
Are you mad at me? Well, let it show

These things can be so hard to say, but it's easy for her to say them to you. That's the kind of friendship this is. "You don't have to hide the problem, whatever it is, even if it's me," she's saying. But she's not picking a fight. Her voice is smiling the whole time. Her voice soars up high on the word "well" - the word that doesn't even show up in the printed lyrics. Then it glides back down to the smile.

Don't tell me nothing
Don't tell me nothing - I don't wanna know

She's still smiling, but there's a real warning here too. She won't give up. You can't just brush this off. It's not "How are you?" "Oh, I'm fine." Your friendship goes deeper than that.

Hey - what's the matter?
Hey - what's the matter?
What's wrong with you, what's wrong with you?
Don't tell me nothing.

Hey - what's the matter?
Hey - what's the matter?
What's wrong with you, what's wrong with you?

I think I know why they left these "what's wrong with you" lines out of the printed lyrics. They look so cold if you don't hear the way Edie sings them. Somehow she makes them into laughter without laughing at you. She's still taking you seriously but your problems are just a game you can win together. There's a smile inside you somewhere. You can't keep it locked up forever.

The band is following right along with her. They've been getting more upbeat, slowly. Now, after she says "don't tell me nothing" you realize the music is soaring. It's not sad at all anymore.

There's nothing I hate more than nothing
Nothing keeps me up at night
I toss and turn over nothing
Nothing could cause a great big fight

Hey - talk to me
Hey - talk to me
Are you feeling blue?
Blue

It's hard to describe the way Edie says "blue" in these lines. She doesn't sing it the same way as the other words. Somehow she puts more real love into this one word than most people can put into a whole song. She makes it fly like a bird.

It's like Blue is your new nickname. She's calling you Blue in this jokey, teasing way, but there's nothing mean about it. It's all love, and she only wants to help you smile. Are you feeling blue, Blue? Hey, talk to me, Blue! I'll keep calling you Blue until you smile. Not even your Nothing can stop me.

That's the feeling for the rest of the song. I try to think of this song whenever I'm down, or one of my friends is sad. Not that I tell them that. I try to remember how it feels to imagine Edie is talking to me in this song. I try to think of some way to help my friend feel that way. That someone cares that much.

Nothing is worse than seeing someone you love sad and alone.

Nothing is lonelier than knowing you make yourself lonely even though you don't have to.

Nothing is better than helping someone break through that wall.

But this is her song, so I need to let Edie have the last word here.

Hey - talk to me
Are you feeling blue?
Blue
Blue
Hey - talk to me

Don't tell me nothing
Don't tell me nothing
Don't tell me nothing - I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know
I don't wanna know... nothing
I don't wanna know... nothing
I don't wanna know... nothing
Are you feeling blue?
Blue
Blue
Hey talk to me
Hey talk to me
Don't tell me nothing
Don't tell me nothing

Nothing is a shoegaze/noise rock band from Philadelphia that formed in 2011. It rose from the ashes of the hardcore punk band Horror Show, some years after Horror Show broke up. Going from hardcore punk to shoegaze seems weird, I admit, but a lot of new shoegaze bands (or "newgaze", if you prefer) have come from a large background of disparate genres. Nothing's frontman, guitarist/vocalist Domenic Palermo, still carries some hardcore punk cred to this day: he served a few years in prison after stabbing a man in a bar brawl. He was charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder. If all that doesn't scream "HARDCORE PUNK!" then I'm not sure what does.

A few years passed and the novelty of the hardcore scene faded away, replaced by music inspired by the original shoegaze movement from the early 1990s while retaining some of the punk/metal sensibilities drawn from Palermo's punk roots. The band is even signed to a label—Relapse Records—that's known more for its heavy metal releases than anything else.

As of 2020, Nothing has released four full-length albums: Guilty of Everything (2014), Tired of Tomorrow (2016), Dance On The Blacktop (2018) and The Great Dismal (2020); and three and a half EPs: Poshlost (2011), Suns and Lovers (2012), Downward Years to Come (2012) and a split EP with Whirr, simply titled Whirr/Nothing; Each band contributed two songs. A number of singles from each album have also seen release.

The music itself is very noisy, definitely towards the My Bloody Valentine style of shoegaze, and full of dreamlike feedback. It also has some stripped-down acoustic moments here and there. Guilty of Everything, the band's first full album, is astonishingly good. It combines all the finest elements of what makes shoegaze wonderful and presents them in such a way that one cannot help but be mesmerized by it. Thus far, one single, "Dig", has been released, and the remainder of the album (as well as the EPs) are available for listening and/or purchase at Nothing's BandCamp site. Nothing compares very favorably to MBV (natch), The Jesus and Mary Chain, Medicine (sans the female vocals), and Whirr (another shoegaze revival band).

Nothing is a part of the revitalized shoegaze movement, known in some circles as "newgaze", and, while not exactly one of the leading figures, is certainly an essential part of its anatomy. The lyrics are forlorn and far away, the guitars turned way up and processed heavily, the bass guitar steady but not extremely audible, and the drums are provided by a live drummer rather than a computer.

In spite of all this, Nothing is a terrible band to see live. I saw them last week, on tour with two metal bands (Wrong and Torche), in which they were the second of the three bands to go on. They took about three hours to set up all their gear and get it in tune after Wrong left the stage. It was supremely frustrating. What second band on a three-band bill takes three hours to set up? This is my first experience with such a band. Granted, I can't speak for their other shows as I have seen them only once, but if the show I saw is indicative of their other shows, I don't plan to see them in concert again. Despite this, there was a kind of "we're doing the best we can" vibe going on, but in the end, their set was so extremely loud that the songs suffered, becoming naught but incomprehensible noise, although I could make out a few of the verses and some chord structures. Again I must stress that the show was ((( ((( LOUD ))) ))). Had I known it would be as loud as it was, I'd have brought earplugs (I'm old, I know, but I value my already-damaged sense of hearing). But when it's so loud that you can't even really hear it, what's the point of playing live at all? The music is much better heard pre-recorded in a non-concert setting, e.g., listening to Guilty of Everything while smoking pot or indulging in a cozy nap, the music coming whisperingly from my iPhone as I drift off into sleep.

The high quality of Nothing's recorded music versus the poor quality of their live show is so distinctive that it's difficult to determine that the same band performed in both media. So, while I love the recorded music, the live music almost makes me dislike the people in the band just for making me stand in a venue that was far too small for their sound, for hours, then nearly making my eardrums explode with the monstrously high volume that they kept telling the soundboard operator to turn up on the mics and monitors between songs. Then again, who am I to judge? I'm not much of a musician (anymore—but that's... another story), and I gather that how they perform in concert is how they prefer to perform, which is how it should be.

That said, I cannot recommend this band's recordings enough. It's a new and fresh take on my favorite musical genre, and I expect their next album to be spectacular as well. In short, listen to this music. Trust me. You'll love it, if you're into this kind of music. It's beautiful. Just don't go see them live as it's a waste of time; at least it was at the Wrong/Nothing/Torche show that I saw.


Lineup: (as of 2022)

  • Domenic Palermo (vocals, guitar)
  • Kyle Kimball (drums)
  • Christina Michelle (bass guitar)
  • Doyle Martin (guitar)

Discography:



Sources:

WP: Nothing (band)
Discogs.com: Nothing (12)
BandCamp: Nothing
Last.fm - Nothing
Official site (actually a Tumblr)


I have seen this band live one time: Detroit, 2015 (with Wrong and Torche)

Noth"ing (?), n. [From no, a. + thing.]

1.

Not anything; no thing (in the widest sense of the word thing); -- opposed to anything and something.

Yet had his aspect nothing of severe. Dryden.

2.

Nonexistence; nonentity; absence of being; nihility; nothingness.

Shak.

3.

A thing of no account, value, or note; something irrelevant and impertinent; something of comparative unimportance; utter insignificance; a trifle.

Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought. Is. xli. 24.

'T is nothing, says the fool; but, says the friend, This nothing, sir, will bring you to your end. Dryden.

4. Arith.

A cipher; naught.

Nothing but, only; no more than. Chaucer. -- To make nothing of. (a) To make no difficulty of; to consider as trifling or important. "We are industrious to preserve our bodies from slavery, but we make nothing of suffering our souls to be slaves to our lusts." Ray. (b) Not to understand; as, I could make nothing of what he said.

 

© Webster 1913.


Noth"ing, adv.

In no degree; not at all; in no wise.

Adam, with such counsel nothing swayed. Milton.

The influence of reason in producing our passions is nothing near so extensive as is commonly believed. Burke.

Nothing off Naut., an order to the steersman to keep the vessel close to the wind.

 

© Webster 1913.

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