Once upon a time, Trent seemed to offer the ultimate sanction of piracy when he told Australia to steal his shit. We fast-forward four months to find Trent's calling for a tax on all ISPs. And you're thinking, "I know stuff happens quickly on the internet but damn." Well, let's unwrap this for a second and follow Trent's logical trajectory.

Back in Australia, Reznor objected to UMG's wallet-gouging pricing, the bulk of which he'd never see. So he honorably condoned any and all Aussies' virtual five-finger discounts. Then came his plan to release Saul Williams's The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust via web only with two options: for free, or at a great bitrate for what he's later called the "insultingly low" suggested price of $5. In the end, the numbers (over 80% took it for free) shocked and saddened him, and he blogged his disappointment into the very same same series of tubes that left him despondent.

CNET recently interviewed Trent to try and clear up his position on things. There he lays bare the root of why he's so disappointed in you: