# How would you interpret this album cover? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 24, 2017, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726 "2017-06-24T04:54:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/41 "2017-06-25T01:31:13Z")
My first impression is that the black splotch is the burnt-out remains of a fire, and primed by that, my mind jumped to the reddish streak on the right as either a flame or damage from a fire. My second impression is that the whole thing could be rust. And my third impression is that the reddish streak is a man, looking down at whatever the black splotch is. And of course all three of those, as well as the blood others are mentioning, work well for the theme of the album. So I’d say that the artist did a good job at it. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/42 "2017-06-25T01:35:41Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > [Here](http://i65.tinypic.com/2a7erv9.jpg) is what I’m talking about. [Here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/nxsrvocnf78syg5/nin.jpg?dl=0) is what I am talking about. (had to make a do-over, tinypic sucks) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/43 "2017-06-25T01:41:12Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > [Here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/nxsrvocnf78syg5/nin.jpg?dl=0) is what I am talking about. (had to make a do-over, tinypic sucks) Holy Rorschach, Batman! I sort of see it, but my T-Rex is way more prominent. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/44 "2017-06-25T01:43:41Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Holy Rorschach, Batman! > > I sort of see it, but my T-Rex is way more prominent. 🙂 The eye is so clearly an _eye_, I just can’t see it any other way. Also, the man is partially covered by a white substance, maybe some sort of fabric. ETA: See that bloody or rusty blob down below the third arrow? See that as a bloody, ratty goatee of sorts, hanging off the man’s chin. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/45 "2017-06-25T01:46:10Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > The eye is so clearly an _eye_, I just can’t see it any other way. Also, the man is partially covered by a white substance, maybe some sort of fabric. It’s the mouth of the T-Rex. ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/46 "2017-06-25T01:48:18Z")
Was giving this a listen the other day as I’ve never gravitated toward NIN. The first 3 minutes of “Becoming” is the only real standout for me. Before I looked more closely I had thought it was a revolver being represented in the lower left, suicidal ideation likely being implied. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/47 "2017-06-25T01:52:34Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > It’s the mouth of the T-Rex. This is why it the picture entertained us. Such divergent views. 🙂 If you want to hear stupid, I’ll tell you what a friend said. There appears to be an image of two people, one adult sized and one child-sized. The man appears to be leading the child by his hand and has his other arm up in front of his face, partially blocking it. Anyway, said friend suggested that the bright "V"ish image that looked like it was part of the shirt he was wearing was a version of a “Scarlet Lettter”. In this case, due to the sexual nature of much of the album, he suggested that the “V” stood for virgin. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/48 "2017-06-25T02:05:03Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Holy Rorschach, Batman! > > I sort of see it, but my T-Rex is way more prominent. 🙂 No way. The eye is quite detailed, showing the pupil and the whites of the eyes. As well as having a very recognizable shape of the eye. ETA: If that is a T-Rex, it’s a T-Rex with the craziest skinny giraffe neck I’ve ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/49 "2017-06-25T02:10:08Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > [Here](http://i65.tinypic.com/2a7erv9.jpg) is what I’m talking about. > [@Ambivalid](#): > > [Here](https://www.dropbox.com/s/nxsrvocnf78syg5/nin.jpg?dl=0) is what I am talking about. (had to make a do-over, tinypic sucks) I see the three arrows but I still don’t see any shapes or forms. Can you describe what each arrow is pointing at? I see tiny arrow, open arrow and long arrow, describing them from upper to lower. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/50 "2017-06-25T02:18:33Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > I see the three arrows but I still don’t see any shapes or forms. Can you describe what each arrow is pointing at? I see tiny arrow, open arrow and long arrow, describing them from upper to lower. Blow up the size of the pic. The option is right there. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/51 "2017-06-25T02:35:50Z")
Funny thing is, actually, I see the T Rex now–like its walking towards the viewer with its tongue stuck out, right? The face I sorta see, too, but I can’t unsee the T Rex now that it’s been mentioned and my mind has made sense of the blobs. They were nothing but blobs as of this morning. / ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/52 "2017-06-25T02:49:50Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Funny thing is, actually, I see the T Rex now–like its walking towards the viewer with its tongue stuck out, right? … > / Yep! ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/53 "2017-06-25T02:52:59Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Blow up the size of the pic. The option is right there. I see the arrows. I see the indefinite lines they point to. I have no idea what you see where you indicated you see something. I continue to see no recognizable or deliberate shapes or forms. That’s why I’m asking you to be specific. All I see are random drips and runs and smears. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/54 "2017-06-25T02:53:21Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > Yep! But given where you’re seeing this dinosaur (on the cover of an album chronicling sex addiction and personal demons), what would make more sense? A dinosaur or a wounded and embattled man? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/55 "2017-06-25T02:56:16Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > But given where you’re seeing this dinosaur (on the cover of an album chronicling sex addiction and personal demons), what would make more sense? A dinosaur or a wounded and embattled man? Like I said, for many, many, many years until now, I have not seen anything in the splotches. It’s just been a wash of color, shapes, and textures that give off a gritty, distressing vibe. It’s never occurred to me to try to “see shapes in the clouds” in this artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/56 "2017-06-25T02:59:44Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Like I said, for many, many, many years until now, I have not seen anything in the splotches. It’s just been a wash of color, shapes, and textures that give off a gritty, distressing vibe. It’s never occurred to me to try to “see shapes in the clouds” in this artwork. Well I never tried either, it just sort of happened after a prolonged exposure to a particularly crisp and clear version of the picture. In my eyes, it’s so clearly a left profile view of a man’s face looking down onto whatever that black mass is, I feel almost like I’m in a Twilight Zone episode listening to others’ descriptions. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/57 "2017-06-25T03:16:00Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Well I never tried either, it just sort of happened after a prolonged exposure to a particularly crisp and clear version of the picture. In my eyes, it’s so clearly a left profile view of a man’s face looking down onto whatever that black mass is, I feel almost like I’m in a Twilight Zone episode listening to others’ descriptions. Well, that’s kind of the nature of the thing, innit? Once you ascribe a representational image to a non-representational bit of artwork, it’s hard to unsee it. I mean, I do see what you’re getting at, but since my brain saw the T Rex thing first after being primed for it by the responses in this thread, it’s hard for me not to see that. The face you see looks cartoonish and forced to me compared to the T Rex. But that’s the first sense my brain made of the blobs, so it’s kind of stuck now. I can totally understand how you can’t unsee the face, since that’s the sense your brain made of the blobs first. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/58 "2017-06-25T03:23:40Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > A Tyrannosaurus Rex contemplating eating a black Labrador trapped in barbed wire. I really can’t unsee that image now - you’ve somehow reprogrammed my brain :p. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/59 "2017-06-25T03:24:37Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, that’s kind of the nature of the thing, innit? Once you ascribe a representational image to a non-representational bit of artwork, it’s hard to unsee it. I mean, I do see what you’re getting at, but since my brain saw the T Rex thing first after being primed for it by the responses in this thread, it’s hard for me not to see that. The face you see looks cartoonish and forced to me compared to the T Rex. But that’s the first sense my brain made of the blobs, so it’s kind of stuck now. I can totally understand how you can’t unsee the face, since that’s the sense your brain made of the blobs first. Yep, I agree completely. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 25, 2017, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726/60 "2017-06-25T03:30:09Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > There is a human figure standing to the right of the black mass, leaning forward slightly over it. > [@Chronos](#): > > And my third impression is that the reddish streak is a man, looking down at whatever the black splotch is. Well at least I’m not utterly alone here. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-you-interpret-this-album-cover/789726.md?page=4)