Filter made plenty of noise last year with the release of their controversial
single, "Hey Man Nice Shot," which helped them sell loads of copies of their debut
album, Short Bus. The group's leaders--Rich Patrick and Brian Liesegang--worked with
Trent Reznor before splitting to create their own modern rock sound, epitomized in "Hey Man
Nice Shot," but just as evident in "Thanks Bro," their recent contribution to
the "X Files" soundtrack, Songs in the Key of X.
Although "Hey Man Nice Shot" was a hit before anyone knew what it was
about, it didn't hurt when it came out last July that
the song was actually about the late Pennsylvania state Treasurer R. Budd
Dwyer, who used a .357-caliber Magnum to do the
dirty deed on January 22, 1987. Dwyer pulled the gun from a bag and fired
it into his mouth; it was one day before he was
scheduled to appear before a federal judge for sentencing in a
bribery-conspiracy scandal. Up until that moment Dwyer had
maintained his innocence on charges of conspiracy to accept campaign
contributions in exchange for allegedly giving a Social
Security overpayment recovery contract to John Torquato of Computer
Technology. That deal reportedly involved hundreds of
millions of dollars. Responding to media reports, Filter issued this
statement: "The song 'Hey Man Nice Shot' is a reaction to a
well-documented public suicide. It is not a celebration or glorification
of taking one's own life. The phrase 'hey man, nice shot' is
not a reference to the final act itself, but rather an expression of guts
and determination of a person standing up for what they
believe is right. We are extremely sensitive and respectful to the family
and friends of Mr. Dwyer. We have both lost friends to
suicide and felt nothing but sympathy and loss for the victims, and those
involved in such a tragedy."