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Spotlight

Terrific Twitter Trio of the Week

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Lots of musicians tweet — but all that Twitters is not gold.

That’s why you’ll want to check out SPIN.com every Friday to see whose tweets we’re reading this week — then update your TweetDeck! (Obligatory Self-Promotion: …while you’re at it, be sure to follow @SPINmagazine!)

This week’s winners:

Kings of Leon’s Nathan Followill @doctorfollowill
Why You Should Follow: We love a good Twitter feud, and this week, the outspoken Kings of Leon drummer (one of our longtime faves) gave us exactly that. After his band denied Glee creator Ryan Murphy the rights to use their music in an upcoming episode, Murphy responded by telling The Hollywood Reporter: “Fuck you, Kings of Leon. They’re self-centered assholes.” He then said, “They missed that a 7-year-old kid can see someone close to their age singing a Kings of Leon song, which will maybe make them want to join a glee club or pick up a musical instrument. It’s like, OK, hate on arts education.” Of course, that didn’t sit well with Followill. He took to Twitter to fight back, writing, “Dear Ryan Murphy, let it go. See a therapist, get a manicure, buy a new bra. Zip your lip and focus on educating 7yr olds how to say fuck.” The tweet immediately received backlash from fans and followers who felt that he went a little too far, and Murphy called Followill “a homophobe badly in need of some education.” Followill later deleted the tweet, posting an apology (“I’m sorry 4 anyone that misconstrued my comments as homophobic or misogynistic. I’m so not that kind of person”), but it’s pretty clear that Murphy won’t be forgiving him anytime soon (unless he maybe agrees to let Glee use “Sex On Fire” or something). Follow him to find out what happens next — and to keep a close eye on the band as they get ready to headline Coachella in April.

Best Tweet of the Week: “Coachella is gonna be sick this year. A 3-day eargasm. Definitely gonna be near a pool during high noon or drunk noon whatever you prefer.”

The Decemberists’ Colin Meloy @colinmeloy
Why You Should Follow: The Decemberists just released their sixth album, The King is Dead, to great reviews and even better fanfare (“So The King is Dead is the number one record in the US. Frankly floored. Thank you thank you everyone for your kind and generous support,” lead singer Meloy tweeted on Wednesday). Now the whimsical Portland-based band is on the road with Wye Oak and riding the high of their success (“Wow! @rosannecash likes us! Thanks, Ms. Cash!”). Follow Meloy as he answers questions from fans, discusses his favorite books and music, tweets at crowd-sourcing reporters with his own suggestions for upcoming interviews (“Confirm/deny: you were born with a Gandalf-like beard that sprouts and instantly retracts in direct sunlight @spatouttweets #colinquestion”), and pleads with music critics to “kindly refrain from calling the bouzouki ‘a mandolin on steroids.'” Expect lots of humor and wit, as well as the occasional bizarre story (he once “peed in that Facebook movie actor’s bathroom”… without knowing it was his).

Best Tweet of the Week: “1st show at the Beacon tonight! First show of tour! And look at me, I’m all nerves. Nothing a cool glass of Oranginaâ„¢ won’t fix,” followed by “(apologies for the last tweet. We’ve had a little “visit” from the Orangina Promotions toughs).”

Trent Reznor @trent_reznor
Why You Should Follow: Once upon a time, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor quit Twitter after a long battle with a group of Internet trolls called “Metal Sludge,” saying, “I will be tuning out of the social networking sites because at the end of the day it’s now doing more harm than good.” Fast forward a year and a half later, and Reznor is once again an active member of the Twitter community — and, somewhat ironically, he just received an Academy Awards nod for his score to, yup, The Social Network (which also earned him Golden Globe earlier this month). So much for staying away from those social networking sites, huh? Ever since Awards Season began, he hasn’t been tweeting too often, but keep an eye on his Twitter feed as the Big Night approaches — and watch out for tweets about his new projects (he has a band with his wife, ex-West Indian Girl singer Mariqueen Maandig, and he just signed up to score another David Fincher film, the American adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).

Best Tweet of the Week: After the Golden Globes, he tweeted, “Holy shit!”… which pretty much sums it up, doesn’t it?