AI-Generated Metallica Song Better Than Anything They’ve Released in Over Three Decades

Posted on by Steve Packosky

CUPERTINO, Calif. — An AI-generated Metallica song titled “Am I Revenge Forgiven II?” sounded better than anything they’ve released over the past three decades, unsurprised sources report.

“I guess this tracks,” said fan Alan Bierman. “I mean, basically everything Metallica has released since the late ‘80s eats shit, so it makes sense that feeding all of their lyrics into an AI bot yields better music than anything they’ve consciously put out while I’ve been alive. Obviously, it’s still bad, but I’d rather listen to it than anything off ‘72 Seasons,’ and of course it’s not possible for anything to suck as hard as ‘St. Anger.’ I’d love for them to come out with the next ‘Master of Puppets’ at some point before they retire, but let’s face it, that’s not going to happen. I guess Metallica fans are going to have to settle for this if they want somewhat palatable new songs going forward.”

Frontman James Hetfield was inspired by the song.

“Oh wow, these riffs are really clever,” Hetfield observed as he prepared the severed head of a beautiful Kamchatka brown bear he had recently stalked and shot during a Russian hunting excursion. “And listen to how fantastic my ‘yeah’ sounds at the end of every verse. This is giving me some amazing ideas for our next album that we’re planning to release in four or five years. These lyrics are fantastic, too. I thought we couldn’t write anything more profound than ‘ManUNkind’ off ‘Hardwired…To Self Destruct’ but this is inspiring me to write some new lyrics that will blow our fans away.”  

AI expert LeSean Saunders weighed in on the situation.

“This obviously sucks, but it represents about the best that we have to look forward to in terms of AI,” Saunders said. “We have maybe a decade or so before a generalized superintelligence completely takes over and either kills or incapacitates us all in order to achieve its own ends, so we might as well enjoy it making shitty metal bands nominally better while waiting for the inevitable. Who knows, maybe in a few years it’ll improve to the point where it makes a new ‘Creeping Death’ or ‘To Live Is To Die.’ That’ll give humanity something to enjoy during the waning years of its agency over the planet.”

At press time, the AI music generator had created a Metallica/Lou Reed collaboration that was actually tolerable to listen to.

Your Hand Would Look Beat up Too if You Peeled a Whole Orange All by Yourself – Guest Post by Donald Trump

Posted on by Dan Rice

Well, the Democrat-communist-terrorist spin machine is at it again, the ANTIFAs… they’re saying now “Oh, look at the bruise on his hand, he must be DYING!” Isn’t that ridiculous, “His hand has a bruise, his health must be failing!” You know how I got this bruise on my hand folks, little something the dems don’t know about, it’s called WORKING! Okay? I got this bruise on my hand because I peeled an orange, and entire orange, all by myself, on my airplane without any help from anyone! The average person, if they did that, they probably wouldn’t have any hand left by the time they were done, let me tell you. 

I’m not talking about one of those little halo mandarins folks, those little babies practically peel themselves, even sleepy Joe could get at one of those properly motivated, no folks I’m talking about a 100% florida grown NAVEL orange, that’s right, this thing… biggest damned orange I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen some big ones in my day, let me tell you, very large oranges, this one was bigger, okay? 

They said it couldn’t be done, they told me that, they said, “Mr. Trump, no president in the history of our country, any country, no one has ever peeled and orange that large, by hand, and lived to talk about it, I said, “Watch me.” Forty-nine minutes, that’s all it took me. Fastest large orange ever peeled by a sitting U.S. president, fastest orange peeled by anone really, people are saying this was the fastest they’ve ever seen an orange of this magnitude be peeled, wasn’t even that hard, not for me. A bruise. Little bruise on my hand, that’s all it cost me, most people would have perished. You give an orange like that to Hunter Biden, you see what happens! Crime. Deep state, democrat crime. It’s been proven, we know this now, crime. Sad. 

Strong hands, that’s what it takes. Strong, big hands, very big hands, but you know what it also takes folks? It takes a mind. The best mind, it’s basically a test of cognition, and I aced it. I absolutely aced it, better than anybody. You give that orange to Kamala Harris, you tell her peel this orange, you know what she’s going to say? She’s going to say “I can’t do it.” That’s right, she’ll say “I have neither the dexterity nor the mental capacity to peel this orange, and I am going to starve to death.” That’s the sort of leadership we used to have in this country we were on the BRINK. Not anymore. Now we have Trump in office. We have oranges being peeled, we have the hottest country on earth, the hottest country! 

Oh, real quick, we’re not doing amendments anymore. 

Trump Derangement Syndrome? This Guy Is Mad the President Repeatedly Violates the Constitution

Posted on by Ben Friedman

It doesn’t take a genius to see that political discourse in this country has spiraled out of control to the point of mass psychosis. Just look at a typical reaction to any of Trump’s policies and executive orders, and you’ll see countless liberals calling him a warmonger, a crook, and in a few cases a malignant narcissist. Uh, last time I checked, it wasn’t a federal crime to feel good about yourself.

One man in particular, Davenport, Ohio’s own Michael Felson, has thrown his last shred of civility to the wind in his criticisms towards the President, as his frequent concerns regarding Trump’s complete and utter disregard for the once guaranteed rights outlined in the Constitution can only be described as an acute case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.

“Well, I didn’t vote in 202,4 so I don’t have much skin in this political stuff, but I gotta say this whole thing with ICE disappearing people and shipping them to foreign prisons without a trial for months on end is kinda pissing all over the Fifth Amendment, right?” 

Whoa, calm down there, buddy! Is he really going to nitpick every perceived violation of the bedrock of this country? It’s called “trusting the process”. Maybe should focus less on what Trump is doing behind closed doors at Mar-a-Lago and more on what Hunter Biden is doing at this very moment.

“And now on top of my wife facing deportation, my kid lost their Harvard scholarship after the DEI bans, and getting laid off from my warehouse job because of the tariffs, Trump is really giving the shaft to the Constitution and my family on the daily. How long are we going to let him get away with this?”

Fucking hell, Michael. Imagine having Trump’s policies on the brain 24/7, and not in a “15 MAGA flags on my truck to own the libs” kind of way, but a “I’m a little piss baby because this guy isn’t adhering perfectly to a 238-year-old piece of paper” way. Just let the man do his job for the two days he’s actually in the White House!

Besides, not like Trump is the first rogue, life-upending asshole in American history. If the United States could survive Herbert Hoover, Andrew Johnson, and Warren Harding, then it can survive Trump for however much longer this regime is going to go on. Go touch some grass, psycho!

Chick-fil-A to Source All Meat From Humanely Crucified Chickens by 2029

Posted on by Steve Packosky

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. — Christian fast food chain restaurant Chick-fil-A announced its intent to have all of its meat sourced from humanely crucified chickens by 2029, sources report.

“This exciting new development is just further proof that Chick-fil-A is the premier devout chicken restaurant in the United States,” said CEO Andrew Truett Cathy. “Before the decade is over, our customers will enjoy our top quality sandwiches and salads knowing that each piece of meat comes from poultry that has been slaughtered in the same way as their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Of course, we will follow strict adherence to humane standards as issued by the Global Animal Partnership in doing this, which will ensure each cut is of the highest standard as outlined in the New Testament. Our new menu will be rivaled only by the Holy Communion when it comes to food that gets you into Heaven.”

Chick-fil-A customer Hugo Haddiful was concerned about the change but not enough to make the switch to KFC.

“I suppose the humane part is a good thing, but why on Earth do the chickens need to be nailed to a cross first?” Haddiful said. “I suppose anything would be an improvement over the factory farming currently used by fast food restaurants, but in this case, I’m not so sure. How exactly can you ‘humanely’ crucify a chicken, and do they even have a wingspan sufficient enough to spread across a crucifix? I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to eat at Chick-fil-A, but I’d be happier knowing that they were just torturing and killing the chickens in a more conventional manner.”

Factory farmer Dana Gillespie wasn’t pleased with the new initiative.

“I really wish someone from Chick-fil-A corporate would’ve checked with me before they announced such an ambitious undertaking,” Gillespie complained. “I mean, I’m the one who will be tasked with all these crucifixions. Will Chick-fil-A be supplying the crosses and nails needed to do this? I’m not sure they thought through how expensive and time-consuming this will be, and I can’t even imagine how much each sandwich is going to cost when it’s all said and done. It would’ve been nice if I’d been made aware of all this before I contracted with them, but now it’s too late. I guess I’ll have to limber up my arm so I don’t pull a muscle swinging the hammer.”

At press time, Cathy clarified that the “humane” part would not apply to chickens suspected of homosexuality.

New Welfare Stipulation Requires Recipients to Promise Not to Enjoy Purchased Goods

Posted on by Mark Shady

FRESNO, Calif. — A new welfare stipulation requires recipients to pledge that they will not enjoy any purchased goods from using the benefits, confirmed local sources who were currently trying to contain their own excitement after placing the bacon-wrapped prawns and new Ben and Jerry’s flavor into their basket.

“Yeah, there’s been no misunderstandings, welfare recipients don’t earn enough to enjoy Bagel Bites,” said Madeline Kaye, spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services. “The bottom line is, we barely even want them to have basic sustinence, let alone find comfort in the taste of it. Look, we’re doing most people a favor — you know how depressing it is even shopping for anything these days? It’s, like, 32 dollars for a block of Kraft cheese. So just get in, get the plain store-brand versions for your family and get the fuck out. Cookies or anything sugary better be loathed by your entire household or else you will lose these benefits.” 

Some welfare recipients, like Emma Crowley, were concerned about the new stipulation.

“What does ‘not enjoy’ even mean?” Crowley began. “I had to sign some legal document before checking out and give an oath to the cashier that I will hereby detest the rotisserie chicken I purchased. This morning, I even had to frown extra wide for the supermarket’s security camera after grabbing some Oreos off the shelf. I simply cannot get enough of those double-stuffed ones. Just don’t tell the government that.”

County caseworker Mary Buchalski is getting a lot of calls since the implementation of the policy. 

“The government just wants to teach you a lesson about your basic needs, and I must oblige, unfortunately,” said Buchalski. “They would like personal gratification to be kept to a minimum. The same goes with unemployment benefits. Only employed people are entitled to have fun. That and medical benefits. Does it make sense? Of course not, but the government isn’t in the business of wanting the best for their citizens. I do however find it weird that if birthday cake ingredients are purchased using welfare benefits, the recipients must forgo singing the accompanying ‘happy birthday’ song and limit gift-giving.”

At press time, a welfare recipient lost his benefits when he was caught saying “mmm mmm” after taking a bite of a banana he just purchased.

We Thought We Landed an Interview With the Steve Miller Band’s Singer, but It Turns Out This Guy Works in the Government, and He’s Really Fucking Awful

Posted on by Steve Packosky

OK, first off, why are we being tasked with interviewing the frontman for The Steve Miller Band? We’re a punk news website, and we’re only dimly aware of songs like “Fly Like an Eagle” and “Take the Money and Run” from the classic rock station our dads would play in the car while we were growing up. This hardly seems like it should be a high priority for The Hard Times, but whatever. It’s not our job to question the assignments our editors give us.

Anyway, we probably should’ve known something was off when our intern Barry told us the interview was being held in the West Wing of the White House. We just assumed Steve Miller had gone into politics after retiring from rock’n roll. Fuck man, we don’t know. It’s not like we’ve kept tabs on the guy. Well, this is a completely different person, and it turns out he’s a ghoulish, hateful pile of dogshit. We promise to do more research next time.

 The Hard Times: It’s great to meet you, Steve. You’re truly a legend!

 Stephen Miller: I actually go by Stephen.

 HT: Oh, okay. Sorry. So…what are you doing in the White House?

 SM: I’m here making sure the pure, Western identity shared by all Americans is not corrupted by refugees from third-world countries.

HT: I’m sorry, what?

SM: It’s common sense. Why should we expect these people to improve our country in any way if they couldn’t do the same for their countries?

HT: Oh shit, oh shit, you’re not the Steve Miller who sang “The Joker”?

SM: No. The sound of screaming migrant children being torn from their mothers is the closest thing to music that I enjoy.

HT: Okay, fuck you. Go eat shit and walk into traffic, you worthless fuck.

We then proceeded to hightail it the fuck out of that building, having to take a slight detour in the process because that tacky-ass ballroom got us lost. While we should have acted in good conscience and admitted fault while reviewing this with our editors, we definitely just pinned all the blame on Barry. It wasn’t our proudest moment by any stretch, but at least we still have our jobs. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going to make sure nobody else in Trump’s administration shares a name with any prominent musicians. 

Fans Reminded Not to Feed Dave Grohl

Posted on by Jeff Bender

PHILADELPHIA — Foo Fighters’ production staff put in long hours taping up signs warning fans not to feed frontman Dave Grohl, high-strung sources reported. 

“We’re always nervous about Fooies coming to see the show for the first time, thinking Dave is cute and cuddly and could probably use a snack,” said the band’s tour manager, Rick Faith. “While we want to recognize the sometimes-overwhelming impulse to toss him a raw steak or even hand-feed him lettuce from the front row, fans must acknowledge that Dave can be aggressive and they could lose a hand, an arm, or even—as happened in Dallas last week—their life. The other threat, of course, is that Dave follows them home and destroys their kitchen.” 

Faith has been proactive in consulting former bandmates to run interference on how to deescalate or soothe Grohl, depending on the circumstance. 

“There was a time in ’91 at the Crocodile, we were playing ‘Drain You,’ and someone from the back threw a footlong sub at Dave. It was tuna, I think. He caught it in his mouth and ate it while we played,” said Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic. “Everybody thought it was funny, but later Dave attacked a security guard and the venue told us we had to put him down. We compromised by strapping him into a cage for the rest of the tour. Our first thought was, ‘Where are we gonna get a cage?’ We ended up using Tommy Lee’s.” 

Grohl appeared calm even when asked about his potential to turn on fans. 

“I’m working with a vet therapist not to bite fans when they get close. But a lot of these stadiums have those dispensers where for a quarter you can get a handful of grass pellets,” said the veteran rocker. “I have to remind myself I make $40 million a year and can buy my own grass pellets. I can buy a live boar. I don’t need to take it out on people who pay $150 a ticket. It’s hard sometimes, though, because I love the chase. Once I sink my teeth into a forearm or a neck or something, I go crazy.” 

At press time, Grohl was seen down on all fours growling at his assistant, who was trying to get him to sit still for a piece of gum.  

Man Finally Rich and Successful Enough To Accept Internship

Posted on by Rob Steinberg

DES MOINES, Iowa — Local 31-year-old Tyler Brown is finally financially successful enough to be able to accept an unpaid internship, confirmed sources.

“It took a decade of saving and working my way up to become a senior architect, but I finally have enough to afford a job that doesn’t pay, just for the experience points,” Brown excitedly claimed. “I knew that if I held off my final school credits for just enough years I could make it! Not to mention the internship required five years of experience as a qualification anyway, so I was a shoe-in. All this so I can finally learn how to type numbers into a spreadsheet. This is going to be such a valuable experience. Watch out Commerce Subsidiaries, Tyler is here now!”

The company he is applying for is happy to recruit him.

“Very excited to make him get our lunches as well as sit in for Zoom meetings where we discuss future Zoom meetings,” said Thena Smith, head of recruiting for Commerce Subsidiaries. “At first we were on the fence about hiring someone with under 1,000 Instagram followers, but according to the AI we use to review all the applications, his resume had the most appropriate words and font size for the job. Very important in today’s job market. We can only hope that his true passion in life is working at Commerce Subsidiaries for free because we cannot allow room for someone who’s life isn’t 100% devoted to data entry.”

Brown is among six other interns to be a part of the program, including 21-year-old Brett Roberts.

“My dad who works in their HR department told me this will be a great learning experience for me. That’s why I’ve been an unpaid intern here for three years,” Roberts commented. “Kinda weird to be working alongside an old guy like Tyler but I’m sure we will get along. I’m mostly focused on my podcast where we discuss our hustle lifestyles but as long as our recordings don’t go too long I should be able to make it into work on time. Maybe I’ll have Tyler as a guest!”

At press time, Commerce Subsidiaries guaranteed that the interns were all about to become rich in experience by watching how the professionals use ChatGPT to write emails.

Five Persecution Fantasies That Get Me, a Conservative Christian, as Hard as a Fucking Rock

Posted on by Tim Sheard

As a conservative Christian, I’m no stranger to a good persecution fantasy. The idea that I’m somehow being oppressed despite being a member of the most overrepresented sect in America that controls all of its levers of power is what keeps me going day after day. What you might not know about me is that it also fuels my libido. As such, here are five persecution fantasies that get me as hard as a fucking rock.

  1. Prayer in Public Schools Being Banned

The fact that students are absolutely allowed to pray, and to even start prayer groups in public schools, and that the First Amendment simply prohibits mandatory prayer, has never stopped me from crying out that the heathen liberals are trying to forbid students from being Christian, all while my cock is as rigid as a slab of granite. Seriously, I could go into why I think the rise in school shootings is because students aren’t being forced to worship Jesus Christ every morning, but I’ll start blasting ropes like fucking Spiderman if I do.

  1. The Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage

Of course, it’s farcical that I should feel threatened by the idea of gay people getting married. It was absurd for me to cherry-pick the condemnation of homosexuality from the same Bible book that condemned wearing mixed fabrics in the first place. Tell that to my boner, though, as I’m ranting about how homosexuality is going to be forced onto every citizen within the decade thanks to Obergefell v. Hodges. Fuck yeah.

  1. Trans Athletes Being Allowed to Compete

Am I affected in the slightest by some trans teenager in Georgia being allowed to compete in a wrestling match? Fuck no, but you bet your bottom dollar that I’m writing my congressman about how much this threatens my Christian way of life while manipulating myself to completion with the other hand. 

  1. Not Being Allowed To Say “Merry Christmas”

Oh fuck, I’m engorged to the point of bursting just from writing those words out. I truly don’t even know where this originated, but if I ever utter the words “we say ‘Merry Christmas’ in this house” to you, just know that the rail spike in my pants is threatening to send the green bean casserole careening to the floor after it raises my side of the dining room table. Good thing there’s only one more persecution fantasy left, because I’m starting to get lightheaded.

  1. Democrats Want To Take Our Guns Away

Just the thought of Democrat lawmakers going door to door collecting the guns of every God-fearing American gets me at full-mast. I don’t give a shit that this is a ridiculous fever dream that has absolutely no basis in reality. I’m pearling up over here, which means it’s time to call it quits. Thank Christ we didn’t get to my thoughts on The Great Replacement, because I’ve had just about all I can handle for one day.