There was plenty more than music going on at this year's CMJ in New York. The

yearly music confab had the usual hundreds of showcase shows and flood of

industry types making the scene, but it was some of the extracurricular

activity that was the real highlight. By now you may have heard about the

somewhat secretive Nothing Records showcase (it wasn't announced until the day

of), a surprise show on September 5 at Irving Plaza put together by Trent

Reznor's label featuring NIN, Meat Beat Manifesto, Marilyn Manson and special

guests. You may have also heard reports that singer Manson bashed drummer

Ginger Fish's head open with a mike stand at the end of the band's five-song

set, during "1996," knocking Fish unconscious and landing him a trip to the

hospital. Well, contrary to eyewitness accounts that had Manson viciously

attacking the drummer, a source close to the band told us yesterday that it was

"totally accidental" and that Ginger got five stitches and "is totally fine."

Manson kick off their next U.S. tour on October 3, a few days prior to the

release of their latest Trent Reznor-produced assault on good taste,

Antichrist Superstar (due October 8). As far as reports that the two kings

of the Jungle, Tricky and Goldie, got into a fight after the London Records

showcase, a source at the label said it was nothing, really. "They are old

friends and they were mugging for the cameras and started getting a bit rough

with each other and it got a little out of control, but it was no big deal."

At the Nothing showcase, NIN was joined by Kevin McMahon of Prick, and

Clint Mansell of Pop Will Eat Itself and, in a surprise move, Richard Patrick

of Filter, an ex-NIN member, who joined the band for "Head Like a Hole," on a

guitar borrowed from Reznor, which he promptly trashed at the end of the song.

This was just the latest in a series of surprise shows by Reznor and his

special guests. NIN with McMahon and Mansell on board, also played a warm-up

show in Reznor's native New Orleans at Jimmy's the week before CMJ, which was

announced the day of. And following CMJ, on September 8, the band did it again,

popping up at the Masquerade in Atlanta for an unannounced gig. In other NIN

news, in November, Nothing records will release the soundtrack to the next

David Lynch film, "Lost Highway," which will contain, as of now, one new NIN

track.