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WELCOME TO THE NINE INCH NAILS WIKI

 

 

 

 

                                                 

 

TRENT REZNOR IS NINE INCH NAILS

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLOSER TO GOD...

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

Biography

Michael Trent Reznor was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania to Michael Reznor and Nancy Clark. Reznor was called by his middle name to avoid confusion with his father. When Reznor was five, his parents divorced, and he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents in Mercer. His sister Tera, born in 1971, remained with his mother.

Reznor began playing the piano at the age of five and showed an early aptitude for music. In a 1995 interview, his grandfather Bill Clark remarked, "Music was his life, from the time he was a wee boy. He was so gifted." [1] His former piano teacher Rita Beglin said Reznor "always reminded me of Harry Connick, Jr" when he played. [1]

Reznor has said in interviews that he hated his upbringing and was very bored with the quiet reclusive area he was brought up in. Most of the time, Reznor was very isolated from other kids. He said he didn't fit in. Nor was there much access to radio and television, though that was his only escape once he got into the Alternative Rock scene from the 70's and on. Reznor often experienced emotional rejection from girls, which can be hinted in his songs. He even said, "I wanted to escape Small Town USA. To dismiss the boundaries, to explore. My life experience came from watching movies, TV, and reading books and magazines. When your culture comes from watching TV everyday, you're bombarded with images of things that seem cool, places that seem interesting, people who have jobs and careers and opportunities. None of that happened where I was. You're almost taught to realize it's not for you".

At the Mercer Area Junior and Senior High Schools, Reznor learned to also play the saxophone and tuba. He was a member of both the jazz and marching bands. Former Mercer High School band director Hendley Hoge remembered Reznor as "very upbeat and friendly." [1] Reznor also became involved in theater while in high school. He was voted Best in Drama by classmates for his roles as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and Professor Harold Hill in the Music Man.

Reznor graduated from high school in 1983 and enrolled at Allegheny College. He studied computer engineering and music, and he joined a local band named Option 30 which played three shows per week. After a year in college, Reznor decided to drop out to pursue his career in music fulltime.

With his high school friend Chris Vrenna, Reznor moved to Cleveland, Ohio. In 1985, he joined a band named The Innocent as a keyboardist. They released one album, Livin' in the Street, but Reznor quit after just three months.

In 1986, Reznor appeared as a member of the fictional band The Problems in the film Light of Day. He also joined a local Cleveland band the Exotic Birds.

He got a job at Right Track Studio (now known as Midtown Recording) as a handyman. Studio owner Bart Koster commented how Reznor "is so focused in everything he does. When that guy waxed the floor, it looked great." [1] Koster allowed Reznor to use the studio during off hours, which he used to record demos for songs that ended up on Nine Inch Nails' first album, Pretty Hate Machine. These demos were later released as a bootleg under the name Purest Feeling.

Reznor was the credited producer for Marilyn Manson's albums Portrait of an American Family (1994), Smells Like Children (1995), and Antichrist Superstar (1996), as well as the soundtrack for the films Natural Born Killers and Lost Highway. Reznor is credited for "Driver Down" and "Videodrones; Questions" on the soundtrack for Lost Highway. One other track, "The Perfect Drug" is credited to Nine Inch Nails instead.

Reznor likes video games, most notably Doom by id Software, which he has said he played in the Nine Inch Nails tour bus after doing shows. He also created the soundtrack for id Software's hit Quake. (As a side-note, the NIN logo also appears on the nail gun ammo boxes in Quake and prior to this, embedded in the floor of a secret room in Ultimate Doom).

Trent returned to work with id Software in 2003 as the sound engineer for video game Doom 3. However, due to "time, money, and bad management", he had to abandon this project, and his audio work did not make it into the game's release. The original audio files can be found on the Internet, although they are not officially endorsed by Reznor or id Software. Chris Vrenna, former drummer for Nine Inch Nails, produced the music for Doom 3 with his partner Clint Walsh.

During the five years between his albums The Downward Spiral (1994) and The Fragile (1999), Trent Reznor struggled with depression, social anxiety disorder, writer's block, and the death of his grandmother. It has also been revealed by Reznor that he had been suffering from alcohol/heroin addiction during the Fragile era. It was reported that Reznor had considered committing suicide during this period. In a 1999 interview for Rolling Stone magazine, he said that "It just took me time to sit down and change my head and my life around. I had to slap myself in the face: 'If you want to kill yourself, do it, save everybody the fucking hassle. Or get your shit together.'"

Tapeworm, a collaboration with Danny Lohner, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, and Atticus Ross of 12 Rounds, was in production for almost ten years, but an update on the official Nine Inch Nails website has declared that the project has been terminated. The only known performance of any Tapeworm material was when Keenan's other band A Perfect Circle performed the song "Vacant" on tour in 2001. "Vacant" appears on A Perfect Circle's third album eMOTIVe, reworked and retitled "Passive". "Passive" was subsequently used in the first bar scene in the movie Constantine.

 

  

 

Discography

This is a list of musical work credited to Trent Reznor. For work credited to Nine Inch Nails, see Nine Inch Nails discography.

 

 

 

 

 

Writing and performance

  • Sound effects and music for Quake (1996). Credited to Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails
  • "Videodrones; Questions" appears on Lost Highway soundtrack (1997)
  • "Driver Down" appears on Lost Highway soundtrack (1997)

Featuring

Guitar

  • "Lunchbox" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Portrait of an American Family (1994)
  • "Deformography" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Antichrist Superstar (1996)
  • "Mister Superstar" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Antichrist Superstar (1996)

Mellotron

  • "Cryptorchid" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Antichrist Superstar (1996)

Mix

  • Portrait of an American Family (Marilyn Manson, 1994)

Piano

  • "Man That You Fear" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Antichrist Superstar (1996)

Producer

Programming

  • Antichrist Superstar (Marilyn Manson, 1996)

Remixes

For remixes credited to Nine Inch Nails, see Nine Inch Nails discography: Remixes.

  • "Burnt Offering" for Machines of Loving Grace, appears on Burn Like Brilliant Trash (At Jackie's Funeral) (1992)
  • "Burn Like Brilliant Trash (Dub 120 BPM)" for Machines of Loving Grace, appears on Burn Like Brilliant Trash (At Jackie's Funeral) (1992)
  • "Symphony of Destruction (The Gristle Mix)" for Megadeth, appears on Foreclosure of a Dream (1992)
  • "Stone Cold Crazy (Re-produced by Trent Reznor)" for Queen, appears on Stone Cold Crazy (promo) (1992)
  • "Missing Link (Screaming Bird Mix)" for Curve, appears on Blackerthreetrackertwo (1993)
  • "Who Was In My Room Last Night (Trent Reznor Remix)" for Butthole Surfers, appears on The Wooden Song (1993)
  • "Mother Inferior Got Her Gunn (Trent Reznor Remix)" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Get Your Gunn (1994)
  • "The Heart's Filthy Lesson (Alt Mix)" for David Bowie, appears on The Heart's Filthy Lesson (1995)
  • "I'm Afraid of Americans (V1, V2, V3, V4 & V6 Mixes)" for David Bowie, appear on I'm Afraid of Americans (1997)
  • "Pleasant Smell (Rethought by Trent Reznor, Keith Hillebrandt and Clint Mansell)" for 12 Rounds, appears on Pleasant Smell (1998)
  • "Pleasant Smell (Rethought by Keith Hillebrandt, Clint Mansell and Trent Reznor)" for 12 Rounds, appears on Pleasant Smell (1998)
  • "Lapdance (Trent Reznor Remix)" for N*E*R*D, appears on Spin This (compilation) (2001)
  • "Growing Up (Trent Reznor Remix)" for Peter Gabriel, appears on Growing Up (2003)
  • "Vertigo (Trent Reznor Remix)" for U2, appears on Vertigo (promo) (2005)

Saxophone

  • "Communique" for Lucky Pierre, appears on Communique (1988)
  • "I Need to Get to Know" for Lucky Pierre, appears on Communique (1988)

Vocals

 

 

 

Trivia

 

 

 

See also

 

 

 

Art of Dark Fact Sheet


 

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Born May 17,1965 at 7:30am,New Castle Pa..To Michael John Reznor and Nancy Clark who met in highschool.

Like many great songwriters before him, Trent Reznor's childhood had a pivotal effect on his creative leanings. Raised by his grandparents from the age of 5 (after his parents, Nancy Clark and Mike Reznor, had divorced),Trent's sister Tera lived in New Castle which was right near by with Trent's mother.

Trent's Dad took him for a cherry coke to tell him that he and his Mother would no longer be living together. Reznor grew up in the suffocating environs of a stereotypical small-town America, namely Mercer, a tiny farming outpost in Pittsburgh. Reznor's younger sister Tera ,born August 1 1970,did little to assuage his sense of loneliness,(Why strangers think they can make judgements on where other people's loneliness stems from is beyond me.Maybe it's just this empty world that makes us lonely.(I obviously didn't write this bio.) and he passed into his teens as an introverted and quiet child. Indeed, he was a member of the boy scouts and even enjoyed making model aeroplanes.Went fishing with his Grandfather liked Pinball. At this stage, his most left-field hobby was skateboarding, but that would soon change. meanwhile, at high school, he eventually became popular with his peers and was resolutely clean-cut - the first record he bought was the Partridge Family!


When punk broke, Reznor's docile location meant that he completely missed this fiery phenomenon. with no alternative records being stocked by any of the tiny stores in town, and with no college radio to speak of, punk passed him by. at this point, he delved instead into comics and science fiction.Trent played in the highschool band and starred in two plays,"Music Man"and "Jesus Christ Superstar"He was voted school Punk in his senior year.(I wonder who payed a thousand dollars for A Mercer High Yearbook,It belonged to someone who went to school with Trent,It wasn't even Trent's if he was anything like me he probably never bought one for himself.) (I'll just add a little bit more here.Trent had allergies and problems with his ears.He had to wear a bathing cap while swimming in the public pool,the other kids teased him.Later he had an operation to correct his ear problems.His granparents on his father's side lived
in Florida untill 1983,just before Trent left Mercer.Trent's father remarried his second wife's name is also Nancy,Not sure what year he remarried.
Not sure about his Mother.Trent went to sunday school and church with his Grandparents. They were Presbyterian.
The Reznor's are pretty well known in Mercer.In Reznor there's some stuff about Trent's family name and family tree on his father's side.

His grandfather, furniture salesman Bill Clark, encouraged him to play piano, Trent started to learn how to play the piano when he was five, and pushed him towards a career as a professional concert performer - however, from an early age, Reznor's prediction was for the alternative.
His Dad bought him an electric organ when he was twelve for Christmas.
His piano teacher told him he could be a professinal pianist.
Trent though he said,(well you know what that sounds like.) Indeed, he managed to get hold of a cheap moog keyboard at high school that he begged his parents to buy him his Dad taught him how to play the guitar and began copying his favorite bands.
One of his earliest obsessions was with Kiss, although he moved away from their schlock horror soon afterwards and delved into Bowie's seminal low album, as well as the more peculiar edges of popular music such as Einsturzende Neubaten and the hyper-percussive test dept.
His musical landscape was broadened still further when he enrolled at Allegheny college to major in computer engineering. Although far from a loner, he found nothing of interest in the fraternity high jinx's and football player machismo around him, alienating himself somewhat from the more popular sections of college.(Wait this person left out some of Trent's earlier years,Sum it up lost his virginity at 15,first smoked pot at 15 with his Pony tail sporting Dad at an Eagles concert,said that was the coolest thing he'd ever done up to that point.Later had a christian girlfriend named Audrea Mulrain)
(okay I know this is going to sound stupid but I read once that Trent said he was,oh yeah had his first kiss at age 10,standing at the blackboard doing calculus and had,(normal boy,purberty thing,)who the fuck does calculus at 10 man I'm still terrified of Algerbra,maybe they must have got the age wrong,) Only adding this because I'm sure the real story is different) Quit College after One year moved back in with his Dad wholived in the woods played at a bar made $300.00 a week,got restless moved to Cleaveland... His Dad was also a amuater blue grass Muscian...

Music provided him with companionship, and it was at this time that the first wave of popular electronic music was starting to make its mark. The more chart-oriented early 80's bands, like Human League and XTC, paved the way for new synthesizer technology to seep into popular music culture. At this early stage, experts argued about the validity of these machines and for some years there were competing schools of thought heralding or denying the death of 'real' music. Reznor, for his part, was fascinated.

Inevitably, he became involved in various bands, beginning with a rock outfit called option 30. Next up was a band called the Problems, Who had a brief flash of fame when they appeared in the 1987 film light of day as a group covering Buddy Holly songs, complete with Reznor on keyboards. Other acts he played in, pre-Nine Inch Nails, were The Urge, The Innocents, Slam Bam Boo, Lucky Pierre and The Exotic Birds.(I remember reading that Trent said he appeared on another tv show,can't recall the name ,He told this story when asked if he had performed on tv before the 1999 MTV awards ,Anyways I found it rather amusing Trent said ,this was pre,nin,there was a guy in the band who said"I'm wearing a sword when we play,Yeah a real one"I wonder how he thought he would be able to play the guitar.) As yet, however, he had not written any of his own music - indeed, he was so bereft of confidence that he positively shied away from the prospect.

By now, he was living in a disheveled flat in Cleveland alongside future nine inch nails musician Chris Vrenna. Working in a music store and then a studio, Reznor started to think more and more about his ideas with music. largely ostracized by his mainstream neighbors for his looks and lifestyle, Reznor reveled in this isolation to begin writing and creating the material that would later catapult him to global fame.
He fuelled his obsession with the usual run of dehumanizing day jobs, including shop assistant and even toilet cleaning in a local studio - he jokingly recalled to one journalist that at least he had probably wiped up a few "celebrities' pubes!"

As well as the historical influences he enjoyed (Bowie, lou reed, velvet underground, throbbing gristle) Reznor also found himself fascinated by the work of two relative contemporaries, skinny puppy and most notably, ministry. pioneers of what came to be conveniently labeled the 'industrial' sound, these two bands provided inspiration for the latent talents of Trent Reznor. ministry's striking and enigmatic front man, Al Jorgensen, was particularly revered. so, suitably moved to finally begin writing his own songs, Reznor, at the age of 23, called himself


Industrial Genesis ( Trent recorded it in London,lonely,thinking about some girl,She found a new boy making Trent more depressed helps him make better music..

the pictures are all I can feel

With a rudimentary demo tape completed, reznor approached a few carefully selected record companies, who almost universally expressed some modicum of interest. one in particular, tvt, were captivated and quickly signed to that label.
Due to Reznor's intense work ethic and passion for his music.
Work was already underway on many of the songs that would make it on to nine inch nail's debut album.
The first release was the now-revered industrial noise of 'industrial nation', which garnered enough attention to win support slots with skinny puppy, jesus and mary chain and peter murphy.
The wealth of material being created meant that 1989 the debut album was ready for release.
With some production assistance reined in from talented names such as Adrian sherwood, flood and keith leblanc.
The record promised to be very interesting, even though at this early stage.
Reznor's profile was very low.
I remember hearing Trent on the radio while I was taking a bath at around four in the morning in 1989,he had just finished a show in Cleveland I used to listen to CFNY back then.
In 1994 he did a live interiew with Kim Hughes.
That's when CFNY was like ten minutes from my house,anyways They asked Trent why he chose that name and he said he thought it had a hard driving sound.

This debut album, entitled "Pretty Hate Machine"was a brutal, aggressive opening volley. It was recorded in just one month in England, with John Fryer.
The opening future single 'head like a hole' was perhaps the most accessible side of what was an uncompromising and venomous record.
Splattered with hyper-drumming, lacerated vocals, and speeding, screeching guitars.
The album coursed through track after track of what one observer called "techno terrorism."
Another future single, 'Down in it' drew funk into the bizarre cauldron of noises, whilst soul reared its head on the near-balladic 'Sanctified'. dance mixed with techno which clashed with myriad other styles in a kaleidoscopic musical pile-up, sheer aural carnage.
Lyrically, Reznor sang of broken relationships, insecurity, loneliness and many other cold, unsettling emotions.
Despite his grounding in more left-field industrialist music, it was clear, however, that Reznor had a sharp eye for accessibility, or at least tune-smithery.
Indeed, one of his reasons for liking ministry so much was that Al Jourgensen always managed to knit a melody into his barrage of noise.
This brought a degree of commercial appeal to pretty hate machine - although it was very far from a mainstream record, it was nowhere near as uninviting as some of the 'classic' early industrial works, many of which are verging on the un-listenable. Amazingly, despite its harsh nature, pretty hate machine almost breached the billboard top 100, and in the wake of nine inch nail's latter-day success, has since surpassed over one million sales. at this early stage, the record garnered some critical acclaim and certainly engendered curiosity for the forthcoming album tour.

On record Reznor's work was sever - on tour, it was simply spectacular.
As the unchallenged center of the band.
Reznor recruited a touring line-up of quality musicians who took part in a frenetic and, at times, violent stage show.
Reznor was know to smash his guitars to pieces, slam into his fellow band members and thrash around in apparently fury in-between, during and after songs.
To the uninitiated it was a frightening sight.
Reznor himself believes that live shows are almost a battle between the audience and the band, and he seeks to provoke them - if they are unresponsive, he becomes even more aggressive and the crowd-baiting winds up another notch.

Visually, on stage were a bizarre sight. daubed in black, reznor has worn fishnets, t-shirts, combats and all manner of other dark clothing.
the wild haircuts, black eyeliner and lipstick mixed with tones of white powder cover the band members, to create a pseudo-gothic, near-morbid sight.
I remember one show in July 1990,Trent was pissed that his bus driver was mugged and he said"Yeah welcome to New Jersey"and everyone cheered.
Trent didn't seem to thrilled.

Key dates in this early period included a legendary executive-scaring performance at the important New Music seminar in New York, and even a slot on the guns n' roses bill at the gigantic wembley stadium in England.
Reznor's profile, at the center of all this chaos, was growing. Although reserved and often reticent to engage in any depth in interviews, the music media nonetheless still found him a compelling figure - as sales of Pretty Hate Machine continued to grow, Reznor's star profile also grows

Problems For The Road Beast
This esclating celebrity received an enormous and key boost when were allotted a place on the 1991 lollapalooza tour, the mulit-band touring package concocted by jane's addiction's front man, Perry Farrell.
Designed to showcase a plethora of musical styles, as well as offer a forum for debate over topical issues effecting young people.
The mammoth touring beast set up stalls for greenpeace, civil liberties and fire-eaters alongside main stages which were filled with top alternative acts.
On this year's bill were nine inch nails, Ice T, living color and jane's addiction,Soixie and the Banshees, to name but a few.

With such revered peers on stage.
The odds were stacked against succeeding. However, night after night Reznor's performances captivated the festival crowds - an indication of his popularity came at the merchandise stall, where t-shirts were easily the best selling items on offer.(because their so nice.)
At one show the power went out and Trent and the boys just smahed up the stage for fifteen minutes.

Lollapalooza has, over the years, provided a critical launch pad for several massive bands -

Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and many others.

 



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allegrooo on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
hey dudes...listen could anyone help me figure out the beats per second in the art of self destruction part 1? ...been at it for ages...can't get a clue....cheers!
bloootter on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
I love Trent. He's so pretty. He is VERY talented. He has a great voice. I love their style of music as well. I haven't heard With Teeth..I really would like to buy it. My favourite song is Ringfinger <3

 

\m/ rock on

lachrymal on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
Trent is an amazing musician, but I wasn't too please with With Teeth. I found it didn't really showcase his talent, with the exception of the track "The Line Begins to Blur".

I'm beginning to worry that he's running out of ideas. This will happen to ALL great musicians eventually, but I still makes me sad.
I hope that his next album will surprise me.
nicholeo on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
People seem to get upset when Trent is happy... he is sober, in love and trying out different sounds... I don't think that the music is the same either... but that is the point... his music changes, as does life... when songwriters make music, the inspiration usually comes from experiences... I have heard people say that he sucks... since the fragile... I don't know if its because they are miserable themselves or what... 99% of the people who said that didn't even listen to the entire album... I liked with teeth... he has added a bit of dance to his sound, and when someone who is willing to change their normal "genre" should not be considered a "sellout" but praised for trying to reach new audiences... I am a 17 year NIN fan... 17 years.  And I think that Trent is an amazing songwriter.  I hope that he can continue in the direction he is going... constantly changing keeps people on their toes.

nic

lachrymal on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
Oh I never said I think he sucks, or that he sold out. I think he's a brilliant musician, proven solely on the length and success of his career. I just never got into With Teeth completely, is all. I enjoy "Sunspots" quite a bit, as well as "The Line.." as I mentioned earlier.

I mean.. he apparently lost a tonne of fans due to The Fragile, and I fucking loved that album - it's my favourite.

nicholeo on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
the fragile is my favorite as well... That album was brilliant.
lachrymal on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
Completely agreed!
toolfan0709 on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
nine inch nails fuckin kicks soo much fuckin ass they rock so good it is possible if i wasn't christian they'd or trent no they might be my god jk

 

i love nine inch nails

mznicknack on
Re: Nine Inch Nails
NIN is soo cool that even my  mom likes them!

 
 
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