Trent Reznor NPR's Fresh Air Interview With Trent Reznor

[Guest RadarJammer]

and addiction doesn't just spring out of nowhere, i think there were other causes for what happened.

 

 

Like having tons of cash and hanging out with Marilyn Manson

[Guest Lucy Faringold]

Awepittance, no offence but most of your armchair psychology/conspiracy theory chat comes off like the ramblings of someone who's living in a borderline fantasy world. What exactly are you insinuating when you say that court case "gives some clues"?

[awepittance]

no offence but

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y11mMp2CSiI&feature=related

 

your first mistake was using the word boderline

[eh Speedy]

after listening to the interview i can't help but feel that his 'real' downward spiral following the album was somewhat induced by the internet at the time. Trent was widely hated and scorned on early 1994-1997 internet forums, he was destroyed immolated, smeared, made fun of in almost every circle you would go into. Apparently most of his fans hadn't gotten to the internet yet, but i just remember thinking 'jesus christ, everybody online into industrial music hates trent' and i honestly think that it had an effect on him. He made a name for himself putting mainstream rock elements into dark underground industrial music whilst dressing exactly like a late 80s era Ogre. in a way he was the Skrillex of his era, taking a musical genre that had existed and maintained an underground scene for the previous 5-10 years and turning it into an MTV commodity.

 

I don't think I could disagree with this more. I was in high school on BBSes and internet forums and I remember none of that at all. "Widely hated and scorned" is giving a few forum geek detractors far to much credit

 

but was this on music forums about industrial music? because those are specifically the circles i'm talking about. The rivetheads i came to knew were extremely territorial people and they were most definitely in the majority on any industrial music forum or group i came in contact with.

 

and addiction doesn't just spring out of nowhere, i think there were other causes for what happened.

 

I remember going and seeking out industrial music websites and forums and stuff. Maybe they weren't the "real" industrial music forums. I don't know, the internet was still for geeks and stuff then. It was kinda nice.

 

I'm going to have to disagree about addiction too, sometimes i does just happen. Happens to people w/ addictive personalities all the time. A drink one night a week turns into several drinks every night of the week over a period of time. Depression as well, he could have been trying to run away from. He even says in the interview, something to the effect of he could have written the greatest rock 'n' roll song of all times and still find a reason to think that it wasn't that good. I always lol at this Al Jourgensen story about Trent.

 

[awepittance]

haha what a great clip, i've always wondered what the 10000 Homo DJs sections were actually like.

 

the forum i'm mainly talking about is rec.music.industrial on the usenet. at the time around 1995, it was the only place i knew of on the internet to talk to people about industrial. I didnt mean to give the impression it was some sort of elitist underground cool kids forum

[oscillik]

some sort of elitist underground cool kids forum

 

 

WATMM

[J3FF3R00]

Trent Reznor: 'I'm not at war with myself as I once was'

 

Trent Reznor's score for The Social Network won an Oscar. Will The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo bag him another? Dorian Lynskey meets him at his Beverly Hills home

 

http://www.guardian....track?fb=optOut

[Cryptowen]

So first he bulks up. Then he's not angry any more. Now he's growing a beard.

 

You guys I think Trent Reznor is actually the real life version of Tim Allen from The Santa Clause.

[awepittance]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

[Cryptowen]

^Iunno, a lotta times when someone does an interview with Squarepusher or Aphex or whoever they'll get a picture of them standing by a wall of modulars. I picture the photographer just going "hey, you're one of those weird music guys, right? Let's get a picture of you by all that mad scientist shit over there".

[oscillik]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

too bad he processes the shit out of his modulars with ProTools.

[modey]

you say that like it's a bad thing

[eh Speedy]

haha what a great clip, i've always wondered what the 10000 Homo DJs sections were actually like.

 

That's awesome. This clip tells some of that story.

 

the forum i'm mainly talking about is rec.music.industrial on the usenet. at the time around 1995, it was the only place i knew of on the internet to talk to people about industrial. I didnt mean to give the impression it was some sort of elitist underground cool kids forum

 

Oh i remember that. It was like a news group, but I never went on it. I don't think i knew how to use news groups or something, or maybe i was intimidated by some kind of other thing you had to login to? I was all over the industrial home pages but I'm not sure i was on like a forum board until maybe iMusic or something like that.

[Bob Dylan]

at least Reznor had some skill and talent, although what he's doing now shows little evidence...

 

 

You mean Ghosts, The Social Network and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo OST? It showcases Trent doing everything he's good at minus the thing he's bad at : writing lyrics

[Guest Sprigg]

Listened to With Teeth today, coincidentally. Shit holds up. 'Only' is such an incredible song on so many levels. Some of Trent's strongest lyrics and one of his best vocal performances imo.

 

Agreed.

[Cryptowen]

The lyrics on With Teeth aren't great or anything, but I do kinda like them because there seems to be more of a direct, honest emotion behind the general theme of "I don't know what I'm doing with my life but I feel okay I guess" than the usual grandiose emo rock opera.

[oscillik]

at least Reznor had some skill and talent, although what he's doing now shows little evidence...

 

 

You mean Ghosts, The Social Network and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo OST? It showcases Trent doing everything he's good at minus the thing he's bad at : writing lyrics

 

Ghosts was okay.

 

The Social Network soundtrack was, in my opinion lazy due to the fact that he used tracks from Ghosts instead of, you know..scoring a soundtrack.

 

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, I haven't heard yet because I refuse to listen to soundtracks out of context of the films / games they're made for. So I'll be able to pass judgement on that when I get to see the film. I would have today if it hadn't been for the fucking trains not running at all.

 

You seem to be leaning more towards saying his soundtrack work is top, and I'll agree - his soundtrack work is definitely better than the stuff he's been churning out as Nine Inch Nails and his yoko ono band.

 

I have noticed though that all of his recent output (from around 2008 onwards) has the same 'sound' to it all. Something that I'm not used to hearing from Reznor, whose work usually tends to sound sonically different from release to release. This is the main thing I'm disappointed in.

[awepittance]

Listened to With Teeth today, coincidentally. Shit holds up. 'Only' is such an incredible song on so many levels. Some of Trent's strongest lyrics and one of his best vocal performances imo.

 

Agreed.

 

it's amazing just how much of a 180 i feel from what you stated above

[essines]

It wasn't nearly as bad as this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIMGPlH4XPo

ohhh myyy goddd ... I hope that if I for some reason ever have to interview someone, I don't sound like that. I just feel bad for everyone involved in this.

 

holy shit, that is horrid, it hurts to watch. i don't know.

[Joyrex]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

Ever stop to think the photographer composed that image by saying "Hey Trent - go sit by some of your equipment and we'll do some shots"?

[oscillik]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

Ever stop to think the photographer composed that image by saying "Hey Trent - go sit by some of your equipment and we'll do some shots"?

 

The photographer would be Rob Sheridon, the guy that has collaborated with Reznor since like...forever. Pretty sure it wouldn't have gone down that way

[awepittance]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

Ever stop to think the photographer composed that image by saying "Hey Trent - go sit by some of your equipment and we'll do some shots"?

 

based on the amount of times i've already seen Trent's modular setups not really

[Joyrex]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

Ever stop to think the photographer composed that image by saying "Hey Trent - go sit by some of your equipment and we'll do some shots"?

 

based on the amount of times i've already seen Trent's modular setups not really

 

Yeah, thinking back to the track artwork for the Ghosts series, you might be right

[oscillik]

lol

 

reznor is sure a fan of the 'look how large my modular system is' money shots. i wonder if him and Devine hang out

 

Ever stop to think the photographer composed that image by saying "Hey Trent - go sit by some of your equipment and we'll do some shots"?

 

based on the amount of times i've already seen Trent's modular setups not really

 

Yeah, thinking back to the track artwork for the Ghosts series, you might be right

 

yup, he's been having gratuitous photos of his modular setup probably for about 10 years now, I'm sure I remember him having shots up on the old Fragile era NIN website.

[autopilot]

With Teeth & Ghosts are the only NIN releases I still listen to today, and I love them.

 

His previous work, while sonically brilliant, is so teen-angsty in its lyrics that not only do I not relate to it at all, but I cringe a little and turn it down, embarrassed to be listening to some dude shout "BROKEN BRUISED FORGOTTEN SORE TOO FUCKED UP TO CARE ANYMORE" while nearing 30 myself. It made more sense when I was blaring it after arguing with my mom about not being able to use the car at 16. I wish I could purchase instrumental versions of TDS and The Fragile because the tracks are just so well composed.

 

Year Zero and that other one I can't even be bothered to remember the name because it was so bland didn't stick with me.

 

I love HTDA, though. I think her vocals fit the textures of the songs even better than his...and the lyrics don't make me cringe for some reason, despite being obviously just as corny as a lot of Trent's work. I guess because it's sensually sung in an airy manner by a female and not shouted by a middle aged man that it doesn't make me so uncomfortable.

 

Also his soundtrack work is tops and I hope he keeps doing this for some time.