Trent Reznor

Trent Reznor
Reznor performing in San Diego during the 2005 With Teeth tour
Background information
Birth name	Michael Trent Reznor
Born	May 17 1965 (1965--) (age 42) Mercer, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Genre(s)	Alternative rock, Industrial rock
Occupation(s)	Musician, Songwriter, Producer
Instrument(s)	Vocals Piano Synthesizer Guitar Bass Guitar Programming Saxophone Tuba
Years active	1982 - present
Label(s)	Independent
Associated acts	Option 30 (1982-1984) The Innocent (1985) Exotic Birds (1986-1988) Lucky Pierre (1988) Nine Inch Nails (since 1988)

Michael Trent Reznor, also known as Trent Reznor (born May 17, 1965), is an American musician, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the founder and primary creative force behind the successful Grammy Award-winning industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails.

Early life

Michael Trent Reznor was born in Mercer, Pennsylvania halfway between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, to Michael Joseph Reznor^[1] and Nancy Lou Clark. Reznor was called by his middle name to avoid confusion with his father. After his parents divorced, he lived with his grandparents, while his sister Tera lived with their 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."^[2] His former piano teacher Rita Beglin said "Reznor always reminded me of Harry Connick, Jr." when he played.

Reznor has repeatedly acknowledged that his sheltered life in Pennsylvania left him feeling somewhat isolated from the outside world. In a 1994 interview with Rolling Stone, he makes reference to his choices in the music industry. "I don't know why I want to do these things, other than my desire to escape from Small Town, U.S.A., to dismiss the boundaries, to explore. It isn't a bad place where I grew up, but there was nothing going on but the cornfields. My life experience came from watching movies, watching TV and reading books and looking at magazines. And when your fucking culture comes from watching TV every day, 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."^[3] However, Reznor later confesses, "I don't want to give the impression it was a miserable childhood."^[4]

At the Mercer Area Junior and Senior High Schools, Reznor learned to play the saxophone and tuba. He was a member of both the jazz and marching bands. Former Mercer High School band director Dr. Hendley Hoge remembered Reznor as "very upbeat and friendly."^[2] 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, where he studied computer engineering. He also joined a local band called Option 30 and played three shows per week with them. After a year in college, Reznor dropped out to pursue a full-time career in music.

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 joined the local band Exotic Birds. He also appeared with them as the fictional band The Problems in the film Light of Day^[5].

He got a job at Right Track Studio (now known as Midtown Recording) as a handyman. Studio owner Bart Koster later said Reznor "is so focused in everything he does. When that guy waxed the floor, it looked great."^[2] 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.

Nine Inch Nails

Main article: Nine Inch Nails

Pretty Hate Machine was released in 1989 on TVT Records. The album was a moderate success, certified Gold in 1992, and its lead single, "Head Like a Hole", received heavy airplay. In 1993 Nine Inch Nails won a Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" for the song "Wish" and in that same year, the band was included in the Lollapalooza package tour. ^[6]

In 1994, Nine Inch Nails released its biggest critical and commercial success to date, The Downward Spiral, which eventually went platinum twice. The lead single, "Closer", became a huge hit, and its music video an MTV staple. The Downward Spiral won many music industry honors, including MTV Music Awards and American Music Awards. While writing The Downward Spiral, Reznor lived in the Tate mansion where the Manson family murders took place. After he moved out, and it was demolished, he went back and took the door as a souvenir. It became the front door to Nothing Studios in New Orleans.

Nine Inch Nails toured extensively over the next few years, including a performance at Woodstock '94 — where he admitted to the audience that he did not like to play large venues. ^[7]

Apart from the remix album Further Down the Spiral, Reznor did not release another album until 1999's The Fragile. The album sold well, and received generally positive reviews. 2005's With Teeth received a similar reception. Toured extensively since 2005 to 2006 through Europe in festivals and small venues releasing a DVD of the live experience called Beside You In Time. On April 19th 2007, released Year Zero.

In October of 2007, Trent Reznor announced on the Nine Inch Nails' website that the band was going to distribute its next album without a recording label. That last Interscope release from Nine Inch Nails will be a remix album based on material off the album Year Zero. It will be released on vinyl, CD/DVD-ROM and digital download.^[8]

Trent Reznor produces music with Saul Williams in March of 2006

Personal life

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 and drug addiction during the Fragile era. In a 2005 interview with Kerrang!, Reznor makes a note of his self-destructive past. "There was a persona that had run its course. I needed to get my priorities straight, my head screwed on. Instead of always working, I took a couple of years off, just to figure out who I was and working out if I wanted to keep doing this or not. I had become a terrible addict; I needed to get my shit together, figure out what had happened."^[9] Reznor admitted in a 2005 interview with Revolver that "I’m pretty happy right now... Wait! Don’t print that! You’ll ruin my reputation. At least lie and say that I’ve got a dead body in my closet or something."^[10]

He often travels under the assumed name "Steve Austin" from The Six Million Dollar Man.^[11]

Reznor is a direct descendant of George Reznor, founder of the Reznor Company (founded 1888), a heating and air conditioning company. The family sold the business in the 1960s.^[12]

Reznor was involved in a feud with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst in the late 1990s, calling Durst a "moron" and saying in a 1999 interview in Rolling Stone, "Fred Durst can surf a piece of plywood up my ass."^[13] It is noted, however, that Reznor is credited as a writer of the song "Hot Dog" on Bizkit's album, Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water. This is due to this song's use of lyrics from "Closer," in particular the phrase "I want to fuck you like an animal."^[14]

A big fan of David Bowie, one of his favorite albums is Bowie's Low (1977). He has stated in interviews that he played it constantly during the recording of The Downward Spiral, for inspiration. He also appears in David Bowie's video for "I'm Afraid of Americans" as Bowie's stalker.

Work outside of Nine Inch Nails

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 created the soundtrack for id Software's hit Quake. The NIN logo also appears on the nail gun ammo boxes in Quake and prior to this, embedded in both the floor and ceiling of a secret room in Ultimate Doom.

He 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",^[15] 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 nor id Software. Chris Vrenna, on again off again drummer for Nine Inch Nails, produced the music for Doom 3 with his partner Clint Walsh.

Tapeworm, Reznor's collaboration with Danny Lohner, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, and Atticus Ross of 12 Rounds, was in production for almost 10 years, but an update on the official Nine Inch Nails website declared that the project had 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".

In 2006, Reznor played his first "solo" show(s) at Neil Young's annual Bridge School Benefit. Backed by a four piece string section, he performed stripped-down versions of many Nine Inch Nails songs.

Reznor has been confirmed as the co-producer of the next album by Saul Williams, who toured with NIN in 2005 and 2006.^[16] The album is due to be released sometime in 2007.

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

• "My Monkey" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Portrait of an American Family (1994)
• "Victory (Nine Inch Nails Remix)" for Puff Daddy & The Family, appears on "Victory: Remixes" (1998)

Guitar

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

Mellotron

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

The Mellotron used belonged to John Lennon

Mixing

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

Piano

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

Producer

• "Get Your Gunn", tracks 1-2 (Marilyn Manson, 1994)
• Portrait of an American Family (Marilyn Manson, 1994)
• Natural Born Killers (Soundtrack, 1994)
• "Down in the Park" for Marilyn Manson, appears on Lunchbox (1995)
• Prick, tracks 1, 3–5 (Prick, 1995)
• Smells Like Children (Marilyn Manson, 1995)
• Antichrist Superstar, tracks 1-2, 4-10, 12-16, 99 (Marilyn Manson, 1996)
• Lost Highway (Soundtrack, 1997)
• "Victory (Nine Inch Nails Remix)" for Puff Daddy & The Family, appears on "" (1998)
• Voyeurs (2wo, 1998)
• It Dreams (Guest producer, Jakalope, 2004)
• "We Want It All" for Zack De La Rocha, appears on Songs and Artists that Inspired Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
• Born 4 (Executive producer, Jakalope, 2006)
• "Flyentology" (additional production) for El-P, appears on I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)

Programming

• Cautiøn Dø Nøt Play (Crunch-O-Matic, 1991)^[17]
• Antichrist Superstar (Marilyn Manson, 1996)
• "The Bushmaster" for Pigface, appears on Gub (1991). Performs loops.

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" (1992)
• "Burn Like Brilliant Trash (Dub 120 BPM)" for Machines of Loving Grace, appears on "Burn Like Brilliant Trash" (1992)
• "Symphony of Destruction (The Gristle Mix)" for Megadeth, appears on "Foreclosure of a Dream" (1992) and Breadline (1999)
• "Stone Cold Crazy (Re-produced by Trent Reznor)" for Queen, appears on "Stone Cold Crazy" (promo) (1992)
• "Tie Your Mother Down (Reznor Remix)" for Queen, never officially released, first appeared as part of a mix tape reportedly received from Trent Reznor at a party in 1992 or 1993
• "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)
• "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 (remix) (promo)" and "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own" (2005)

Saxophone

• "I Need to Get to Know (Other People)" for Lucky Pierre, appears on Communiqué (1988)
• "My Monkey" for Marilyn Manson, appears on "Portrait Of An American Family" (1994)
• "Driver Down" appears on Lost Highway soundtrack (1997)

Vocals

• "Communiqué" for Lucky Pierre, appears on Communiqué (1988)
• "I Need to Get to Know (Other People)" for Lucky Pierre, appears on Communiqué (1988)
• "Supernaut" for 1000 Homo DJs, appears on "Supernaut" (1990) (vocals allegedly distorted due to a dispute with TVT Records, though the topic remains to be debated due to Jourgensen's contradicting statements)
• "Suck" for Pigface, appears on Gub (1991), later re-recorded for the Nine Inch Nails EP Broken (1992) as a hidden track
• "Supernaut (Trent Reznor Vocal Version)" for 1000 Homo DJs, appears on Black Box - Wax Trax! Records: The First 13 Years (1994) (vocals restored)
• "Past the Mission" for Tori Amos, appears on Under the Pink (1994)^[18]
• "Black Bomb (Jerry in the Bag)" for Josh Wink, appears on Herehear (1998)
• "I'm Afraid Of Americans V1" for David Bowie, appears on the "I'm Afraid of Americans" (1997) and "Seven" (2000) singles
• "Flyentology" for El-P, appears on I'll Sleep When You're Dead (2007)
• "Era Vulgaris" for Queens of the Stone Age, available for free online and the UK edition of Era Vulgaris (2007)

See also

• Nine Inch Nails
• Pigface
• Nothing Records
• Tapeworm

Footnotes

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Trent Reznor

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Trent Reznor

• Nine Inch Nails' official site
• The Spiral - Nine Inch Nails' official fan club
• Trent Reznor at the Internet Movie Database`
• Trent Reznor interview on Stereo Warning
• Trent Reznor story from Guitar World "Plugging into Trent Reznor's Digital World"
• http://nin.com/tr/ Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails blog (currently unavailable)

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