Biography
Industrial band Nine Inch Nails made a quick trip from cult-herodom to worldwide superstardom, thanks to the intense performances, lacerating songwriting and rock-star charisma of mastermind Trent Reznor. A Cleveland native, Reznor began writing material around 1987 when he was employed as an engineer and janitor at Right Track Studios. Playing every instrument including a full rock-band lineup along with electronics, Reznor crafted songs that were powerfully angst-ridden but still accessible, even catchy at times. While many labels expressed interest in signing him, he went with the indie label TVT, a decision that he would come to regret. The singles "Head Like a Hole" and "Down In It" both got radio and MTV attention and NiN (a name chosen for graphic possibilities more than literal meaning) played a number of high-profile gigs, including the first Lollapalooza and a European your with Guns 'n' Roses. The album ultimately went platinum, a feat for an indie label at the time; but Reznor fell out with TVT when they tried to take a strong hand in the followup. Getting released after a legal battle, Reznor started his own Interscope-distributed label Nothing, and continued recording in a house that was the site of Sharon Tate murder by Charles Manson-a decision that much enhanced the darker side of Reznor's mystique. The first Nothing releases-the EP Broken followed by the album The Downward Spiral-pushed the angst envelope further: The album's closing ballad "Hurt" was not only the darkest song in Reznor's catalogue, it would also become his most popular one. Two songs from this era, "Wish" and "Happiness is Slavery" won Grammies as Best Metal Performance in 1994 and 1995, despite the latter song's having an extreme sadomasochistic video and the former including a deeply rude term in the lyrics. In 1995 NiN did a joint tour with David Bowie, in which the two sets ran together with no intermission-a move that gave the stronger response to NiN who played first. 1999 brought an ambitious double album, The Fragile, and another fight with a record label: When Interscope didn't provide the tour support Reznor wanted, he funded the tour himself and claimed to be broke afterwards. Reznor overdosed on heroin during the tour, which prompted him to put the band on hold and enter rehab in summer 2000. During the hiatus Johnny Cash released his iconic version of "Hurt." Reznor's experiences with addiction naturally informed his next album, 2005's With Teeth, though there was also a stronger political slant than before. This would be expanded on the next album Year Zero, a dystopian concept album. More prolific than ever, NiN released two albums in 2008, the all-instrumental Ghosts I-IV and the new wave-inspired The Slip, which he released as a free download. Though he hinted at retirement afterward, NiN would endure, and 2018 brought the album Bad Witch, in part a memorial for Bowie. For the accompanying tour Reznor insisted that fans buy their tickets in person to foil scalpers; this created day-long ticket lines from coast to coast.
