Long before the internet and with no access to cool college radio, Reznor was immersed in mainstream AM-radio rock. The lyrics conjured up a struggle between God, love and death as Reznor contemplated suicide, sin and salvation in sex.
Today, with burly arms and designer stubble, he is still a rock star, but one with a top note of nerdish unease: shoulders ever so slightly tensed, head ever so slightly bowed. And part of me is still that. Reznor began drinking, then using hard drugs, culminating in an accidental heroin overdose in that nearly killed him.
But I found myself uncomfortable in a scenario where everybody wants to be your friend. Having a drink or two was a tool.
It did help, for a while, until it started to define who I was. In every scenario I had to drink, because that was me now.
Someone who helped slow the rot was David Bowie , whom Reznor describes as his hero. He proposed a tour with Nine Inch Nails in Not in a lecturing kind of way, but I saw someone who had come through [addiction], and he was happy and optimistic and remained fearless. Outlook Newsletters Ent. AR Tired of the unceasing, ungainly internet entertainment updates? Tech in style The right tech that defines you.
Your aspirations. Your styles. Right in time. Pretty Hate Machine only peaked at number 75 on the Billboard , but a burgeoning cult following helped maintain its chart presence and sales. Buoyed by radio and MTV airplay for singles "Down in It" and "Head Like a Hole," it became the first independent release to receive platinum certification to date.
When NIN returned to the U. In secret, he signed a new deal with Interscope Records and created the vanity label Nothing Records. The band relocated to a new studio in Los Angeles and began recording a batch of aggressive songs inspired by punk and metal. There was also a near-mythical, long-form clip for Broken that was never officially released commercially due to its graphic content a torture victim is dismembered while viewing NIN videos.
Bootleg versions became a prized fan commodity and a remastered version found its way onto the Internet in Still based in the Los Angeles studio dubbed Le Pig -- coincidentally built in the same house where actress Sharon Tate was murdered by Charles Manson 's followers in -- Reznor began work on the highly anticipated follow-up to Pretty Hate Machine.
A concept album centered on the protagonist's titular descent into self-destruction, The Downward Spiral arrived in March and debuted at number two. Widely considered to be Reznor 's masterwork, The Downward Spiral is often cited as one of the most important albums of the '90s, presenting a bleak, nihilistic version of NIN that would nonetheless break the band into the mainstream. Hit single "Closer" was a staple on both MTV and radio, despite its graphic music video and lyrical content, while "Hurt" became a live fixture for NIN , receiving a second life in through Johnny Cash 's stripped-down cover version.
The Downward Spiral was anything but for the band, launching them further into the public consciousness and prompting an industry push for soundalikes Gravity Kills , Stabbing Westward , and Filter on rock radio. Already a formidable concert presence, NIN 's reputation grew with chaotic performances that often ended in destroyed equipment and serious injuries. That intense commitment to their live show reached into American living rooms in the summer of with their show-stealing, mud-covered set from Woodstock '94, which won them another Grammy for the live recording of "Happiness in Slavery.
After the conclusion of the Spiral era, NIN entered a period of hibernation. Although Reznor remained active -- producing Marilyn Manson 's breakthrough sophomore effort, Antichrist Superstar , and contributing the NIN single "The Perfect Drug" to the Reznor -produced soundtrack to David Lynch 's Lost Highway -- a growing case of writer's block, struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, and public pressure put a hold on album number three.
Encamped at the newly constructed Nothing Studios in New Orleans, a reclusive Reznor spent five years crafting that follow-up, which arrived in Influenced by the passing of Reznor 's maternal grandmother, the deterioration of his friendship with Manson , and his increasing addictions, the conceptual double-disc opus The Fragile debuted at the top of the charts and was certified double platinum within months.
That trek spawned a tour documentary titled And All That Could Have Been , which was accompanied by a live recording and limited-edition EP, Still , which featured stripped-down versions of NIN deep cuts, as well as previously unreleased recordings from the era. Toward the end of the Fragile years, Reznor entered rehab after an unexpected overdose in London, putting NIN on hold until they returned in Sober and refocused, Reznor inaugurated this new chapter with an equally hungry release, fourth LP With Teeth.
Unlike prior albums, With Teeth traded gloom, frustration, and pain for outward aggression, matured emotions, and Reznor 's first attempts at sociopolitical commentary, also marking a turning point for NIN that informed the vocal delivery, production, and collaborative spirit of the band into the next decade.
In addition to production by Reznor and Moulder , the taut set featured programming by Atticus Ross and live percussion by Dave Grohl.
While the first decade of NIN 's existence was marked by mystery and long periods of silence between major releases, the reinvigorated outfit began churning out material in earnest after With Teeth. In early , a multimedia promotional effort was rolled out to earnest fans who deciphered clues found on T-shirts, websites, and strategically placed USB drives placed hidden throughout Europe.
Part of a high-concept alternate reality game, they revealed a fictional story of a future dystopian America and a burgeoning resistance movement, all of which was inspired by George W. This overtly political concept was at the core of Year Zero , which arrived in April on Interscope Records. Delving deeper into digital soundscapes, Reznor was once again joined by Ross , who was promoted from assistant to producer a position he would hold until becoming an official member of NIN a decade later.
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