NINE INCH NAILS: The musical influences
Trent Reznor has always been an uncompromising visionary. As a musician and producer, the mastermind of Nine Inch Nails puts a clear stamp on all his work. But like each of us, he was and is a child of his time. With their very own role models, heroes and influences.
Inspiration inside
Born in 1965, he first took his cue from one of the most influential early Punk bands ever: The Clash. On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of “Pretty Hate Machine”, he revealed to Rolling Stone (2019): “In the beginning, I tried to imitate The Clash – in a shitty way. I am not The Clash; I didn’t have anything clever to say politically then – or now.” Instead, looking at his diary – which “kept him from going crazy,” as he explained to The Guardian in 2018 – he realized he’d been writing song lyrics for a long time anyway. In terms of content, Trent has always drawn from himself.
Unusual role models
He played all the instruments himself on his Nine Inch Nails debut. He certainly found inspiration for this in Prince, who had practiced this approach himself. The liner notes of the debut also include a mention of Public Enemy. In 2007, Trent Reznor elaborated for Dose magazine, “To clarify what I meant by Public Enemy ‘s influence, Hank Shocklee’s ‘Bomb Squad’ had a unique and highly influential way of constructing tracks – layers of samples and loops coming together to create something chaotic and new.”
More than a role model?
David Bowie was a particularly formative influence for Trent. During the recording of the second album “The Downward Spiral” (1994), he listened to Bowie’s“Low” constantly. David Bowie suggested to Trent in 1995 that Nine Inch Nails could accompany him on his “Outside” tour. “Things in my life felt unrecognizable at the time,” Reznor explained to The Guardian in 2018, “and Bowie definitely helped. Not in a lecturing way, but I saw someone who had overcome (addiction), and he was happy and optimistic and remained fearless. I thought: If he can do this, maybe there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” By this time, Trent was deep in the drug and alcohol mire. In 2000, he inadvertently overdoses on heroin, which nearly kills him.
The next part is about the inspiration of magic synths that rock.
(Text: Heinrich Zeschner)
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NINE INCH NAILS in the playlist “INDUSTRIAL ROCK – INDUSTRIAL METAL”
