“I needed to do something or I wasn’t gonna be around.” The gym-buff biceps and twinkling eyes of the man draped across the plush Park Lane sofa don’t look like they belong to someone recently scratching at death’s door. But for Trent Reznor, reluctant icon of industrial rock, the last decade has been – to quote one estranged friend, “a long hard road out of hell”.
The one time chemically-braced berserker behind Nine Inch Nails is now a courteous, thoughtful Evian-sipping soul. Like the 12 Step survivor he is, he’s prone to lengthy self-analysis. The answer to one question can last 25 minutes – a possible shield against being asked another (that way, Trent maintains control).
Dig too deep, and he’ll puff his cheeks and blow, “That’s a tough question...
” Reznor is speaking to due to a sudden burst of renewed NIN activity, which includes an enhanced edition of the classic and the release of an excellent new album, – a record for which NIN fans have had to endure a six-year long wait. “What took this record so long? I needed to clean up. Get my life in order.
And after the last tour in 2001, I was a mess.” And if this sounds melodramatic, Reznor assures us it’s not. “It wasn’t gonna be another way.
It was gonna be the end.” To understand how Trent Reznor nearly met that premature end, we need to go back to his beginnings. Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! You begin to .
