trent on his albums
his albums
question by Spin: "What you do live hasn't changed as much as your particular records."
answer by Trent: "I agree. The three records have different focal points, or viewpoints: Broken's central theme is self-
loathing; on Downward Spiral I'm searching for some kind of self-awareness; and on Pretty Hate Machine I'm depressed
by everything around me, but I still like myself. I've still got myself. On Broken, I've lost myself; nothing's better, and I
want to die. Downward Spiral was searching for the core, all the different layers. But live, the lines aren't as clear-
cut."
broken
Of the release Reznor said Broken was a hard recording to make an ugly record made during an ugly time in my life. I
am starting to realize what this is all about and I don't like it. He also told Guitar World, "I wanted to make a real hard
sounding record that was just one big burst of anger. Not necessarily a well-rounded record--just one ultrafast chunk of
death."
From the 1995 Nine Inch Nails book by: Tuck Remington, p. 26
"My whole life became my career essentially," Reznor says. And then I was faced with the fact that my career could
easily have been over because the people that controlled it are fucking assholes. It's a horrible feeling. On one hand
Nine Inch Nails had a platinum album 1988's Pretty Hate Machine. And on the otherhand I thought it was over because
I was not doing another album for Gottlieb. And I was told litigation to get off the label would have taken two years.
That's where a lot of the rage on BROKEN came from.
From Rolling Stone interview January 21, 1993 On Broken
the downward spiral
Even Reznor himself was able to look back on Spiral a year later and jokingly say, "I hope I don't get any bleaker than
that one. I out-bleaked myself there."
From the 1995 Nine Inch Nails book by: Tuck Remington, p. 47
Huh Question: Do you worry about sort of going off the deep end. Too much to deal with.
Trent's Answer: I don't worry that much about that. My level of stability and sanity just varies a bit. Right now it's on
the low side. A few months ago I felt...It was a different person that wrote the downward spiral. Like a weight has
been lifted. I know that guy. It's not me right now. What was I thinking: The thing is my perspective changes. The
time of downward spiral was the blackest bleakest....
Issue Five Huh Magazine January 1995 p. 38
"...As far as The Downward Spiral goes, all I know is I made a small-scale, personal, potentially ugly record that was
how I felt. All I could hope for is that there are people out there who'll think, wow, I'm not the only person who thought
those things. The expression of some of those ugly things are things you wouldn't want to tell your mom, your friends
even your lover. But it's no public fucking service either, it's just what I felt."
From RIP Magazine, June 1994, p. 92
GW: What was your initial theme [for the downward spiral]?
REZNOR: The big overview was of somebody who systematically throws away every aspect of his life and what's
around him-- from personal relationships to religion. This person is giving up to a certain degree, but also finding some
peace by getting rid of things that were bogging him down. The record also looks at certain vices as being ways of trying
to dull the pain of what this person is hiding. Of course I'm talking about myself. So that was the general theme. Not that
that's any great leap for me, thematically. The reason why I hope people like Nine Inch Nails is the lyrics. I think that's
the element I care about most on this record, in terms of honesty and nakedness of emotion.
Guitar World April, 1994 pg. 21
