N.I.N. – BSIDERIFF.COM FLASHBACK
* Reznor chose the name “Nine Inch Nails” because it “abbreviated easily” rather than for “any literal meaning”. Other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to reference Jesus’ crucifixion with nine-inch spikes.The English letters NIN are also noted for their resemblance to the modern Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton.The Nine Inch Nails logo first appeared on the music video for their debut single, “Down in It”. The logo was designed by Reznor and Gary Talpas.Written, arranged, and performed by Reznor, Nine Inch Nails’ first album Pretty Hate Machine debuted in 1989 and became one of the first independently released records to attain platinum certification.
* In 1992, Nine Inch Nails relocated to 10050 Cielo Drive, Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles,the site of the Tate murders, when Charles Manson’s “family” murdered Sharon Tate, wife of Roman Polanski, and four of her friends.The band used it to record Broken, an extended play (EP) that was the first Nine Inch Nails release distributed by Interscope Records and reached the top 10 on the Billboard.
* Nine Inch Nails’ second studio album, The Downward Spiral, entered the Billboard 200 at number two, and is the band’s highest seller in the US, over four million copies, among five million worldwide.[The Downward Spiral’s diverse textures and moods depict a protagonist’s mental progress. Flood co-produced several tracks, while Alan Moulder mixed most, and later found more extensive production duties on future albums. Reznor invited Sean Beavan to work on The Downward Spiral.The Downward Spiral, alike Broken, was recorded at Le Pig Studios. “March of the Pigs” and “Closer” were singles. Two other tracks, “Hurt” and “Piggy”, though not singles, were issued to radio. Contemporary critics generally praised The Downward Spiral, now classed among the most important albums of the 1990s. In 2005, Spin ranked it 25th among the “100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005.”In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it 200 among “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. Blender named it the 80th Greatest American Album.
* In 1994 concert organizers would seize the opportunity to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the OG music and arts freak-fest: Woodstock.The three-day event, dubbed Woodstock ’94, kicked off on August 12th on Winston Farm in Saugerties, New York — where the approximately half-a-million fans in attendance were treated to an eclectic bill of Nineties alternative artists, big-ticket hard rockers, hip-hop acts and radio hit-makers: Metallica, Live, Violent Femmes, Cranberries, Green Day, Rollins Band, Aphex Twin, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Aerosmith, Salt ‘N Pepa, Bob Dylan, Allman Brothers Band and many more.
But none of these musicians delivered a more memorable performance than Nine Inch Nails. Just several months earlier Trent Reznor had unleashed his opus, The Downward Spiral, on the world, and by the time NIN hit the stage for their Saturday mud-covered evening slot…
* Five years elapsed between The Downward Spiral and Nine Inch Nails’ next studio album, The Fragile, which arrived as a double album in September 1999.The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 228,000 copies in its first week and receiving generally positive reviews.Nine Inch Nails released three commercial singles from the album in different territories: “The Day the World Went Away” in North America, “We’re in This Together” in the EU and Japan (on three separate discs) and “Into the Void” in Australia.
* A further six years elapsed before Nine Inch Nails’ fourth full-length album. With Teeth was released in May 2005 debuted on top of the Billboard 200, Nine Inch Nails’ second reign at number one with an album. The album’s package lacks typical liner notes instead it simply lists the names of songs and co-producers, and the URL for an online PDF poster with lyrics and full credits.The entire album was made available in streaming audio on the band’s official MySpace page in advance of its release date.A music video for the song “The Hand That Feeds” premiered on the Nine Inch Nails official website in March 2005. Reznor released the source files for it in GarageBand format a month later, allowing fans to remix the song.
* Nine Inch Nails’ fifth studio album, Year Zero, was released only two years after With Teeth.Year Zero is a concept album criticizing the United States government’s policies and their impact on the world 15 years in the future. The story takes place in the United States in 2022, which has been termed “Year 0”, by the government, being the year America was reborn.It had suffered several major terrorist attacks, apparently by Islamic fundamentalists, including attacks on Los Angeles and Seattle, and in response, the government seized absolute control of the country. The government is a Christian fundamentalist theocracy, maintaining control of the populace through institutions like the Bureau of Morality and the First Evangelical Church of Plano.
Reznor planned a film adaption of the album and noted Year Zero as the soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist.
* February 16th, 2009 Reznor announced that to celebrate Nine Inch Nails twentieth anniversary the band would be supporting Jane’s Addiction on tour, but that would be it as the band intend to “disappear for a while”.”I’ve just reached the point … where touring has invaded every other aspect of my life,” Reznor said. “I have a number of projects that are not music-related, which I have put on the back burner for a long time.The only way to get a pay cheque is to play live. After Nine Inch Nails’ recent world tour and that Ghosts I-IV jackpot he now seems to have enough money in the bank to quit the wandering life. “I’d never want to be [Kiss frontman] Gene Simmons, an old man who puts on makeup to entertain kids, like a clown going to work,” Reznor said. “In my paranoia, I fear that if I don’t stop this, it could become that.” Their last performance of europian tour was July 20, 2009, Athens, Greece, Vrahon Theater…
* About movies, in 1994 the band released the single “Burn,” which Reznor produced on the soundtrack of Oliver Stone film Natural Born Killers as well as a cover of the Joy Division song “Dead Souls” on the soundtrack to the film The Crow, which went to number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, while “The Perfect Drug” is a song by Nine Inch Nails written for the David Lynch film Lost Highway. It was released in 1997 on the Lost Highway soundtrack as well as a single from the score. They seemed that was a preannouncment of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross Oscar win for The Social Network” Original Score in 2011.
2017 and N.I.N. performed at the old Roadhouse in Twin Peaks The Return.2020 and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross win Emmy for Watchmen Score.
* N.I.N discography at their second era,
Ghosts I–IV and The Slip (2008–2012)
Hesitation Marks (2012–2015)
The Trilogy (Not the Actual Events / Add Violence / Bad Witch) (2016–2019)
Ghosts V–VI (2020–present)
Band members:
Trent Reznor – lead and backing vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, synthesizers, saxophone, piano, programming, drums, percussion (1988–present)
Atticus Ross – keyboards, synthesizers, programming, backing vocals (2016–present)
Additional touring line-up
Robin Finck – guitars, synthesizers, keyboards, lap steel, violin, backing vocals (1994–1996, 1999–2000, 2008–present)
Alessandro Cortini – bass, keyboards, synthesizers, guitars, backing vocals (2005–2008, 2013–present)
Ilan Rubin – drums, percussion, bass, guitars, cello, keyboards, backing vocals (2009–present)
* 07.11.2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: “After three decades, Reznor and Nine Inch Nails continue to express creative freedom and innovation, never resting on their success. Reznor has stood firm in his support of independently released and free-to-download music, seen with the 2020 release of the ambient albums Ghosts V and VI. With Atticus Ross, Reznor has produced multiple critically acclaimed soundtracks for television and film, including The Social Network, Gone Girl, and the 2019 series, Watchmen.
Reznor’s work has inspired artists from David Bowie and Marilyn Manson to Evanescence and Lil Nas X. Every time the mainstream seems to catch up to them, Nine Inch Nails push the bar even further.”
Watch a live Q&A with all seven Nine Inch Nails Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 2020 inductees. Hosted by David Farrier and Trent Reznor’s 2020 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Acceptance Speech.