Nine Inch Nails

Taking as a childhood role model the Six Million Dollar Man Steve Austin, Nine Inch Nails` Trent Reznor seems to have had a future in some kind of robotics mapped out for him from an early age. His adoption of machine-based electronic music as his favored means of expression came around the same time as the advent of synth bands like the Human League and the rise of new wave in the early 1980s, and, though an indifferent guitarist, he threw himself into mastering the technology behind the music. Grabbing quotes from a variety of sources, Martin Huxley`s biography of Reznor and his band, NINE INCH NAILS: SELF DESTRUCT, zips through such milestones as Reznor`s debut album, 1989`s PRETTY HATE MACHINE, whose stark industrial textures were met a cool reception from his record label, TVT. In a narrative that touches on many significant events in the Reznor story, Huxley constructs a picture of a compulsively work-obsessed individual with a finely honed sense of his music`s shock value. The author relates the tale of Reznor`s feud with Kurt Cobain widow and Hole front person Courtney Love, indirectly providing revealing sketches of both stars` personalities, as well as portraying Reznor`s acute musical vision and hinting at his many personal insecurities. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.