Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor Has a New Baby to Go With His Rock Hall Induction
Not only did Nine Inch Nails finally secure induction status in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Wednesday (Jan. 15), but frontman Trent Reznor "just had a new baby" the previous weekend. That makes quite an exciting start to 2020 for the musician who's been eligible for the Rock Hall's hallowed rolls since 2014.
Indeed, in an interview this week, Reznor revealed he's both "freaked out" and "quite in shock" at Nine Inch Nails making the Rock Hall. The group has been passed over on the ballot two times before, in 2015 and 2016. The musician even criticized the institution in the past before ultimately coming around to its importance. Now, a stunned Reznor is simply reveling in his act's acceptance alongside fellow 2020 inductees Depeche Mode, The Doobie Brothers, Whitney Houston, The Notorious B.I.G. and T-Rex.
"I'm actually quite surprised," Reznor told Rolling Stone of Nine Inch Nails' inclusion among the Rock Hall's new class. "When I look back at how Nine Inch Nails are received, it always seems like we fall between the cracks or we're not in this category or 'that thing.' I don't know if it's a defense mechanism, but I just assumed we'd stay in that category, so I'm pleasantly surprised to see us acknowledged. It feels pretty good."
Although the nod comes with a sense of satisfaction, the musician also touched on his past disdain for the Rock Hall. But Reznor indicated his previous dismissal of the proceedings eased up once he inducted The Cure in 2019 and witnessed Radiohead members' induction that same year.
"I had thought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame concept felt absurd," the Nine Inch Nails frontman and frequent film scorer explained. "In some ways, it surely is; to try and quantify something as broad as that and inevitably add a competitive element to it. The gamification of it is hard to rationalize. Being there in that room last year to induct The Cure felt really cool. Sitting with the guys in Radiohead and watching Bryan Ferry play. It is just nice to see a bunch of people celebrating music as the primary thing. It felt legit."
Elsewhere in the interview, Reznor confirmed that Nine Inch Nails will perform at the 2020 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony on May 2 in Cleveland. Fittingly, the city is also the musician's origin point. Nine Inch Nails got their start in Cleveland before becoming internationally recognized.
"I grew up about an hour and a half outside of Cleveland and got sucked into Cleveland once I dropped out of school," Reznor recalled. "I remember back when there was first talk of a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. … I was working at a music shop that sold keyboards and drum machines."
Of course, each year's class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists inevitably leads to talk of the performers who were seemingly snubbed for the accolade. But with both pop and hip-hop artists being included among 2020's inductees, Reznor seemed appreciate of the broad manner of inclusion.
"To me, it's the spirit of rock and roll," Reznor said. "That doesn't mean it has to be guitar/bass/drums. It can be a turntable, a computer, a synthesizer, sequencer. They are all tools. It's the spirit of expression and, to me, freedom and no limits to expression. That's my version of what rock means."
Not to mention the excitement surrounding the Reznor's family's own newest recruit. "And I just had a new baby over the weekend," the musician revealed. "2020 is starting off with a big bang." Reznor already has four children with his wife, Mariqueen Maandig Reznor, the vocalist of NIN side project How to Destroy Angels.
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