Trent Reznor is an American songwriter/musician/producer and sole member of multi-platinum act Nine Inch Nails, and now an Academy Award winning film composer. He began creating music as a child in Western Pennsylvania, first on piano and then taking up other instruments. He eventually moved to Cleveland, OH where he took a job at a local recording studio as an assistant engineer/janitor, recording his own material during unused studio time. Those recordings became the first Nine Inch Nails album, 1989's Pretty Hate Machine. NIN soon developed a reputation as one of the best live acts in rock and joined the inaugural Lollapalooza tour in 1991. The Broken EP followed in 1992, garnering NIN's first Grammy Award . In addition to his continued work in Nine Inch Nails, Reznor is recording new music as a member of the group How To Destroy Angels.
Leads the music group Nine Inch Nails.
Marks all official releases with halo numbers.
Headed up nothing records, a division of Interscope Records, from 1992 to 2007. After legal issues with Interscope, resulting in Reznor leaving the label, nothing records was shut down and declared extinct. The 2007 Nine Inch Nails album, Year Zero, was the first release since 1992 to not carry the nothing logo.
Has an ongoing artistic feud with Limp Bizkit frontman and Interscope VP Fred Durst.
Converted an old funeral parlor in New Orleans into a recording studio. The door to the studio was salvaged from the former rented "love house" of Sharon Tate (one of seven of the victims of Charles Manson and his "family").
He has a younger sister, Tera
Played in bands such as Option 30, Prick and Exotic Birds (which did music for the Michael J. Fox movie, "Light Of Day".
Had a side-project called Tapeworm from 1995-2004. In 1995 Reznor started the project with Nine Inch Nails live-band members Danny Lohner and Charlie Clouser. Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan and Atticus Ross later joined the project. Tapeworm ended in 2004 due to label issues and other project obligations by Reznor and Keenan. No Tapeworm song was ever released to the public, but "Vacant", which was performed live by A Perfect Circle (a band fronted by Maynard James Keenan) on several occasions and eventually became "Passive" on their last full length release eMOTIVE. Additionally, another band fronted by Keenan, Puscifer, released "C" Is for (Please Insert Sophomoric Genitalia Reference HERE), which contained "Potions", with writing credits to Reznor. Keenan explained that it was a Tapeworm song, recorded by Puscifer as a "wedding gift" to Reznor.
At his high school he played the role of Judas in a school performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Spent a year at Alleghheny College majoring in Computer Engineering and Music.
Dropped out of College to spend his time with local bands, not doing much more than playing keyboards and occasionally doing background vocals.
Trent played tenor sax in The Mercer Junior and Senior high marching bands.
Played prominent roles in his high schools productions of Jesus Christ SuperStar and The Music Man, as Judas and Professor Harold Hill respectively. He was voted "best in Drama" by his classmates.
Is good friends with fellow recording artist, Tori Amos. He sang background vocals on her hit song, "Past The Mission"
He renovated an old funeral home in New Orleans, Louisiana into his home / recording studio.
He produced Marilyn Mansons first few albums. He later had a falling-out with Manson.
His musical influences are David Bowie, The Cure, Nick Drake, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, Joy Division, Jim Morrison, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Talking Heads, Throbbing Gristle and Tom Waits.
He enjoys listening to Tori Amos, Aphex Twin, Dead Can Dance, The Flaming Lips, Janes Addiction, Ministry, Portishead, Radiohead, Rammstein, Skinny Puppy, The Smashing Pumpkins and Tool
Is a huge fan of The Cure.
Nine Inch Nails were voted the 44th Greatest Rock n Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.
Brought in bassist/long time friend Jordie White (aka Twiggy Ramirez) to tour in support of the album With Teeth.
He is a direct descendant of George Reznor, founder of Reznor Company in 1888 (a major manufacturer of Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning equipment). The Reznor Company was sold in the 1960s, but the equipment is still manufactured in Mercer, Pennsylvania (Trent Reznors home town).
Prior to the release of the 2007 NIN album Year Zero, several tracks were leaked through various music download websites. Reznor later admitted that he intentionally leaked the tracks himself as part of a "conspiracy" ad campaign to go along with the subject matter of the album.
His musical work heavily inspired Maquinista, El (The Machinist). Christian Bales character is named Trevor Reznik, a clear play on Reznors own name; the N in Machinist was often seen in promotional posters printed backwards akin to the infamous Nine Inch Nails logo; and originally the soundtrack was meant to include a lot of NINs material but was deemed too cheesy due to the overall industrial feel and setting of the film as it was.
On July 4, 1992, initially unaware of its past, he rented the infamous Benedict Canyon house located at 10050 Cielo Drive as a recording space for work on his "The Downward Spiral" album. This was the house in which members of Charles Manson s "Family" murdered Sharon Tate and four others in 1969. He moved out not long after, stating, "there was too much history in that house for me to handle.".
In May of 2009 publicly announced his wedding engagement to Mariqueen Maandig, a one-time Playboy model and lead singer for underground rock band "West Indian Girl". In October 2010 the couple welcomed their first child, Lazarus Echo Reznor.
Played at a benefit concert for New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Reznor lived in New Orleans for many years before relocating to Los Angeles in 2004. His longtime recording studio, Nothing Records, was located at 4500 Magazine Street in New Orleans.
Reznor is part of the band How to Destroy Angels alongside Atticus Ross and his wife, Mariqueen Maandig. The band released a 6-track EP in early 2010 and were featured on the soundtrack for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo , the same soundtrack in which Reznor and Ross composed.
Reznor officially broke apart from his longtime record affiliation, Interscope Records, in 2007 and has since been an independent musician. Since leaving Interscope he created his own label, The Null Corporation, in which all future Nine Inch Nails releases are to be released under. The film scores for The Social Network and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and his side-project, How to Destroy Angels, are also under The Null Corporation.
In April 2008, Reznor unexpectedly released the Nine Inch Nails album, The Slip, under a Creative Commons license allowing fans to download it through the bands website for free. He released a statement with the albums release stating, "this ones on me." The album was downloaded over 2 million times and peaked at #13 on the Billboard 200 chart.
Reznor and Atticus Ross release free samplers of their film scores before the official release. A 5-track sampler was posted for The Social Network eleven days prior to the full release and a 6-track sampler was posted for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo seven days prior to the full release.
(August 2004) This fall, He is planning to rerelease the Nine Inch Nails concert video "Closure" on DVD. Updated with 90 minutes of new footage.
(October 2004) The Nine Inch Nails concert DVD "Closure," will probably not be released until early 2005 due to legal problems.
(January 2007) Confirms that the new Nine Inch Nails album will be called "Year Zero" and it is supposedly coming out sometime in April.
(January 2002) Released the live DVD/CD/VHS "And All That Could Have Been" documenting the bands 1999-2000 tour.
(April 2004) Working on the new Nine Inch Nails Album "Bleedthrough," which should be in stores by early 2005.
Nine Inch Nails embarks on the "Lights in the Sky over North America/South America" tour.
(March 2008) "Ghosts I-IV", a 36 track all instrumental album is released.
(April 2006) On tour with with Nine Inch Nails and writing their follow-up to 2005s highly acclaimed "With Teeth", which should be released sometime this year or 2007.
(September 2007) On Overseas Tour for Year Zero no Anouncement for US Tour.
(September 2009) The end of Nine Inch Nails as a touring act.
(October 2004) This November, Nine Inch Nails will release a remastered deluxe edition of "The Downward Spiral." The package will include a bonus disc containing b-sides, demos, remixes and previously unreleased material.
(January 2007) Confirmed that the new Nine Inch Nails album will be called "Year Zero".
(May 2008) New album "The Slip" released world wide on nin.com
(December 2004) Putting the finishing touches on the new NIN album, "With Teeth", which will be out in stores in March 2005.
Has struggled with Depression and Social Anxiety Disorder.
Although his performance at Woodstock 1994 is considered one of his best and the highlight of the show, Trent has said he isnt very fond of it.
Studied Computer science in college.
Is a huge fan of Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters.
Overcame an addiction to Alcohol and Cocaine, which he developed after the death of his grandmother who raised him.
Served as Chief Creative Officer for Beats Music and subsequently became an employee of Apple Inc. after they acquired Beats Electronics.
An integral part of any relationship is knowing that you could be killed,in your sleep at any time.
I pop the video in, and wow. Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps. . . Wow.
[accepting an Academy Award for Best Original Score] Wow, is this really,happening? When we finished work on The Social Network (2010) we,were very proud of our work and happy to just be involved in this film.
I realized that I was afraid to really, really try something, 100%, because I had never reached true failure.
I have been wildly enthused about gaming since I was younger, and a career path I chose not to go down but did really consider was getting into programming and game design.
Books are better than movies because you design the set the way you want it to look.
