OLD NEWS

  

according to
blockbuster
video, the
"lost highway"
video will be
available for
rent in about
2 months.  no
word yet on
when we can
purchase it.

This article about Halo 11 appeared on MTV Online today:

Nine Inch Nails Get Worked Over

May 14 [14:00 EST] -- Nine Inch Nails returned to record stores this week with considerable help from a handful of remix masters.

Jack Dangers of Meat Beat Manifesto and The Orb's Alex Paterson and Andy Hughes are among the sonic sculptors who contributed remixes of NIN's "The Perfect Drug" to a five-song remix EP aptly titled "The Perfect Drug Versions."

Luke Vibert of Plug, Jonah Sharp of Spacetime Continuum, and Trent Reznor himself (with the help of Keith Hillebrandt and Brian Pollack) also rework the track, creating a collection that melds drum-n-bass, industrial, ambient, and jungle.

The EP arrived in stores on Tuesday, and will surely be as coveted among NIN fans as the band's many other remix EPs.

  

the anti-facial 
hair on trent
page

I've just put up fifteen 40-second RealAudio samples of the remixes from Perfect Drug Versions. You can check them out on the Perfect Drug Page.

  

perfect drug
resources

nin in
video games

The Perfect Drug "Versions" EP is now available in stores everywhere! The average price is about $4.99. The 5 remixes are really well-done, especially if you're a fan of the artists who do them (Meat Beat Manifesto, Plug, The Orb, Spacetime Continuum, and good ol' Trent himself). Great EP. For tons of Perfect Drug resources, click here.

Here's a report from Mac OS Rumors about Trent getting his studio ready for production of the new album:

According to an Apple source, Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor was shipped a 9600/250MP on Wednesday for production duties on the new NIN album, as well as for Reznor's side project, Tapeworm. The Mac was configured with 144mb of RAM, a Shrike 12mb/64 bit sound expansion, and an AppleVision 850 AV monitor. Nine Inch Nails has used Macintosh computers for studio effects and production as well as stage effects since forming in 1988--digital effects for Head Like a Hole, the group's first big single, were designed solely on an SE/30.

I heard a rumor that, during a report on fan-based music websites, several NiN pages were mentioned. I don't have any details right now on which ones they were, though I've been told one of them was The Broken Halo. I'll try to get more info on the other pages mentioned. If you saw that news report, e-mail me.

  

nin page review:
the official
schulte coll-
aborator's net-
work

Here's another breif report on Trent and Rob Halford (see may 9th report for more details). This is from Chart Attack:

TRENT AND HALFORD, SITTIN IN A TREE, R-E-C-O-R-D-I-N-G

Former Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford is busy in a Vancouver recording studio with stellar goth producer Dave Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy).. Halford is currently working on his new album, his first release since signing to Trent Reznor's Nothing Records. Not too much other information is available: the group does not yet have a name for themselves, neither does the disc. One thing that is for certain is that Reznor will contribute (in some undefined way) to the new disc. Long live rawk!

  

new webpage
reviews

If you're someone special (i.e. a radio station), you've already recieved a promotional copy of the upcoming Perfect Drug EP, which will be released commercially on May 13th. Some of you may have even heard L.A.'s KROQ play one of the TPD remixes already. But to tide the rest of us over, I've got some info here. The cover of the EP (shown at left; i should have a larger pic soon) is, as you can see, nearly identical to the cover of the Perfect Drug Promo CD, which was issued before the release of the Lost Highway Soundtrack. Here is a description of the entire cd package and notes:

 [cover]
 NINE INCH NAILS
"THE PERFECT DRUG" VERSIONS
HALO ELEVEN/INTDM-95007

meat beat manifesto
plug
nine inch nails
spacetime continuum
the orb

[the times are listed on the right side of the 
cover sideways from top to bottom]

             1 7m39s
             2 6m59s
             3 8m25s
             4 5m48s
             5 6m17s

[inside cover]
1 remix and additional production by jack 
dangers engineered by josh t. roberts at toast 
studios, s.f.
2 remix and additional production by luke vibert
3 remixed by trent reznor and keith hillebrandt 
engineered/mixed by brian pollack at nothing 
studios, new orleans
4 recreated by jonah sharp
5 remixed by the orb engineered by andy 
hughes

original version taken from the 
nothing/interscope release "lost highway" 
intd/c-90090 
courtesy of nothing/tvt/interscope records

c 1997 leaving hope music/tvt music (ascap), 
d. lohner
all rights reserved used by permission

management by john a. malm, jr. for 
conservative

package by gary talpas

[the back cover is similar to the front 
with colours moved around, the upc in the 
upper right corner, and the standard copyright 
stuff at the bottom]

For tons more Perfect Drug info and resources, click here.

More info is coming in on Trent's involvement with Rob Halford's upcoming album. This report from mtv online:

May 8 [10:00 EST] -- Former Judas Priest vocalist Rob Halford has been recording under the wing of Trent Reznor; meanwhile his estranged ex-bandmates will be releasing their long awaited new album, "Jugulator," in September.

Halford recently signed to Reznor's label, Nothing Records, and Reznor has been re-mixing Halford's tracks at his studio in New Orleans. Management sources say Reznor appears on the album but they decline to elaborate on his involvement. Halford is currently in Vancouver, Canada, working with Reznor's right hand man, Dave 'The Rave' Ogilvie (Skinny Puppy), in a studio owned by Bryan Adams.

Halford left Judas Priest in the early 1990s to front Fight, then embarked on his current project with guitarist John Lowery. They originally called the band 'Gimp' before discovering the name was in use. A new moniker is expected to be announced anytime.

"The main thing is we'd like to distance ourselves from Judas Priest," say Halford's manager, John Baxter. "That was six years ago. Rob's material is very modern."

Fans of Judas Priest, however, can rest assured they'll be getting the same old Priest they've worshipped over the years. Ripper Owens, Halford's replacement, sang with a Priest tribute band called British Steele in Akron, Ohio prior to the real thing. And Judas Priest's official webpage promises vintage metal.

This article about a drummer compilation disc featuring Chris Vrenna was posted on Addicted To Noise earlier this week:

Addicted To Noise Senior Writer Gil Kaufman reports: In a new spin on the old James Brown plea to "give the drummer some," an album due out this summer aims to give a gang of alternative rock drummers their due.

Called Flyin' Traps, the instrumental percussion record on Hollywood Records features ex-Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron on a self-penned tune called "Theme From Holy-O," the Flaming Lips' Steven Drozd playing his composition "Headphones Theme From Seemingly Infinity," Porno For Pyros' Stephen Perkins doing his tune "Monkey in Brazil," Mudhoney's Dan Peters covering Ray Davies' (Kinks) "Do You Remember Walter?," and the Melvins' Dale Crover with the appropriately sick, "Vomit and Orange Juice."

Other artists on the collection, produced by Redd Kross' Brian Reitzell, include: Reitzell "Snake and Mongoose," former drummer J. Mascis (Dinosaur Jr.) "Car!," Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees/Tuatara) "Barnburner," Joey Waronker (Beck) "Chorkle is Dead," Josh Freese (Slider/Paul Westerberg) "The Gay 90's," Tim "Herb" Alexander (ex-Primus/Laundry) "Choked," Mac McNeilly (ex-Jesus Lizard) "Lime," Michael Musburger (Fastbacks) "Noodles," Alexis Fleisig (Girls Against Boys) "Don't Ruin Me Gorgeous" and Chris Vrenna (ex-NIN) "The Steel Box."

In the liner notes to the collection, Modern Drummer magazine Assistant Editor Adam Budofsky, says of the contributions, "I'd wager that even listeners who recognize the names of the drummers on Flyin' Traps will be pretty surprised by the diverse and mesmerizing sounds they discover here. The full spectrum not only of drumming, but of musical expression is represented, from Barrett Martin's squelchy urban jungle, to Stephen Drozd's cosmic sonic space voyage, to Joey Waronker's sinister avant-garde groove experiment--to Dan Peters' neat re-interpretation of Ray Davies jewel."

Here are some little NiN tidbits from the past week:

Wall Of Sound gave this breif report on Trent's outfit at the U2 opening: "As for Trent Reznor, we can't be sure he was staying at the MGM Grand, but he was certainly hard to miss in the lobby, dressed in black shorts and black T-shirt, with a sticker on his shirt reading: "Hello, My Name Is Satan."

Last saturday NiN was mentioned in a comic strip called "Ghost Story Club." In the strip, a girl plays music from a CD player to an old man, who exclaims, "voices of demons!" "No," the girl replies, "Nine Inch Nails."

According to Allstar Music Magazine, the Chemical Bros. sampled "A Warm Place" during their May 2 show in Vegas.

According to Addicted To Noise, Chris Vrenna's new solo project "Tweaker" may be getting a new name...

This quote from Trent appears in the June 97 issue of US Magazine: "The English press gives me all this shit: 'No one can be as depressed as this guy... He's just cashing in.' But I am that depressed!"

Tribe Magazine, a local New Orleans publication, is reporting more on Trent at Mardi Gras, now saying that he rode on a float disguised under a turban sort of hat, and threw out $14,000 worth of beads before taking pictures with some fans and then heading off to a party hosted by Better Than Ezra.

Unfortunately, it's official now that Trent/NiN will not be doing the music/sfx for Quake 2.

  

nin page review:
"closer 
(deviation)"

The June issue of Hit Parader magazine features a few bits about NiN. Here's what it says about the new album:

It now appears as if Trent Reznor is finally putting the finishing touches on Nine Inch Nails' long-awaited new album. Rumored to have been completed a year ago, Reznor has spent months re-recording and re-mixing certain elements of the disc in order to achieve what one confidant called "maximum impact". With any luck, the new NIN disc shoud be out by summer with a massive world tour to follow. But, of course, when Reznor is concerned, things could all change in a second. "Trent wants to get the new album out," our source revealed. "But he's not gonna do it until he's ready."

And, similar to SPIN Magazine, Hit Parader also titled Trent "The Most Influential Rocker Of The Year," and had this short article about it:

Though he has remained uncharactaristically silent for much of the last year, there's little doubt that Nine Inch Nails' leader Trent Reznor ranks as the most influential rocker in the world. Aside from his own trend-shattering work with NIN, Reznor has furthered his sphere of influence by producing Marilyn Manson's latest disc and signing more cutting-edge acts to his Nothing Records label. In word, action and deed, Reznor remains hard rock's Renaissance man-- the master of everything he touches. It now appears that Reznor is currently hard at work completing NIN's next disc, which hopefully will emerge before 1997 draws to a close.

"Trent has so much going on inside of him," a close confidant revealed. "He's the kind of person you could hang out with for years and never truly understand. He works on so many different levels-- he's almost scary in that way. Sometimes it seems like he's two full steps ahead of everyone else."

A Yamaha DX7 keyboard played by Trent during the Self Destruct tour is up for grabs to the highest bidder at Celebrity Auction Line. The keyboard, which has been smashed up a bit and even includes broken key and black tape, won't play too well but makes an excellent collector's item, and bears Trent Reznor's signature on the front. As of today the highest bid is $1075.

  

main page logos

The Perfect Drug video racked up some impressive awards at last week's Music Video Production Awards. Here are two reports on the event, this first one is from Wall Of Sound:

Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson Feeling Pretty

Nine Inch Nails and its wicked labelmate spawn, Marilyn Manson, were the big winners last Thursday night at the seventh annual Music Video Production Awards, taking home three awards each. The Nine Inch Nails video "The Perfect Drug," from the Reznor-produced Lost Highway soundtrack, won for Director of the Year (Mark Romanek), Best Cinematography in Video (Jeff Cronenweth), and the coveted Best Hair/Makeup in a music video award (Cemal--hair, Joanne Gair--makeup). Marilyn Manson won its trio of trophies for "The Beautiful People," which was singled out for Best Editing (Michelle Cuzar), Art Direction (Kenny Baird), and Styling (Carole Beadie). And what could be more in style these days than Satan-loving death-rockers? The night's big award, for Video of the Year, went to Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity."

"Satan-loving death-rockers"? Whatever. Here's another, more detailed report on the awards, courtesy of Allstar Music Magazine:

Creepy videos by Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails scored big at the 7th annual Music Video Production Awards, held last night (May 1) at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles. Jamiroquai, Tool, Beck, the Chemical Brothers, Iggy Pop, and Green Day were also honored by the Music Video Production Association.

Manson's clip for "Beautiful People" took home the awards for Best Art Directing (Kenny Baird is the Art Director), Best Editing (Michelle Cuzar is the Editor), and Best Styling (Carole Beadie is the Stylist). Nine Inch Nails also won three awards for the video to "Perfect Drug," a single off the Lost Highway soundtrack. Music video director Mark Romanek was named Director of the Year for the "The Perfect Drug" clip. The video also won for Best Cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth) and Best Hair/ Make-Up (Cemal for hair, and Joanne Gair for make-up).

The top honor, Video of the Year, went to Jamiroquai's "Virtual Insanity" clip, which was produced by Propaganda. Dr. Dre was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Here are the rest of the winners: Tool, "Stinkfist," Adam Jones, Best Special Effects. Dr. Dre, "Been There, Done That," Fatima Robinson, Best Choreography. Erykah Badu, "Orr & On," FM Rocks, Urban/ R&B Video of the Year. The Chemical Brothers, "Setting Sun," Oil Factory, Dance Video of the Year. Busta Rhymes, "Woo Has," Big Dog, Rap Video of the Year. Beck. "Devil's Haircut," Satellite, Alternative Video of the Year. Rage Against the Machine, "Bulls On Parade," Squeak Pictures, Rock Video of the Year. Gary Allen, "Forever and a Day," Original Films, Country Video of the Year. Suzanne Vega, "No Cheap Thrills," A&R Group, Adult Contemporary Video of the Year. Iggy Pop, "Lust For Life," from Trainspotting, Palomar Pictures, Feature Film Video of the Year. The Wallflowers, "One Headlight," Original Films, Pop Video of the Year. Nan Vernon, "Black on Black," Chris Strohter, director, Directorial Debut of the Year. Neneh Cherry, "Woman," Oil Factory, International Video of the Year. Green Day, Live in Prague, Squeak Pictures, Long Form Concert Video of the Year.

Curious what all the hoopla's about? You can download the Perfect Drug Video from the Above The Trees Videos Page.

  

link exchange

banners

In the new Entertainment Weekly magazine, there's a picture of Trent on his way to U2's POPMart kick-off show in Vegas (see april 28th news report for more details). Also, Bono mentions in the EW interview that NiN, along with Garbage and U2 themself, is one of the bands that can't be cubbyholed into one genre, but are taking things from many genres. Thanks gothbunny.

The promotional releases of the upcoming Perfect Drug EP have already made their way to radio stations, as well as a promotional 12" which contains the otherwise unavailable remix of TPD by Aphrodite. If you know of any record stores that pick up promotional items, start checking them now. I'm sure the Aphrodite mix will make its way to the net eventually (i'm trying to get it myself), and when it does you'll find it right here. For the rest of us who don't get promotional copies of upcoming albums, we'll be able to pick up Halo 11 in a little over a week. For the complete track listings of that EP, click here.

If you saw last year's episode of The Simpsons where Homer took Bart to the "Hullabalooza" music festival, you may remember a scene where Homer goes into a record store, looking for the "latest releases" from his old favorite bands, Styx and Bread. When he is informed that these bands are now in the Oldies section, he looks up at the posters on the wall, one of which is for Sonic Youth, and the other for Nine Inch Nails. I've got a soundclip of his reaction for you to listen to right here (.wav file). I found this episode (which i had all but forgotten about) on tape yesterday, and decided to record the sound and post it here. The interesting part is that the episode contained some special guest stars, among them Smashing Pumpkins, Peter Frampton, and Sonic Youth. Now if Sonic Youth had a poster in the record store because they were guests on the show, why was there a Nine Inch Nails poster? Why not Smashing Pumpkins, since they were on the show? Was Trent originally going to play a cartoon version of himself on national TV, and then backed out? We may never know...

I need some suggestions for what the next news poll should be. If you have a question that you think would make a great survey, send it to me.

  

Music News

It looks as though Charlie Clouser will be working on the score for the third Crow movie, despite previous reports that Rob Zombie, the film's director, had talked to Trent himself about the job and all of Nine Inch Nails would be working on it. Here's the report, from Allstar Music Magazine:

White Zombie leader Rob Zombie is writing and directing the third installment of the film The Crow. A spokesperson at Geffen Records, White Zombie's record label, said that Zombie will also be assembling the soundtrack and will be working on the film's score with Charlie Clouser of Nine Inch Nails.

This is Zombie's first full- length feature, aside from the desert scene in Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, though he had directed all of White Zombie's videos as well as videos for Prong and Powerman 5000. Zombie is said to be tentatively set for The Crow 's pre- production in late May or early June.

A spokesman for Pressman Films, the company said to be producing the film along with Miramax, who's distributing it, said that the deal with Zombie was just being finalized. Zombie, however, had previously spilled the beans to MTV at the Grammy Awards, saying that he was negotiating to write and direct the movie. Still, according to Geffen, a movie studio hasn't been confirmed yet. It is not known who will star in the film, but the spokesman at Geffen said that it will not feature Vincent Perez, who stepped in to replace the originator of the role, Brandon Lee, who died while filming the first Crow.

According to Geffen, no record label has been confirmed for the film's soundtrack as of yet.

  

NiN MIDI's

Trent Reznor was in Vegas this weekend for U2's gala kick-off show, but he was doing more than attending concerts. This is an excerpt from Allstar Music Magazine's report on the U2 show:

"Also spotted in Las Vegas this weekend was Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor riding the rollercoaster rails at the New York, New York Hotel and Casino. Too bad he was having too much fun on the rides to hit the after- party..."

I've got some info here about the upcoming Perfect Drug EP. This was a posting on alt.music.nin from jen:

This is all from the official release sheet from Universal Music, distributors of nothing/Interscope:

Nine Inch Nails
The Perfect Drug - EP
Release Date: May 13/1997

Selections:

• TPD (remixed by Meat Beat Manifesto) 7:34
• TPD (remixed by NIN) 8:25
• TPD (remixed by Plug) 6:59
• TPD (remixed by the Orb) 6:17
• TPD (remixed by Spacetime Continuum) 5:48

Just the facts: Originally written for and included in the soundtrack for David Lynch's "Lost Highway", "The Perfect Drug" was the first new music from Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails and has resulted in almost Platinum sales of the soundtrack in Canada.

Never content to rest on past accomplishments, this EP features 5 new remixes of the track including an extended workout by Nine Inch Nails (the original was 5:15). The band's fans (affectionately referred to as Ninnies) are rabid for absolutely everything available from the group and Trent Reznor. This new EP will be highly sought after by all of his fans.

Internet: http://www.nothingrecords.com

From what I've heard Aphrodite's remix of TPD will be on an exclusive DJ-only promo cd. I'm going to try to get my hands on it, and hopefully post the song here at Above The Trees.

  

e-mu: how trent
makes his music

this week's
featured song

Pretty Hate Machine has been named one of the best albums ever in this week's issue of Rolling Stone magazine (may 15th, with Jewel on the cover). Here's the article:

"Nin's first album made the mechanized rage of industrial music more listener friendly by combining it with the palatable electronic sound of Depeche Mode and the gloom-pop allure of The Cure. The pummeling outcome appealed to a rock audience, while leader Trent Reznor's lyrics about self-loathing and unhealthy lust hit a nerve among the jilted generation. Pretty Hate Machine pits Reznor's screams, rants and hisses against the intentionally frustrating and unyielding din of robotic synthesizers and processed rock. It was this emotion vs. machine aesthetic that made "Head Like a Hole" an MTV hit, kicking off NIN's career and paving the way for later bands like Marilyn Manson. Though Reznor's studio techniques would become more sophisticated on his subsequent works, Hate Machine brought the industrial revolution to the mainstream."

Thanks to SPYDRLYN for that info.

  

the perfect 
drug

news poll

slap a 
spice girl!

The new Smashing Pumpkins song "The End Is The Beginning Is The End," from the upcoming film Batman & Robin, has made its way to the net and is now available for download. The reason this is NiN news is because the song is the first to feature ex-NiN drummer Chris Vrenna on drums. Vrenna has yet to become an official member of the Pumpkins, but it doesn't look like it's far off. That song, in MP3 format, is available for download at http://rawk.simplenet.com/bootlegs/end.mp3. I don't know how long it will stay there, but if it goes down I'll put the song up here at Above The Trees.

MTV News mentioned Trent and NiN briefly on April 19th, talking about Trent's collaboration with Rick Rubin for the next album, and also about the upcoming Perfect Drug EP. Also, MTV News had this to say April 23rd about the rumors that Vrenna and Finck are joining Guns 'N Roses (see farther down this page for more info):

"Industry reports, denied by Guns n' Roses management, have been surfacing that drummer Matt Sorum was no longer with Guns n' Roses and that Chris Vrenna and his former Nine Inch Nails bandmate Robin Finck are working with GnR. Vrenna, though, has told press sources that he's only met with Guns N' Roses and that Finck has been jamming with Rose, bassist Duff McKagan, part-timer keyboardist Dizzy Reed and guitarist Paul Huge."

  

trent biography

sound clip 
of trent

Trent is featured in this month's Electronic Musician magazine, boasting a big smile as he poses with his dog Daisy and some musical engineers in front of two Akai S900 samplers and other musical equipment. This is in the "Recording Musician" column titled "Ready, Set, Compress!" and the caption below the picture reads, "When it comes to mondu compression, Nine Inch Nails is one band that believes no ratio is too high." Thanks to M.C. Death for that info.

It looks as though at least one of the Impossible Pain websites has shut down. I went on a whim to visit the goofy (and phony) page here today, and found that it has been closed down! This apparently happened earlier this month. The page now has a message which says that, "Since the CD is out, there's no point in keeping this site up." Ridiculous, I tell you. I know that Trent was trying to get the site shut down (look down this page for more info on how ridiculously far the impossible pain hoax has gone), but I'm not sure right now if the page's closure was do to pressure for Trent/Nothing or if it was voluntary. It looks as though Blackrose's original Impossible Pain page is still up and running, though.

Meanwhile, no one has forgotten about Impossible Pain, as this hilarious post made its way to alt.music.nin today (keep in mind this is just a joke):

From: pmiller@cis.ysu.edu (Patrick Miller)
Newsgroups: alt.music.nin
Subject: Trent in "Anaconda" !  New NINfo!   [bfpt]
Date: 21 Apr 1997 17:37:49 GMT
Organization: Buttfuck Parlor Time, Ltd.

Trent is apparently better friends with Ice Cube than previously known. Ice Cube, a star of Anaconda, managed to get Trent a bit part in the movie. He can be seen crowd-surfing during the concert scene. Trent is quoted as saying "Ice Cube knew I liked to crowd surf since he saw me in 'The Crow.'" Trent made that cameo appearance during his "chubby days" back when he did the soundtrack for the movie. Trent also said he enjoyed meeting Craig Kilborn, also in the film, who is often confused with Eric Stoltz. Kilborn, host of Comedy Central's "Daily Show" has also stated that Trent will appear on an upcoming episode, promoting the 'Improbable Tour' and his new album.

It has just been confirmed that the "press release" from Interscope Records (see 4/18 news) is indeed a FAKE. This is what the real author had to say about it:

"that press release is NOT true. i wrote it. i made it up using some confirmed facts and some believable stuff. i have absolutely no connection to Interscope records (other than i own a bunch of CDs from them). sometimes at night when you've had a couple drinks ideas seem better than they really are. i sincerely apologize for any and all trouble that it may have caused, it won't happen again. (at least i got people to stop asking when a new nin album would be coming out for a day or so...)"

Just goes to show you what happens when technology falls into the wrong hands. I do, however, credit the author of that post with making his hoax a bit more believable than previous ones (in content, if not presentation).

MTV News has made the second confirmation (the first came two days ago from Addicted To Noise) that Rick Rubin will be the co-producer of the new album. Here's the word:

MTV News confirmed the Rick Rubin production credit on the next NIN album, although they stated that Rubin's involvement is to "help produce some tracks" and that "Reznor's spokesperson offered no details as to how extensive the collaboration will be, or when it will be released."

There is an article on Sonicnet which brutally trashes the Perfect Drug Video. The author of this article obviously knows nothing about Trent, NiN, or the video, and he makes some idiotic errors in the review (he says the green drink in the video is Midori, while we all know it's Absinthe). You can read that review here. If you're looking for some real insight on the video, check out this page. It shows pictures that reveal the true inspiration for the TPD video, the art of Edward Gorey.

Looks like ex-NiN drummer Chris Vrenna is one step closer to becoming the official drummer for Smashing Pumpkins. Here's the story, from yesterday's Music News Of The World:

The Smashing Pumpkins have recorded a new song for the soundtrack of the upcoming Batman and Robin film entitled "The End is the Beginning is the End."

The song features former NIN member Chris Vrenna and will be the first single from the album. The Pumpkins are scheduled to convene with the movie's director, Joel Schumacher, next month, to film a video for the song.

This posting, which has now been verified as being FAKE, made its way around the net this evening:

Press release from Interscope Records, for immediate release:

The new NIN album, which has not been titled yet, is ready to record. Rick (Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers) Rubin will be producing it. Trent Reznor will be doing lyrics, vocals, programming, and additional guitar. Danny Lohner will be doing strings, Charile Clouser will be doing real drums, real-time keyboard and synth, and drum machine programming, and Sean Beaven engineering. the line up for the tour will be Trent (vox, some guitar), X-Mas (of Sister Machine Gun on guitar), Danny (bass), Chris (drums), Charilie (keys), and Sean (sounds). Robin will eventually take his place back when his scedule allows. Also, it is planned that Clint Mansell will appear as a guest on some songs. the set will have all of the new album, and some old ones. they definently plan on playing "Piggy" and "Hurt"

The Tapeworm album will be more of a metal based record, with Trent producing, each these people will be contributing the following:

• Rob Zombie (White Zombie): vox
• Chris Randall (Sister Machine Gun): vox, guitar
• Page Hamilton (Helmet): vox, guitar
• Tod A. (Cop $hoot Cop, Firewater): vox, bass
• Perry Farrel (Porno for Pyros): vox
• Jared (Chemlab): vox
• Tommy Victor (of Prong): vox

Trent will play guitar and sing on all the other songs, and Danny will play bass. Danny will play bass on the songs, except for Tod A.'s, but Danny will play guitar on that one. Trent will play guitar on the above songs that don't already have a guitar player (except Tod's). Charlie will do the drumming and programming.

The live lineup will be basically the same, only with Chris on drums, with Charlie handling triggers and drum kit things.

The first tour will be a US NIN tour co-headlining with Meat Beat Manifesto. Plug will open. Then there will be another nin tour, this one in Europe, with Plug co-headlining and Bentley Rhythm Ace as support. Then Tapeworm will be opening for Rob Halford's band.

Again, the above posting is just an elaborate hoax. None of that is true.

Blast Magazine, a British publication, featured a short article about how Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) is redoing a 20th anniversary version of The Wall, and has talked with Trent about possibly producing the album or performing on it. As we all know, The Wall was, and still is, one of Trent's favorite albums, and he has at times compared it to The Downward Spiral. Thanks to Jonathan for that info.

Contrary to last night's news report (see below), I've just been informed that Trent was spotted in New Orleans just a week and a half ago. So maybe he's not in Big Sur after all.. Who knows? Thanks Anna.

This isn't exactly news, but it's kind of interesting. As I was out and about wandering the world today, I ran across a package of condoms. The cover of the package shows five long nails, and says in large letters, "Nine Inch Nail 'Em!" Then down below, in smaller letters, it says, "Nail 'Em With A Full Nine Inches!" So, you heard it here first, there are in fact Nine Inch Nails condoms. I'll try to scan in a shot of the package when I get a chance.

I just got word that Trent is indeed still in Big Sur. He was spotted there recently, which means that Wednesday's Addicted To Noise report (4/16, four paragraphs down) is indeed wrong. Thanks Spydrlyn.

It has now been confirmed that The Perfect Drug EP will be released in the U.S. It is still unknown whether or not there will be differences between the domestic and imported versions, as there often are with NiN albums. I'll update you as soon as I know more.

The latest Nine Inch Nails biography book, which I had mentioned a while back in the news (scroll down this page), has been delayed from its original July 10th release date. The delay is apparently due to legal problems.

Addicted To Noise, the online music magazine, reported this bit about Rick Rubin in today's Music News Of The World:

Addicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: American Recordings honcho Rick Rubin (Run-D.M.C., Beastie Boys, Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers) has agreed to produce the next album from Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails.

Sources close to both parties told ATN that the pair, who worked together previously when Rubin produced "Piggy (nothing can stop me now)" on 1995's remix CD Further Down the Spiral (featuring Dave Navarro on guitar), are slated to get together once Reznor finishes preliminary songwriting and arranging, which he is currently working on at his New Orleans studio.

Meanwhile, as previously reported in ATN, Reznor has summoned a number of name remixers to work on "The Perfect Drug," (May 13) his drum-and-bass single from the Lost Highway soundtrack.

Reznor, currently gracing the cover of TIME magazine as one of the "25 Most Influential People In America (1997)," will get his song worked over by The Orb, Space Time Continuum, Plug (aka Wagonchrist aka Luke Vibert, an artist Reznor recently signed to his Nothing record label), Aphrodite and Meat Beat Manifesto.

Most of the above is old news, as Trent had mentioned numerous times that he and Rubin would be working together for the next album. It is, however, interesting to see that, according to ATN, the actual recording process has not yet begun. Also, Trent has said that the writing for the new album was going to be done at his house in Big Sur, so either he's gone back to New Orleans or ATN is wrong about that. I'll let you know when I get more info.

TIME Magazine has named Trent Reznor one of the 25 most influential people of 1997 in their April 21st issue.

Trent shares this prestigeous title with such big names as Rosie O'Donnell, Chris Carter, Tiger Woods, Babyface, Colin Powell, and Dilbert. He also appears on the cover (along with some of the other people), and his picture (one recycled from the Rolling Stone Interview) in the magazine takes up a whole page. I've made the article and pics available here. Also, you can check out the online presentation of the 25 most influential people at TIME.com (this is probably only temporary, so check it out while you can). This honor from TIME is just the most recent in a string of respectable awards for Reznor, which include SPIN magazine's Most Vital Artist In Music Today. It's strange that now, three years after the last full-length NiN album, Trent is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

Cleveland Online now features an interactive history of the Cleveland music scene, which of course includes a biography of NiN, and some pictures.

What makes the NiN content at this site unique, however, is the inclusion of a history of Trent's pre-NiN days. It talks about The Exotic Birds, The Innocent, and many of the other bands Trent was involved with before starting NiN. You can find Cleveland Online's music area here. Trent's pre-NiN biography can be found here or via the Above The Trees recent interviews page here.

Picture: Trent on tour with "The Innocent" In 1986. From Cleveland Online.

Rumors for today: One is that Trent is making deals with Warp and Nephlex record labels (homes of big names such as aphex twin, squarepusher, and cylob), or that he may just buy them both (there goes big man Trent flashing his money around again). Also - and this wins the "most outrageous rumor of the week" award - apparently Australian radio stations have reported that Trent will have an acting role in the upcoming Star Wars prequels. What do you think, the young Emperor? Let me know what Star Wars role would best fit Mr. Reznor. I'll put the results up on this page next week. Also in the rumor mill, Rob Zombie, who is apparently directing and writing the next Crow movie (i think a third crow movie is really beating a dead horse), may be working with Nine Inch Nails to do the film's score. And that's it for the rumors today.

Here's a little tidbit from Music News Of The World:

Addicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: That upcoming NIN remix EP will feature a number of remixes of the song "Perfect Drug" (the single from the Trent Reznor-produced Lost Highway soundtrack album). Putting their mark on "Perfect Drug" are The Orb, Meat Beat Manifesto, Space Time Continuum and Plug. the EP (due May 13) will also have a bonus "NIN remix" that a source told ATN starts off with a "sort of Aphex Twin vibe and then goes into a harder, more Trent vibe." A DJ-only promo remix by Aphrodite will also be made available around the same time.

As for Reznor's Nothing Records label, ATN has learned that both Plug (aka Luke Vibert aka Wagonchrist) and legendary German industrial group Einsturzende Neubauten have finally signed on the dotted line and joined the Nothing family. Plug's first album for his new boss will be called Drum and Bass for Papa and is expected later this year; no word yet on when Neubauten will make their Nothing debut.

Chris Vrenna makes another appearance in the News today, as the May issue of SPIN magazine (Joe Perry and Steven Tyler cover) has reported that for Courtney Love's next album, the producers will be (drum roll please) Billy Corgan, Alan Moulder, and (you guessed it) Chris Vrenna. There may have been a time when this would have shocked me, but nothing seems impossible these days. Seems like Chris and his new buddy Billy are getting awfully chummy, don't you think? And meanwhile, Trent is bashing Billy Corgan. Keep checking here for all the latest news in the Chris Vrenna saga. Thanks to Izzy for that info.

The new issue of Pulse! magazine (free at Tower records) features a special report on Metal/Industrial music, with a picture of Trent, who is prominently featured in the article. Thanks again Izzy.

Chris Schulte, the creator of The Original Perfect Drug Website, which leaked the original version of TPD to the net before it had been released, is once again making waves (albeit small ones.. maybe even ripples) in the Ninternet community, with the claim on his new NiN Collaborator's Network that he has a "secret contact" with "insider info" on Trent, Chris Vrenna, Nine Inch Nails, and other things. He has yet to release any of this information he supposedly has, saying he has to write up a report and clear it with his contacts. Whatever this big secret news is, you'll hear about it right here when it's revealed. It all sounds pretty sleazy to me...

BIG NEWS today, folks. Halo 11, The Perfect Drug EP, is scheduled for release on May 13th!! Look for remixes on this EP by The Orb, Space Time Continuom, Plug, Meat Beat Manifesto, Aphrodite, and more. Rumors are also spreading around that the new NiN album will be released April 15th, but I am almost one hundred percent positive that this is pure B.S.

Speaking of pure B.S., Rolling Stone Online has reported that Chris Vrenna and Robin Finck have joined Guns 'N Roses (gasp!). Chris Vrenna has jumped right out and said this is completely untrue. Here's the article, though:

When Guns n' Roses last took the world by storm, Russia was under a communist regime, O.J. Simpson was earning raves for playing Nordburg in "Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear," and Moby entered the charts for the first time with the single, "Go." Six years later, Moby will help put the Gunners back on the charts and resurrect arguably the biggest band of the late eighties.

"It's been a while since [Guns n' Roses] have made a record and they sort of feel like a lot of music's passed them by," says Moby, who will most likely serve as executive producer on the band's new album. "They're really interested in doing something slightly different, more contemporary."

G n' R is also a shadow of the band that recorded the smash "Appetite For Destruction" ten years ago. Original members Slash, Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler are gone, as are Stradlin's and Adler's replacements, Gilby Clarke and Matt Sorum. Axl Rose, Duff McKagan, Clarke replacement, Paul Huge, and former Nine Inch Nails members Robin Finck (lead guitar) and Chris Vrenna (drums) have been holed up in the studio for two years, but only now has this latest incarnation of Guns n' Roses solicited a producer to help record what will eventually be the follow-up to 1991's "Use Your Illusion" albums and 1993's all-covers "The Spaghetti Incident?"

A month and half ago, Rose summoned Moby to listen to what the techno star called "tons and tons of ideas but almost no finished songs" and ask the environmentalist if he'd like to produce the album. Apparently smitten with the punk, thrash sound on Moby's latest release, "Animal Rights," Rose is hoping some of it will rub off on his band. So far, Moby seems impressed by the new Guns material, which he calls "melodic and emotional."

"It doesn't rock quite as hard [as "Appetite for Destruction"]," says Moby. "Something that I find important is that it does sort of kick ass."

Currently in the midst of promoting "Animal Rights," writing the score for the Joel Silver HBO film, "Double Tap" and re-doing the 007 theme for the next James Bond film, Moby doesn't have time to work on G n' R's album for six consecutive months. He'll likely hire an engineer and technician to help run things and "come in once a week or once every two weeks" for hands-on production.

Six weeks in, with no formal arrangement, the mild-mannered Moby and Guns n' Roses are still enjoying their honeymoon. "The working environment is great," says Moby. "They're the nicest bunch of people."

So there you have it. Again, Chris Vrenna has denied any truth to that article. Also, someone claiming to be Chris Vrenna (and it probably was) posted the following message on alt.music.nin:

From: (Boypod)
Newsgroups: alt.music.nin
Subject: POD/ GnR Truth
Date: 6 Apr 1997 04:16:17 GMT

Hi everyone,
That story in the online Rolling Stone is NOT true.
Period. I don't know where  S*%T like that comes from.
Thanks!
Chris Vrenna

LIFE Magazine has picked The Downward Spiral as one of the best albums of the 1990's. Check it out here.

Trent will be mixing Rob Halford's new album, tentatively titled "Gear." It will, supposedly, have a "strong industrial influence."

April 5th, 1997

It looks like, despite the rumors, Goldie will definitely not be doing a remix of The Perfect Drug on the upcoming Perfect Drug single. According to someone at Formula, they were looking for another big remix star instead. Thanks to Michael for that info.

It's starting to appear as though the rumor that Trent and ex-NiN drummer Chris Vrenna are not on good terms is indeed true. No credits were given to Vrenna on the inlay of the Lost Highway cd. Vrenna left NiN a few months ago and is now working with Smashing Pumpkins. He performed with them at the Grammy's. Vrenna is also working on a solo project tentatively titled Tweaker. Thanks to Michael for that info as well.

April 3rd, 1997

Rumor has it that Trent may be touring with Marilyn Manson as a keyboardist/guitarist. That's still just a rumor right now, and it seems to me that Trent needs to keep focused on the new album and doesn't really have time to be goofing off with other bands. But we'll see...

An article titled "the mustache rides again!" in this month's Alternative Press talks about how more and more rock stars are growing 'staches. Trent is mentioned, and a picture of Mr. Reznor's newly-grown facial hair is shown.

March 30th, 1997

Brian F. McCaughey, the associate editor of Axcess magazine, reported in a recent posting to a NiN message board that he recently spoke with Danny Lohner, and that, according to Danny, work on the new NiN album and the Tapeworm album is far from finished. Danny also said that, though a lot of material has been recorded, they're not exactly sure what's Tapeworm and what's NiN, and Trent still has to write some more lyrics for the Tapeworm album.

Now that we've dealt with the real new album, here's something about the fake one. An article in the April 1997 Livewire magazine is a perfect example of just how far this stupid Impossible Pain thing has gone. Remember, nothing about Impossible Pain is real. The information in this article was taken from the Impossible Pain Website, which is, may I remind you, completely phony (Click here for more info). It is truly sad that a magazine would believe this crap and actually print it. Here's the article:

TRENT'S PAIN
Livewire Magazine  April 1997

Nine Inch Nails' forthcoming studio album entitled Impossible Pain will also be accompanied by a remix LP called Improbable Pain, which will feature a track mixed by a bum who hangs out regularly at Trent's label Nothing.

"There's this nasty bum that hangs in the back alley at Nothing," explains Reznor. "I asked him one day if he'd ever used a mixing desk. He said, 'Fuck no,' and threw up. I thought that was wildly funny. When he recovered I asked him if he wanted to remix a track for me. I can't wait to see what this fucking nut comes up with."

The remix will also include contributions from Al Jourgensen, Coolio, Rage Against The Machine, and Trent's half brother, Bob Reznor. Reznor also states that the new record is the most guitar-oriented NIN to date.

Says the singer, "I've moved deliberately away from the drum machine synthesizer approach and moved into guitars more heavily. In the past, I've always felt like guitar players were making up for a lack of penis size, so I tried to make sure that I stayed close to my deeply synthetic computerized roots. I had no desire to give the impression that I am anything other than horse-like when it comes to my genitalia."

"But now I figure I've got a lot to prove, so I'm gonna go with whatever the fuck I feel."

Well, there you have it. Circus magazine also reported Impossible Pain as being the new album in a recent article about Trent. The media sure is pathetic. Thanks to Kristin for that info.

March 29th, 1997

There is a tiny article about Trent in the April 1997 Tribe Magazine (a local New Orleans magazine). It features Trent in his Mardi Gras get-up. Thanks to spydrlyn@fia.net for that bit of info, and also for the Raygun article, which is now available via my Recent Interviews Page.

3/28--Well, it's official now, NiN's cover of the Gary Numan song Metal will not be featured on Random, the upcoming Gary Numan tribute cd. Nor will the rumored Marilyn Manson cover. The album will, however, include covers of Numan songs by Gravity Kills, The Orb, Pop Will Eat Itself, and others. Metal is covered by Towering Inferno.

The March 28th issue of Entertainment Weekly gives a breif review of the Perfect Drug video, and gives it an A.

3/26--I've put all the info for ordering the Perfect Drug t-shirts (see below) here.

3/25--It seems almost official now that the upcoming Perfect Drug EP will be Halo 11. Weathermen Records, the online NiN superstore, is now featuring five different Perfect Drug t-shirts, produced in cooperation with Nothing Records. One of these shirts says "Halo 11," right below "The Perfect Drug." This is a pretty clear sign that The TPD single will be Halo 11. Though a release date has not been set for the EP, when it does come out (probably April or May) it will feature remixes of TPD by The Orb, Space Time Continuom, Plug, Meat Beat Manifesto, Aphrodite and possibly Goldie. Weathermen Records' online NiN merchandise catalog has not yet been updated to include the t-shirts, but if you're on the list to recieve e-mail catalogs, they should be featured in the most recent one. I'll try to get all the ordering info right here as soon as I can.

3/22--This is a little disclaimer, to clear up any misconceptions about the forthcoming Nine Inch Nails album. I've recieved mail and other things concerning this, so I want to set the record straight. I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention: The new NiN album is NOT called Impossible Pain. "Trent Reznor's Personal Homepage" was set up by someone called Blackrose, as a joke. Nothing on that page is real. It is an entertaining page to visit, as long as you keep in mind that it's just a joke. The info is made-up, the song samples are fake, everything is completely phony. It's just a joke. In fact, Trent himself is trying to get the site shut down. So far, there is very little official info on the new album. What I know is this: Trent is still working on it, Rick Rubin is helping him, and it will be "more of a funk hip hop" album (according to trent). Trent has been known not to name his albums until they are nearly completed, so no one knows what the title will be. Nor does anyone know the release date, or if NiN will tour, and anything at this point would be pure speculation. There will also be an album by a new band called Tapeworm, which will be a more industrial-style collaborative effort between Trent and the other members of his live band (Charlie Clouser, Danny Lohner, etc. It doesn't look like Chris Vrenna will be included). No release date has been set for that, either. That's all the info that's available right now, and I'll post more as soon as I get it. But remember, Impossible Pain is a fake!

3/20--I'm so desperate for some new news that I've decided to report on some recent NiN rumors, for humor's sake. The latest one is that Trent was in a bar-room brawl with Bob Dylan, and Bob Dylan smashed a bottle over Trent's head. The rumors have even expanded to say that Trent's nose was broken in the fight and he had to get plastic surgery, which explains his nose's unusual appearance on the recent Spin magazine cover. Remember, these are just rumors, none of this is fact. But here's some real news:

MTV Europe recently aired a very brief interview clip of Trent, who was quoted as saying that the only progress in music today is in rap and jungle.

3/12--Here's some gossip, courtesy of "allstar music magazine at www.allstarmag.com:"

Trent Reznor's feelings were hurt recently by the Urb magazine article on how the industry is jumping on the techno/ electronic bandwagon -- including Trent. Word is that someone in Trent's camp called up the magazine to say that Trent was "hurt" by the article. Cheer up, Trent, Urb tells us, "they like you. They really like you"...

There is an excellent article about Nine Inch Nails on the E-Mu (musical equipment company) website. It deals with how Trent goes about making his music. Click here to read that article.

3/11--This bit about Trent and the new album was in the "rumor" section of a magazine called Time Link:

"...and then again the main nail of Nine Inch Nails, Trent Reznor, need not hear the definition of busy. along with an upcoming album he also has a band called Tapeworm with some of his live NIN band members as equal partners. The new album will be quite a change in the expected Nails works, not that there are any barriers as to where Trent can go with his creation. With a new outlook on life and new inspiration, the next album may involve some happy (can this be true?!) songs and be a less computer oriented piece of work. We can only expect a change in the future of music as we know it..."

A Short NiN article appeared in the March 1997 Hit Parader:

"It's kind of different to work with Trent. There's so much going on all the time that you never really think about anything more than contributing your parts as best you can." said a musician who recorded with NIN during their PHM sessions.

"With any luck, Reznor's next NIN effort will be ready to go by late spring. But where Reznor is concerned, speculating about him sticking to any sort of preordained schedule is always a risky venture."

3/5--NiN was mentioned in today's Doonesbury comic strip. The episode recaps the activities of various characters, including that of Mike Doonesbury, "aging baby boomer," and his Gen X fiancee Kim, who's "rather more, erm, hip than he is." The two are "lurching towards the altar," and Mike says, "We're playing Nine Inch Nails?" "Just for the processional," Kim responds. Thanks to Robin Colleen Moore for that info. Also, if you're looking for some cute little NiN parodies in other comics, try back issues of Johnny The Homicidal Maniac, where numorous references are made to a band called "Nine Inch Heels." There are even little NIH logos on t-shirts and hats. One character's comment is something to the effect of, "man, i used to see them when they just played little club shows. now everyone likes them, they're not cool anymore." It's a clever little spoof.

A short story about Trent being a video game addict appeared on the news wire today. The content is nothing new if you've read the recent SPIN interview (see further down this page), but if you want to check it out anyway, try http://www.canoe.ca/JamMusic/mar4_reznor.html.

3/4--If you have any NiN vinyl material and/or promo CD's or records and would like to sell any of them at a reasonable price, please e-mail me. Thanks.

3/4--A page is now up giving info on updates to this site. Check there regularly to see what's new.

3/3--I've got some new pictures up, including some pics of Trent from the latest Rolling Stone that were not actually in the magazine. Also, there's a short sound clip of Trent talking about making his music.

3/1--The new issue of SPIN magazine has been released, and features Trent Reznor, SPIN's "Most Vital Artist In Music Today" on the cover with a long article inside and some great pictures (i hope to have scans up very soon!). Check further down on this page for some more info about that interview, or you can read it right here. Also, David Lynch's Lost Highway is now (finally) playing in theatres everywhere. I saw it last night, and I had only one thought: brilliant! It is however, one of those films that is either loved or hated, and the mixed critical response is perfect proof of that. Still, I think it's a great movie. I'll definitely need to see it again to figure it out.

2/28--Trent is busy signing new artists to his Nothing record label, including Einsturzende Neubauten (!). Here's the official word, according to yesterday's edition of "Music News of the World" from the on-line magazine Addicted to Noise:

"Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor is in the midst of negotiations to sign one of his heroes to his label, according to a source close to the "Closer" singer. The source told ATN that Reznor is in negotiations with the legendary German industrial group Einsturzende Neubauten (which translates into "Collapsing New Buildings"), the Berlin collective that have been making a big noise on anything in sight since 1981.

"The group, notorious for their use of "found" instruments, most of which were not originally earmarked for music making, including power drills, glass, boulders, metal pipes, sledgehammers, powerlines, and water towers, have released material sporadically in the 90's, due mainly to a raft of side projects, including Blixa Bargeld's work with Nick Cave's Bad Seeds and the group Stein, percussionist F.M. Einheit's solo work and collaborations with guitar deconstructionist Caspar Brstzmann, and guitarist Alexander Hacke's work with the post-modern country outfit, the Jever Mountain Boys. Their most recent album, Faustmusik, was released on Mute last year.

"Reznor is also involved in ongoing talks with former Judas Priest leatherneck Rob Halford (whose band Fight thankfully met an early demise), and the artist known as Plug, aka Luke Vibert, aka Wagonchrist, who did some remix work on Ruby's 1996 remix CD. Reznor is trying to sign all three to his nothing label, and insiders expect the Neubauten deal will be concluded within a few weeks. The source also said that Reznor continues to write new material for the next NIN record, although it's unclear when that release will surface."

2/27--It appears as though NiN may not be featured on Random, the upcoming Gary Numan Tribute Album, as was originally planned... Here's some info (this is from http://www.nuzone.org.uk/numnews.html):

17 Feb 97 - "Random" News

This album will actually be called "Random 1". This means there will be a "Random 2" - released at around the same time. This will be a Techno album - in the true sense of the word and will be rather a long way from last year's gashtly "Techno Army". Here is a list of some of the tracks likely to feature on the album:

    Greenhaus - "I Die: You Die" Techno Club Mix. 
    Dave Clarke - "Cars" Electro Remix. 
    DJ Hell - "Dans Le Parc" Techno Remix (with French vocals). 
    Steve Stoll - "Remember I Was Vapour". 
    Robert Armani - "Metal". 
    Laurent Garniere - unknown. 
    Dave Angel - unknown.

This is strange news since rumor had it that NiN's cover of the GN song "Metal" was already recorded (does this remind anyone of the "kiss" tribute album?). And what about the supposed covers by Marilyn Manson and Tori Amos? We'll just have to wait and see...

2/24--This Just In... I have an exclusive interview with Trent from Spin Online (on AOL). He talks about Marilyn Manson, the Perfect Drug, and upcoming projects...

2/19--For those of you who haven't read Trent Reznor's postings on the Prodigy network from '92-'93, I've put them up here.

2/18--The Lost Highway soundtrack has been released as of today! For tons of Lost Highway info, check down by the bottom of this page. Also, the official Lost Highway website is up, at www.lost-highway.com (original, huh?). It's not really that great, but you can check it out.

2/15--Well, it looks like another NiN book is on the way. Here's the official word, courtesy of "alstar music magazine at www.allstarmag.com" (necessary copyright stuff):

"NINE INCH NAILS BOOK COMING SOON

Author Martin Huxley (Aerosmith, St. Martin's Press, 1995, AC/DC, St. Martin's, 1996) scribed the history of Reznor, the "improbable hero" and his metamorphosis from "outcast to dyspeptic sex symbol." He also explores NIN's growing popularity while still offending others with their combination of "goth rock and grunge." Naturally, the book touches on Reznor's love life, including his alleged relationship with Courtney Love."

"Goth rock and grunge"??

2/12--This just in... The new Rolling Stone with Trent and David Lynch is in stores now, so be sure to go out and buy it. The interview isn't as good as the one in Raygun, but still good. You can read the whole thing right here. In the interview, Trent makes some shocking revelations about the new album:

"There will be two records that will probably come out around the same time. One will be with people I had with me in the live band. We're playing and writing together in a group called Tapeworm. That one will be a bit more like what you think industrial music is like now. The new Nine Inch Nails will be more like a funk hip-hop record. It will piss a lot of people off, and it's going to change the world at the same time, I hope. That's all I can aspire to. That and staying 10 steps ahead of Billy Corgan."

Funk hip-hop? Well, we'll see... As for the Billy Corgan comment, I think Trent may be harboring just a few animosities about Chris Vrenna leaving to do sound work for Smashing Pumpkins. Anyone else get that feeling? I'l have a full review of the Spin interview as soon as it's out. In the meantime, check out the excerpts below...

2/10--New info concerning Trent's upcoming interview in Spin magazine:

NEW YORK--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--Feb. 7, 1997--In an exclusive interview in an upcoming issue of SPIN, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails angrily lets loose with some pointed words about the current state of alternative rock, a genre he was highly instrumental in bringing to the masses.

- On the abundance of bands who borrow from Nine Inch Nails' sound: "I'm sure after Nine Inch Nails had some success, other labels asked, `Who sounds like them?' Do I think Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills were part of that? Yeah, I do. Were they ripping me off? Yeah."

And more gossip, courtesy of "allstar music magazine at www.allstarmag.com":

"Trent Reznor's been a very busy boy lately. He's been talking about working with quite an eclectic bunch of people-- first it was Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, now we hear that he's tossing around the idea of working with the cello- playing, pretentious stylings of Rasputina. It's not a definte 'go' yet, but there's talk of Trent mixing the all- female band's single 'Transylvania Concubine.' We'll see..."

2/7--I am looking for the Perfect Drug Promo CD. If you have one you'd like to sell for a reasonable price, please e-mail me. Thanks.

2/3--In case you're joining us late, The Perfect Drug, Nine Inch Nails' new single, has been released, and it's all over the place. A spectacular video has also been made, with Mark Romanek (Who directed the brilliant video for Closer) again seated in the director's chair. You can download the whole thing from my Videos Page. The new single is from an upcoming soundtrack for the movie Lost Highway, a "21st Century Noir Horror Film" starring Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette, and directed by David Lynch (Best-known as the creator of the TV series Twin Peaks). For tons of info about the movie, check out this page. The soundtrack also features two other songs by Trent Reznor, called Driver Down and Videodrones (Both of which are instrumental, and VD is mostly noise), plus Apple Of Sodom, a new one from Marilyn Manson, and more new music by David Bowie and Smashing Pumpkins. It also features music from the original score by Angelo Badalamenti and Barry Adamson. You can download the two Trent Reznor songs, as well as the Manson track, from Chris Schulte's page (linked below). The soundtrack is scheduled to be released February 18th, and the movie will be in theatres on the 28th.

A Perfect Drug EP is also in the works, which will contain remixes by Goldie, Meat Beat Manifesto, Orb, and others. This cd will apparently not be a halo, but no one's really sure at this point. Rumor has it we'll be able to find this in stores around April, but the way Trent's been moving lately, it could be a lot later. For tons of info on Perfect Drug, check out Chris Schulte's Page.

Trent is on the cover of the February issue of Raygun magazine. The interview is excellent. In it Trent bashes artists such as Bush and Alanis Morisette, and talks of possible projects with rappers Dr. Dre and Ice Cube. Trent and Lost Highway director David Lynch are on this month's Rolling Stone, and Trent, of course, will appear on next month's Spin.