Nine Inch Nails (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: short bus, jeff ward, Nine Inch Nails, Pretty Hate Machine, The Downward Spiral (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Those who hunger for throbbing bombast in all aspects of contemporary life will flock to this not incredibly revealing portrait of the man, the myth, the arrested adolescent behind the band Nine Inch Nails--Trent Reznor. Reznor is Nine Inch Nails and vice versa, just as the Mothers of Invention were Frank Zappa and whomever he showed up with on a given night. Not exactly darlings of critics (or parents), Nine Inch Nails is probably the most successful industrial music act extant. Huxley gives Reznor's life and attitude (which is everything, you know) full airing in this by-the-numbers bio. Much of the narrative is taken up with Reznor's well-cultivated inability to "fit into anything." Ah, angst--what would rock 'n' roll be without it? Replete with quotations from Thrasher magazine and other chronicles of the present and recent cutting edge, this little book is sure to thrill Reznor's legion of fans. Mike Tribby

Product Description

Sound, throb, and a long low wail of pure, hard pain...Nine Inch Nails.

The world's most disturbing rock band is in effect one man singer and songwriter Trent Reznor. Since stealing the show during the original Lollapalooza tour in 1991, NIN has limned the hard edge of the techno revolution. In Reznor's desperate, combative persona and disarrayed melodies the musical community has finally found a band that appalls, confounds, and undeniably attracts. Horrified yet entranced, NIN's fans are like moths drawn toward the disfiguring flame of their music.

From a well of previously unpublished research, Huxley has carved out the history of this improbably hero: Reznor's rise as an Appalachian outcast to dyspeptic sex symbol; his connections to Courtney Love; and his relationship with his spasmodically fixated fans. Ricocheting wildly between goth rock and grunge, Nine Inch Nails has emerged. Here, Martin Huxley digs hard and deep to unearth the truth beneath this, the ultimate noise.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (September 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031215612X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312156121
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #372,105 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good summary of NIN, June 4, 2002

By A Customer

I've always been a pretty big fan of Nine Inch Nails, as Trent Reznor is one of the few people with an actual musical vision or views worth listening to. While the book skips most of Reznor's adolescent life and teen-years, unlike the later released "The Long Hard Road Out Of Hell" by label-mate and fellow shock-rocker Marilyn Manson, the book does a better job of telling Trent's story of how he evolved into the music industry and how his life turned into using the studio itself as an instrument. While Manson's autobiography was pleasing in it's disturbing details of the lead singers troubled youth, "Nine Inch Nails" is better off leaving such details out, as Trent has always really wanted things to be about the music and not a bunch of out-played "my parents hate me, I was abused" drivel that would probably be in any book written by a member of KoRn or similar bands.

Instead Martin Huxley decides to focus more on Trent's musical career prior to Nine Inch Nails, with the various successes and failures which filled his life in the musical world, also discussing the making of all the albums up to "The Downward Spiral", the stress of touring and writing an album, and Trent's fallout with one-time bandmate Richard Patrick of Filter.

Piecing together pieces of articles and interviews, along with his own views on Nine Inch Nails' honest and disturbing message, Martin Huxley does a good job of compiling some of the best information on one of the best industrial artists in history (even though Trent prefers not to be called "industrial"). After all, genres can be real limitations. Pick this up whether you're a hardcore fan of NIN or not. Either way it's well-written and interesting and you'll learn something about the band that you didn't know before.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For those who know the music but want to know the man., September 28, 1998

By	Mandi Richmond ([e-mail]) - See all my reviews

I'm a huge fan and have all the major albums plus a few and thought I knew alot about Nine Inch Nails. Then I read "Self Destruct" and i realized I didn't know half of what there was. The info I gained from reading the book made me appreciate Trent Reznor and his music even more. The book is also great for people who have not yet been introduced to the band and want to learn more. It's great reading- fast paced and even funny in some parts.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Buy This Book..................., December 29, 1999

By	"twizted" (HB, Ca.) - See all my reviews

This is a definite buy for any NIN fan. After reading this book, you will definitely have a new outlook on Trent and NIN. Although I try not to believe everything I read or hear unless it comes from Trent's mouth. Everything in this book sounds true to the best of my knowledge, and believe me I've done my homework. Trent is a very non-public person, you will appreciate learning more information about him, his background, the way he thinks, his music and the coming together of Nine Inch Nails. You will be impressed by this book.........go buy it! Trent...your in *A Warm Place* in my heart!