Trent Reznor Was Originally Envisioned To Be A Pop Star: ‘Pick A Model To Be In Your Video’

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Jason Pettigrew wrote a piece titled ‘Glass Everywhere’ that is included in Nine Inch Nails’ new Broken definitive edition release. It details the strained relationship between Trent Reznor and TVT Records head Steve Gottlieb during NIN’s early days, as recently documented on the HBO Series The Defiant Ones. Below is an excerpt of Pettigrew’s piece.

Specifically, Reznor was enraged at Steve Gottlieb, the owner of TVT Records. When Gottlieb initially signed Reznor to TVT on the strength of demos, the self-assured label head presumed he was getting a pliable pop star in the making. So when Reznor delivered the electro-excavation Pretty Hate Machine in early ’89, Gottlieb was disdainful. He deemed PHM a failure and told Reznor he was deliberating whether to release the album at all. When you consider the old adage that artists have their whole life to draw upon when they make their first record, Gottlieb had just said Rezone’s life experience amounted to nothing.

Gottlieb’s appraisal of PHM was a psychic javelin thrust into the then-24-year old Reznor’s heart. He was already cultivating a vein of self-doubt; now it was tempered by rage. He briefly pondered that since Gottlieb owns a label, maybe he does know more about both the process and the business than his new signing. Rezone did acquiesce a little, saying there were three tracks he felt would benefit from a better mix. Gottlieb agreed, but the two had reached an impasse: NIN would not be a priority for TVT, and Reznor created something that he felt proud of putting out into the world.

But as the zeitgeist grew around PHM, Gottlieb nevertheless continued to try to impose his will. He presented Reznor with a catalog of model headshot and instructed his artist to “pick a girl to be in your next video.”