/Rant On Trent Reznor and Why I Really Don't Like Him

I think I'm going to break this out into sections, to explain my general disdain of Trent Reznor (A.k.a. Nine Inch Nails.)

Now, if you like his music... great. Prior to reading this, please understand that I'm not criticizing your taste in music or "YOU" specifically or that you like his music. I'm bashing Trent Reznor and his following for the reasons I shall state.

Let's start with the musical content.
Trent Reznor is a beat thief. For those unawares, "My Sharona" by The Knack is the beat line to "Beginning of the End" and "Capital G" was taken from Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel." Why no suit? Because there's just enough difference to make it considered "unique" according to the law. Regardless, I'd challenge anyone to tell me the difference. And for reference, Closer was another hi-jack from an old New Order song back in the 1980's.

NIN is not unique. Industrial music was pioneered by a band called Ministry back when Trent Reznor was still playing keyboards with the Exotic Birds, circa 1985ish. For some reason, many feel the need to associate Reznor with the rise of Industrial Music. On a popular basis, it could be attributed to him, but he certainly didn't "pioneer" anything.

Music is made of of 5 elements; Melody, Harmony, Pitch, Tamber and Rhythm. Altering Pitch and Melody, yet keeping with the other 5 elements makes for a different, perhaps effective change, but it's still only part of the equation. Basically what I'm saying here is that what goes into Reznor's music is still the same as everyone else - a variation of those five elements. It's what EVERY musician does. Deifying him in anyway is silly. Like everyone else, he simply makes music that some people enjoy.

Where Jackson Pollock threw paint at a canvas, Trent Reznor throws sound at a magnetic hard disk. It looks interesting, it sounds neat and it's even worth a sound track deal or two, but it doesn't constitute "amazing" any more than any other artist.

Part of what I will criticize about Reznor's musical ability is that he has NEVER ONCE used a real drum set. It's all synthesized drum sequences with very little variation from the start.

Trent Reznor as a composer.
"Reznor is a COMPOSER, not just an artist." I've heard this multiple times from many people, and it's simply incorrect. Reznor is not a composer. Composition deals with written, intentional music creation and involves multiple constituent elements. I.e. Musical Notation, Instrumentation, Orchestration etc.
Now, I will admit, I may be a bit biased in my analysis of him being a "composer" in that I grew up on composers like Aaron Copeland, Gustav Holst, Bach and Beethoven. Beethoven stands out with the idea of the word "composer" in mind, if for no other reason than the fact that he was deaf when he wrote his 9th symphony. I bring this up to say - Reznor doesn't start the process by writing. He starts it by performing, then finishes with arrangement and structure.

So, while he may physically write music, he may play instruments and decide what sounds he wants where similar to a composer, can we really call him that? Perhaps, but by that measure almost every artist is a composer, even Ke$ha.

Trent Reznor really excels at is a process called "Sampling." He takes previously recorded sounds, then processes and alters them to get the sound he wants. I think many may call Reznor a "composer" because he generally records those initial sounds himself prior to the sampling process. There again - not really all that spectacular in the music world.

"The Social Network" Soundtrack
I need to clarify this. Trent Reznor was only ONE part of that soundtrack, the other part is a guy named Atticus Ross, that most may not even know. After spending the last few days listening to Atticus's solo stuff, then coming back to the soundtrack, I can certainly hear Reznor, but I can't credit him with creation of it all. He and Atticus have worked on a number of albums in the past, and many of the songs on the soundtrack were reworked items from Ghost I - IV. I will say, from a personal perspective, Atticus Ross seems to add some depth than what I've heard in the past, and it's VERY clear how the music has changed.

Also, please note: I'm not impressed that awards were won for the soundtrack. Popular and good are two different terms, not correlated in any way. Even the Nobel Prize is a joke.

"Steal it, steal it and steal it some more." - The Philosophy of Reznor
Those that don't know what Reznor had been saying during his performances a few years back can youtube it. Just search for "Trent Reznor Steal it" and you'll find it.

Radiohead, back in 2008 or 2009 released an album without a record label called "In Rainbows." They asked for a simple donation for the album, and made buckets of money, but the album mostly passed into Obscurity. Why? No promotion for the album release outside the novelty value of "oh hey, they're selling their music without a label."

Now let's look at Reznor's approach - Sign a label, produce an album, then advocate theft. Look how fast his music spread. Trent Reznor has become more and more popular ever since he's started this "fight the labels" stance. I don't disagree with him in his stance and actually support it, but the thing is - He doesn't do it simply for ideological purposes. It sells records and spreads his music, plus he ends up with a bigger take from album sales.

Again... has my support functionally, except that he's selling a contradiction. "Record Labels are greedy. Give the money to me instead." Pot, meet Kettle. I agree with him, in that I'd rather my money go directly to the artist and support his greed, but if the label serves a function, the details about who gets what money are fungible - The band has something to gain from the label.

Prices STILL haven't gone down, despite Reznor's advocation of theft and that record labels are quickly losing their foothold in the music industry, yet many artists still WANT a record label because it's hugely influential in spreading their music to a wide audience. So Reznor and Radiohead don't. Many still do.

I'll defend his right to free speech, but I find the overall message appalling. Stealing is not a solution to a problem, it's a problem in and of it's self, with no possible positive outcome. He advocates the idea as a matter of appealing to a crowd that loves the notion that big-bad greedy Corporate America is out to get them (same thing we're taught in school), and ought to be fought and destroyed and that YOU TOO can help take down the man, by stealing his music, which he advocates.

There's other ideological problems I have with him too, but that's another post.

Next up - He's popular because he's good at making music for the demographic he targets. - Hence his selection (with Atticus Ross) for the Social Network. The demographic it targeted is the same (or similar) demographic his music does. These demographics are often created by the similarities in personalities among people within that demographic - They all share enjoy the same "sense" or "feel" they get from the music, and message in the music. This isn't a criticism, it's simply a statement about the reason he was asked to do the soundtrack and that there is a similarly shared response within the group that likes his music, and that creates the demographic.

But that's why we like the music we do. We each respond differently to the musical and lyrical content of music and like what we do because we share some sort of emotional response to that music (understanding that it may not be what was intended by the artist.) I'm not criticizing anyone's taste in music, including his. I'm simply saying...

He makes music you like. That doesn't necessarily make him more or less of an artist than ANY other musician. Personally, I find the fact that he uses synthesized drum machines (kind of like what you hear on those starter keyboards) pretty cheesy, and in my view, takes away from the musicianship (and definitely detracts from his credibility as a "composer.") I can see holding musicians in high regard if you enjoy an artist's music, but it doesn't make the artist objectively skilled or able. Reznor isn't really a very astounding musician on any level, but he knows what sells and what works in the ears of a wide audience. With that, objectively skilled and able doesn't mean it's music everyone will consider "good." It might not even be marketable music. Joe Satriani and Eric Johnson are incredibly skilled guitarists, vastly better than Reznor by comparison, but Reznor out sells them by leaps and bounds. Music is one of the many places where "best" and "popular" do not go hand in hand.

To end with a quote from a guy I hate that demonstrates this so well...
"I really don't know how to play the guitar." - Kurt Cobain

/endrant

A true thirst for knowledge.

I wish I could live more lives than my own.

Really. I want to know what it's like to be conditioned as a child to race go-karts, then champ cars, then formula 1. Who wouldn't right? But I mean that even to an extreme. I wish I could be a jet pilot (and have the eyes and age to do it.) Again, who wouldn't? But I'd even like to live life as a woman, to see ALL of the different facets of life from that perspective, good and bad - never mind that I'd probably STILL like women. I want knowledge. I want to know what life would be like from all of these different perspectives and I know that it is completely impossible for me to do so within the limitation of my own life.

And that seriously sucks.

I'd like to see life as a gay man or gay woman. As a politician. As a high school football player, as a drug addict that lives on the streets. As a stripper, as a coke dealer. As a car sales man. As a regular guy with a regular job, a wife and 2 kids. As a rebellion leader, fighting government. As a soldier supporting the government he believes in. As a republican. As a democrat. As a combination of any of the above.

I simply want to know what people think. I want to know how they react, how they feel, think and breathe and more importantly, what emotions, thoughts and reactions course through their mind when an event occurs. I want to know how they react emotionally, psychologically, functionally. Yet I cannot do that within the scope of one life.

:(