In high school I had magazine photos of all my favorite actors/actresses/musicians hanging on my closet doors. This SPIN cover of Trent Reznor always stuck out the most. I would stare at it all the time, hypnotized and pondering: Why did they apply concealer around his nose in perfect trapezoids and then not blend it? Why does he look so much like Jesus? Is he praying? Where did the bump on his nose go? This is the most photoshopped photo I've ever seen. I can't believe Trent signed off on this. It seems so un-Trent Reznor.
I even remember the article a bit. "The Perfect Drug" had just come out and was a huge hit accompanied by an awesome video. Trent was asked about his next album and he said he didn't have much material. He was having writer's block and a little perplexed. Oh the woes of being an artist. I was shocked when The Fragile came out a year later because not only was it awesome, it was a massive two-discer. I guess the inspiration must have struck. There is hope for us all.
In high school, if you had told me that Trent Reznor would cut off all of his hair, win an Oscar, and give a completely tame, everyman acceptance speech, I would have told you to eff off, turned up the NIN, and continued applying my black kohl eyeliner. But now that I'm older (and not any wiser) my inner fifteen year old celebrates this former rebel winning an Oscar. He deserved it. The Social Network's score was perfect for the the movie. And when was the last time a true rock star won an Oscar? I've seen a number of concerts in my day, and Trent in concert rocked it for two hours straight. It was most impressive. The only other musician I've seen capture the stage like Trent was Bono, and Bono didn't writhe around for two hours.
Congratulations, Trent. I'll always remember you as the picture on my closet door; you, but not quite you. As any artist should be.
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