TRENT REZNOR Nine Inch Nails singer is sober, not somber

Reznor has a new band and a new attitude.
DETROIT FREE PRESS
On the surface, it might seem strange to be talking about Nine Inch Nails in 2005.
This was the dark and aggressive band that had banked its career largely on the raw, emotion-fueled angst and aggression of front man Trent Reznor.
Albums "Pretty Hate Machine" and "The Downward Spiral" (with hits like the R-rated "Closer" and the poignant ballad "Hurt") catapulted Reznor to tortured-idol status in the mid-'90s.
But the five-year wait for a follow-up resulted in the overambitious double album "The Fragile" in 1999, a decent but certainly not legendary work. It seemed like Nine Inch Nails had peaked.
Six years later, Reznor seems hungrier and more focused than ever, armed with a powerful new disc, "With Teeth," that feels more like the proper follow-up to "Spiral." He also has a whole new band and a whole new attitude -- he's given up drugs and alcohol.
There's a positive vibe coming from the 40-year-old Mercer, Pa., native that seems a bit out of sorts for the notorious brooder.
Unfortunately, Reznor hasn't completely escaped drama. Drummer Jerome Dillon, whose heart-related problems spurred the cancellation of the tour's Sept. 16 opener in San Diego midway through the performance, was forced to leave the tour after experiencing more chest pains. That happened just hours after this interview was conducted; so Reznor did not yet know he'd be looking for a new drummer.
Josh Freese (A Perfect Circle) filled in for Dillon beginning with the Salt Lake City performance Oct. 4. At press time, it was unclear whether Freese was a permanent replacement.
Reznor talked to the Detroit Free Press about his changing audience and his new mind-set.
Q. Who else is playing with you?
A. I have a new band this time around. ... I have Jeordie White playing bass; Alessandro Cortini plays keyboards and Aaron North, who used to be in the Icarus Line, is playing guitar.
Q. How has the audience changed over the last decade or so?
A. It's been five years since I've been on stage, for this cycle, and during that time I've gone away to get my life in order and get clean and get my head screwed on straight. So, approaching this cycle, it was like, "Well, let me see if I can write a record," and it's like "Wow, I wrote a really good record and I feel good about it. Alright, let's tour. Let me see if it feels right." And it does feel right.
Time has passed and who is the audience? The weirdest thing now is that, when I look out at the crowd, it looks the same as it did 10 years ago. It's still kids, you know? Ten rows back, you'll see older people."