This month’s edition of The Hollywood Reporter includes a tribute to David Bowie written by Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor.
Reznor has previously described Bowie as his “mentor” and “big brother,” so not surprisingly, he had nothing but kind things to say about Bowie and his latest LP, The Next Day.
“To me, David Bowie is in the very top tier of artists — with capital letters. He’s proved himself so many times that I sit back and trust him. Often, he’s so far ahead of the game, it takes time to catch up. Bowie doesn’t strike me as someone who sits down to write songs and says, ‘That’s my collection of what I did this summer’ With Bowie, there’s a mission statement, a set design, a feel and a whole new identity — a construction that he’s created to voice and stand in the middle of the stage…
“When The Next Day came out [in March], I was genuinely surprised — a new album from Bowie? That’s fantastic. I didn’t even know it was on the horizon, particularly with the rumors of his health circulating for the last few years. Then I was kind of pissed off because, between finishing an album and going on tour, I didn’t have long chunks of time to absorb it. I listened to it while going back and forth to the Valley for Nine Inch Nails rehearsals. It was a puzzle — it didn’t sound like how I thought it might sound. I thought maybe it was a bit conservative sonically. But over several months, it made its way into my playlist on countless bus rides; when I’m sitting alone to listen to music, I reach for The Next Day.”
Reznor also lauded Bowie for the album’s marketing, which he called “a breath of fresh air” compared to another high-profile 2013 release. “It wasn’t like the Arcade Fire album [Reflektor] and its yearlong rollout, where it was like, “OK, I get it. You’ve got an album out, you’ve played every TV show in the world.”
And with that, backstage at Lollapalooza South America is going to be super awkward.
