You’d be forgiven if amid all the madness you missed the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony that broadcast on HBO over the weekend.
Seminal industrial pioneers Nine Inch Nails were honoured during the ceremony. The acts were inducted by Iggy Pop, who, in his speech, compared them to greats like Bob Dylan, Nirvana, George Clinton and French author Michel Houellebecq.
Trent Reznor delivered a raw and uncompromising acceptance speech on behalf of the seven Nine Inch Nails’ members inducted into the hall — Atticus Ross, Robin Finck, Allesandro Cortini, Ilan Rubin, Danny Lohner, and Chris Vrenna.
“Hello, everyone. What a disorienting, strange year we find ourselves in,” Reznor muse. “As I’ve been wrapping my head around Nine Inch Nails being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I think I was most looking forward to the ceremony itself where the hopefully whole camp, past and present, was going to get together and have a moment. And we’re all stuck in our little boxes staring at our screens.”
He continued: “Even now, music’s always been the thing that keeps me going, and, as an artist, I think the most significant accomplishment or feeling is realizing something you’ve created from a fragile and intimate place has reached out and resonated and affected someone else, possibly changing how they see the world. So as to whatever being in a hall of fame means, thank you for the recognition.”
Reznor went on to thank the number of collaborators that have played a role in shaping the career of Nine Inch Nails over the years, before taking a moment to honour NIN fans.
“And for the Nine Inch Nails fans out there—you guys are the best. We’ve wound up in some weird places together, and you’re an intense bunch that can drive me out of my mind, but you’re the best. This journey’s far from over if I have any say in it, so let’s stop fuckin’ around pattin’ ourselves on the back and get to it. Hope to see you all in the flesh soon. Thank you.”
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Nine Inch Nails were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2020 alongside the Notorious B.I.G., Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston and the Doobie Brothers.
Check out Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails Rock & Roll Hall of Fame acceptance speech below:
