To me, rock music was never meant to be safe. I think there needs to be an element of intrigue, mystery, subversiveness. Your parents should hate it.
Trent ReznorRead
I've attended many concerts where I felt let down and I was wishing it would be something else. Not that it's their duty to please me, but at the same time, I think a lot about what it's like through the eyes of the consumer, the fan. I want not to pander to the audience, but to be aware of them.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the balance between artistic expression and audience expectations.
Trent Reznor emphasizes the importance of understanding the audience's perspective in the creative process. While he acknowledges that artists should not solely cater to fans, he believes that considering the audience's experience can enhance the connection between the performer and the consumer.
Themes
ArtAudiencePerformanceCreativityConnection
In practice
Example use cases
During a lecture on the relationship between artists and their audience, I quoted Trent Reznor to illustrate the importance of consumer perspective in creativity.
More from Trent Reznor
All quotes →Though I still have no semblance of a life outside of Nine Inch Nails at the moment, I realize my goals have gone from getting a record deal or selling another record to being a better person, more well-rounded, having friends, having a relationship with somebody.
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I lived a fairly average, anonymous small-town life till I got the idea to do Nine Inch Nails. Then I locked myself in a studio for a year, and then got off the tour bus two years after that, and I didn't know who I'd turned into.
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You're standing onstage in a sold-out arena with people singing your music, and you feel like the loneliest person in the world. Because here's a party that, essentially, it's for you. And you still somehow feel like you don't belong there. Those people all have their lives and go back home.
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My music has been a sort of personal therapy. It's got me out of tough times, it has been the friend that I needed, when I didn't have a friend there.
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I think the whole aspect of social networking is vulgar and repulsive in a lot of ways. But I also see why it's appealing - I've had that little high you get from posting stuff online. But then you think, 'Did I need to say that?' I've explored that enough to know to stay kind of quiet these days.
Trent ReznorRead
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