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Originally Posted by Peterpuff
Exactly. That more symbolic cleaner stuff is what drew me in, and for the reasons you are stating. It always had that "You have to be 'in the know' to get it." Some of my earlier experiences with elitism I guess looking back on it, ha.
And that is interesting to hear about the band name. I was in the circle of friends that fell for the "that was the length of nail Christ was crucified with" rumor. Kind of blowing my mind now hearing I learned it wrong. I just never questioned it since the internet became such a thing, I guess. Ha. I guess I have learned something today! |
I guess I could be wrong about the name. But I'm pretty sure the "how it looks on paper" line was a direct quote from Trent. I also remember that he was really interested in names and logos and "brands," like The Who's famous logo, or the typeface most commonly used for the Doors. He wanted it to be punchy and versatile, and to look clean. It's quite versatile, since it essentially functions as two band "names." Nine Inch Nals, obviously, and NIN, which is probably the second most widely known acronym in music (behind maybe CCR... and I suppose CSN/CSN&Y.
And yeah, some of this stuff came during a particularly snobby phase for me. Before I was old enough to understand how stupid music elitism was. Also too young to realize just how non-elite NIN is is the grand scheme of things. Joy Division fans would have laughed in my face. But I felt superior to the kids who wore the bright Manson shirts and painted their nails.
Of course, within a couple years I was dressing like Ian Mackaye, so... joke's on me.