The Nine Inch Nails mastermind on the first ever Lollapalooza, opening for Guns N' Roses and regrouping for this summer's festivals
*What was your first ever festival experience?*
I grew up in rural America, and there wasn't anything like the multi-day camp-out festivals you have in Britain. It probably wasn't until Nine Inch Nails played the first Lollapalooza that I actually went to a festival. We had a crappy slot, 4pm in the afternoon, blazing sun, not the ideal conditions to see Nine Inch Nails. Suddenly, instead of playing for 1,500, there were 15,000 people – not all there to see us, but they were getting it. And that's one of the weirdest sensations. I get goosebumps just thinking about it – seeing people screaming my words back at me. They were responding to music how I responded to it growing up.
*How important are festivals in providing those formative musical experiences?*
Live interaction with a crowd is a cathartic, spiritual kind of exchange, and it's intensified at a festival. I'm talking to you from Coachella, where my other band How To Destroy Angels is playing. I can hear people in the background all excited to head out to watch a bunch of bands. That excitement in the air is a reminder of why I do this.
*Any occasions when a festival crowd just hasn't got Nine Inch Nails?*
We opened for Guns N' Roses one time in front of a bunch of Cro-Magnon types. I realised: I don't want to reach them.
*Is a festival with How To Destroy Angels different to one with NIN?*
How To Destroy Angels is such a new entity. We're about to unleash this thing that we've worked a long time to perfect out into a crowd who might be curious or might never have heard of us, but I can't wait because I feel confident it's good. With a Nine Inch Nails show, I'm building on a legacy that comes with a certain set of expectations. I have to push that forward, I have to reinvent myself, I have to feel current and valid. It's a different mindset, and neither one feels particularly comfortable right now.
*You're hitting the circuit this summer with a brand-new Nine Inch Nails lineup. How does that feel?*
Risky, but in a good way. It's a different kind of engine. I've got Adrian Belew [David Bowie, Talking Heads] playing guitar with me. He's been a hero of mine and a collaborator for years, but now he's going to be on stage with us. It's definitely going to be a revolution, to make the old material feel alive and liquid rather than feeling stagnant and nostalgic.
*How has your recent work on the soundtracks to The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo changed your approach to live performance?*
I can't say yet, because I haven't really played live since I've done that work, but I will say that it was very creatively rewarding to work under somebody – David Fincher, who I think is a genius – in a co-operative, respectful relationship. It pushed me very far out of my comfort zone. It was fun not being the chief of everything and working in service to something else. That allowed me to work in the democracy of How To Destroy Angels, and it also helped me appreciate and enjoy being the boss again in Nine Inch Nails •
Nine Inch Nails play Reading & Leeds, Pukkelpop and Lowlands Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.
*What was your first ever festival experience?*
I grew up in rural America, and there wasn't anything like the multi-day camp-out festivals you have in Britain. It probably wasn't until Nine Inch Nails played the first Lollapalooza that I actually went to a festival. We had a crappy slot, 4pm in the afternoon, blazing sun, not the ideal conditions to see Nine Inch Nails. Suddenly, instead of playing for 1,500, there were 15,000 people – not all there to see us, but they were getting it. And that's one of the weirdest sensations. I get goosebumps just thinking about it – seeing people screaming my words back at me. They were responding to music how I responded to it growing up.
*How important are festivals in providing those formative musical experiences?*
Live interaction with a crowd is a cathartic, spiritual kind of exchange, and it's intensified at a festival. I'm talking to you from Coachella, where my other band How To Destroy Angels is playing. I can hear people in the background all excited to head out to watch a bunch of bands. That excitement in the air is a reminder of why I do this.
*Any occasions when a festival crowd just hasn't got Nine Inch Nails?*
We opened for Guns N' Roses one time in front of a bunch of Cro-Magnon types. I realised: I don't want to reach them.
*Is a festival with How To Destroy Angels different to one with NIN?*
How To Destroy Angels is such a new entity. We're about to unleash this thing that we've worked a long time to perfect out into a crowd who might be curious or might never have heard of us, but I can't wait because I feel confident it's good. With a Nine Inch Nails show, I'm building on a legacy that comes with a certain set of expectations. I have to push that forward, I have to reinvent myself, I have to feel current and valid. It's a different mindset, and neither one feels particularly comfortable right now.
*You're hitting the circuit this summer with a brand-new Nine Inch Nails lineup. How does that feel?*
Risky, but in a good way. It's a different kind of engine. I've got Adrian Belew [David Bowie, Talking Heads] playing guitar with me. He's been a hero of mine and a collaborator for years, but now he's going to be on stage with us. It's definitely going to be a revolution, to make the old material feel alive and liquid rather than feeling stagnant and nostalgic.
*How has your recent work on the soundtracks to The Social Network and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo changed your approach to live performance?*
I can't say yet, because I haven't really played live since I've done that work, but I will say that it was very creatively rewarding to work under somebody – David Fincher, who I think is a genius – in a co-operative, respectful relationship. It pushed me very far out of my comfort zone. It was fun not being the chief of everything and working in service to something else. That allowed me to work in the democracy of How To Destroy Angels, and it also helped me appreciate and enjoy being the boss again in Nine Inch Nails •
Nine Inch Nails play Reading & Leeds, Pukkelpop and Lowlands Reported by guardian.co.uk 2 hours ago.