Thursday, December 13, 2012

Nine Inch Nails: Points of Departure

By Joe Robinson--  No band is an island. The best songwriters tend to be sponge-like soaker-uppers of music, film, fine art, literature and other forms of culture, be they popular or obscure, and these influences often find their way into the music, helping listeners branch out and develop new interests.
With Points of Departure, we use our favorite groups as springboards for broader cultural investigations and highlight some of the cool things you might get into via your record collection. This week: Nine Inch Nails.
Trent Reznor has always insisted that when he moved to the posh Benedict Canyon section of Los Angeles to record his 1994 sophomore album, 'The Downward Spiral,' he had no idea he'd moved his studio into the house that was the scene of the notorious 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and friends at the hands of Charles Manson's so-called “family” members. But that didn't stop his morbid fascination with Manson once he found out.

Reznor named the studio “PIG” — a reference to the word Tate's killers scrawled with her blood on the house's front door — and made further reference with song titles 'Piggy' and 'March of the Pigs,' introducing Manson's gruesome insanity to a whole new generation. 

“I'm not personally infatuated with serial killers [and] by no means do I wish to glamorize them,” said Reznor, who also recorded Marilyn Manson's debut album at PIG. “From living in that house I've met every person in the world you can imagine who's obsessed with that whole thing and it's given me more of a perspective on it.” 
http://diffuser.fm/nine-inch-nails-points-of-departure/

34 comments:

LynyrdSkynyrdBand said...

He named the studio at Cielo Drive "PIG"??

Sounds kinda insensitive to me.

Unknown said...

Found this:

"While I was working on Downward Spiral, I was living in the house where Sharon Tate was killed. Then one day I met her sister. It was a random thing, just a brief encounter. And she said: "Are you exploiting my sister's death by living in her house?" For the first time, the whole thing kind of slapped me in the face. I said, "No, it's just sort of my own interest in American folklore. I'm in this place where a weird part of history occurred." I guess it never really struck me before, but it did then. She lost her sister from a senseless, ignorant situation that I don't want to support. When she was talking to me, I realized for the first time, "What if it was my sister?" I thought, "Fuck Charlie Manson." I went home and cried that night. It made me see there's another side to things, you know?"

Unknown said...

It was from an interview with Rolling Stone:
http://www.lynchnet.com/lh/lhrs3.html

Doc Sierra said...

I read somewhere that he took the front door with him when he moved out.

katie8753 said...

Thanks Lauren.

Doc I think Trent did take the door when he left. The house was demolished after Nine Inch Nails moved out.

Here is a video that was shot while the band was living there. You can see the front door in the video. It shows the guest house (looking in the windows) and the camera pans throughout the interior of the main house. I wish the cameraman had panned much slower. You have to look quick to see anything.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O38nZQhUpjE

sunset77 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
revatron said...

The door can be seeing here at his new studio in New Orleans. I believe this picture was taken before Hurricane Katrina. I don't remember hearing if the door was damaged or not.
http://s2.hubimg.com/u/5275301_f520.jpg

Unknown said...

I don't think i'd want to live or record there.
Back in the 80s I had a Friend who had to visit the House and had no Idea what had happened there until he was told.
He said as soon as He got out of the car in the Driveway He felt spooked...he wasn't told about the history of the place til he'd been there for about an Hour.



katie8753 said...

BOBBY!!

You are soooo SAAA-WEEEET! You're a longtime friend and I appreciate you so much!

SMOOCH!!!! :)

katie8753 said...

Revatron, thanks for the pic of the door in New Orleans. I had seen that before. That is the same door if you look at it closely. I have no idea if the hurricane destroyed it.

katie8753 said...

Matt, I don't believe in ghosts or anything like that, but I do believe that if something horrific happens, it leaves an essence or a "taint" where it happened. Some people are more sensitive to it than others. I really do believe this. And I believe the essence stays on even if you demolish the property and rebuild. Just my opinion.

I would not want to stay one night in that house either. In fact, I wouldn't want to even go there.

louis365 said...

revatron said...

The door can be seeing here at his new studio in New Orleans. I believe this picture was taken before Hurricane Katrina. I don't remember hearing if the door was damaged or not.

A good source told me the door was undamaged by Katrina.

Doc Sierra said...

I would have visited the grounds. Back in 1983, when I was stationed at MCAS El Toro, a friend and I drove to the front gate and got out and looked around. I didn't feel any vibes at all but that's just me.
It reminds me of when Linda Kasabian, while on the stand, said that Manson was giving her vibes. To paraphrase Kanarek, Kanarek said "please let the record reflect that Mr Manson doesn't appear to be vibrating".

Dilligaf said...

The Wooly Hophead may not have been vibrating, but he was certainly a vibrator.....

katie8753 said...

>>>Doc said: It reminds me of when Linda Kasabian, while on the stand, said that Manson was giving her vibes.>>>

The only vibes Charlie would give is the "cooties" jumping off his dirty, slimy, sweaty, gamey body. LOL.

And on behalf of the 99.9% of the women in the world who were too smart to fall into his web of deceit, lies, debauchery, deviance, grossness and murder, may I say an overwhelming "WHHHEEWWW!" HA HA.

katie8753 said...

Well it's time to head to the bunkhouse. I've got a big day tomorrow.

As the Bard so eloquently put it:

Sweet Goodnight. Parting is such sweet sorrow....that I shall say goodnight...'til it be morrow."

Or, in other words...

G'night Jugdish! HA HA.

Doc Sierra said...

katie8753 said...
Well it's time to head to the bunkhouse. I've got a big day tomorrow.
G'night Jugdish! HA HA.
-------------------------------------
G'night Mary Ellen, g'night Ben, g'night Erin, g'night Jim Bob, g'night Jugdish, g'night John Boy.......

Bing said...

interesting tidbit:

Trent recorded the songs "March of the pigs" and "piggy" for the Downward Spiral album in the Tate House.

He also produced Marilyn Manson's "Portrait of an American Family" there which featured a cover of Charlies "Sick City" and "Mechanical Man"

what a name for an album recorded where the manson family slaughterd people

Bing said...

also if you want to see more of the tate house check out the NIN Closure home video.

MrPoirot said...

I have no doubt that Trent knew full well EXACTLY what the history was at Cielo when he rented it and that he was young and did it for shock value. His fans would not think that was insensitive but some of these same fans were the ones offended by Mick Jagger at his appearance at the Sandy Charity concert after Jagger made a joke about Sandy.

katie8753 said...

I am deeply saddened by the event that transpired today. The killings in Connecticut.

We've sunk to the lowest of the low. Killing 5 year olds. My sadness is not even describable.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. I'm sure there are wrapped presents under the tree for these youngsters, who were so excitedly looking forward to finding out what Santa brought them on Christmas day.

We need to start cutting off the heads of these insane perps and hanging them on a pike in the town square to deter anyone else who thinks they've reached the pinnacle of fame by going down in history as the most maniacal yet.

I don't feel like blogging today....

MrPoirot said...

Well the media is fullblast focusing on the tragedy so let's not discuss it in here. Overload is not a good thing at all.
Most of us or probably all of us read and study Manson and other unimportant historical topics for fun so don't take that from yourselves. Keep your little areas of quiet like this blog so you can keep your sanity and peace of mind even in difficult times. Keep yourself tuned into Christmas and the holidays. You'll be happier if you don't let Grinches ruin Christmas. BTW, I always liked that poor kittle dog that pulled the Grinche's sled. Don't focus on the Grinche's of this world.

Unknown said...

I agree Mr.Poriot. These past few months have been hell for me and I have found nothing but refuge in this case and blog.

katie8753 said...

You're right Mr. P. I like that little dog too. :)

>>>Bing said: also if you want to see more of the tate house check out the NIN Closure home video.>>>

Bing I posted that link earlier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O38nZQhUpjE

I'm assuming it's the same video you're talking about. Is there another one?

MrPoirot said...

http://myloveofoldhollywood.blogspot.com/2012/05/hollywood-at-home-rudolph-valentinos.html

I posted this link before but this blog said Edgar Bergen (Candice's dad) rented the valentino home across from Cielo in the early fifties before Doris Duke bought it in 52. Candice then must have lived in the Valentino home as a child so it was maybe Candice who turned Melcher onto the Cielo home. Sharon Tate would ride her bicycle over to Doris Duke's home which was the Valentino estate on Bella street. Bella Street came out right at the 10050 Cielo driveway entrance.

katie8753 said...

Mr. P., I think Terry was living at Cielo Drive when he and Candice started dating.

Deana Martin says she dated Terry while he was at Cielo Drive too.

MrPoirot said...

Well so much for that idea....

Terry had a good babemagnet with the Cielo house.

Doc Sierra said...

MrPoirot said...

Well so much for that idea....

Terry had a good babemagnet with the Cielo house.
----------------------------------------
Being a music producer and being the son of a rich and famous woman probably didn't hurt.

beauders said...

the mall that was shot up this week in oregon is ten miles from where i live. my sister worked there for many years and it was a place we all hung out at during high school. the man killed lived in my town. they're saying he killed these people and himself because his girlfriend broke up with him.

Bing said...

Hi Katie

The video you are talking about is the music video for the song "gave up" which was filmed in then living room of the Tate house. The Closure video was a VHS only home video release. you can find it on torrent sites. One of the videos is live performance footage and the other is behind the scenes, recording footage, etc. A lot of it is filmed in the "Le Pig" Studio on cielo. Def. worth checking out

Bing said...

Hi Katie

The video you are talking about is the music video for the song "gave up" which was filmed in then living room of the Tate house. The Closure video was a VHS only home video release. you can find it on torrent sites. One of the videos is live performance footage and the other is behind the scenes, recording footage, etc. A lot of it is filmed in the "Le Pig" Studio on cielo. Def. worth checking out

katie8753 said...

Thanks Bing! I'll do that. :)

TheTide said...

@Bing - what is torrent site?I'm trying to figure out where to find the behind the scene shots you are referencing. Thanks

TheTide said...

@Bing - what is torrent site?I'm trying to figure out where to find the behind the scene shots you are referencing. Thanks