Photo: Still
Nine Inch Nails' frontman Trent Reznor has spoken out to pay a moving tribute to 'friend, mentor and fatherly figure' David Bowie.
The pair collaborated together in 1990s, on the album Outside and subsequent joint tour - one of the greatest rock events of the decade. Now, Reznor has spoken out on the influence of his hero Bowie, how he helped him get sober, and how saddened he is by his loss.
"His music really helped me relate to myself and figure out who I was," Reznor told Rolling Stone. "He was a tremendous inspiration in terms of what was possible, what the role of an entertainer could be, that there are no rules.
"Then, in the mid-Nineties, he reached out to me and said, 'Let's collaborate and do a tour together'. It's hard to express how validating and surreal the whole experience of the Outside tour was — to actually meet this man in the flesh and find out, to my delight, that he passed any expectation I had. The fact that he was this graceful, charming, happy, fearless character became a new point of inspiration for me."
Speaking of a highlight of the tour, Reznor continued: "One of the greatest moments of my life was standing onstage next to David Bowie while he sang 'Hurt' with me. I was outside of myself, thinking, 'I'm standing onstage next to the most important influence I've ever had, and he's singing a song I wrote in my bedroom'. It was just an awesome moment."
Through touring together and inspirational advice, Bowie helped Reznor to come off his various addictions.
"A few years later, Bowie came through L.A. I'd been sober for a fair amount of time," Reznor recalled. "I wanted to thank him in the way that he helped me. And I reluctantly went backstage, feeling weird and ashamed, like, 'Hey, I'm the guy that puked on the rug'. And again, I was met with warmth, and grace, and love. And I started to say, 'Hey listen, I've been clean for ...' I don't even think I finished the sentence; I got a big hug. And he said, 'I knew. I knew you'd do that. I knew you'd come out of that'. I have goosebumps right now just thinking about it. It was another very important moment in my life."
Speaking of Bowie's death, Reznor concluded: "I didn't think we were done. It feels like the loss of a mentor, fatherly figure, someone looking out for you, reminding you that in a world where the bar keeps seeming to be lower, where stupidity has got a foothold, there is room for excellence and uncompromising vision."
Read his full tribute here
This week saw Bowie's son and acclaimed film director Duncan Jones break his Twitter silence to thank fans for their love and support, ahead of the family's private and intimate funeral for the icon.
Bowie released his amazing fina album Blackstar on his 69th birthday, just days before his death. Now, there are reports that Bowie planned and lined up a string of posthumous releases before he died - with the first due to drop next year.
Meanwhile, Reznor recently revealed that a new Nine Inch Nails album and 'other stuff' is coming this year.
