“Not what they had in mind”: the musician David Bowie said was approved by the “gods of nasty sounds”

David Bowie praised Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails as leading figures in industrial rock, recognising Reznor’s distinctive sound and musical skills. His comments highlighted how the band helped bring an underground genre to a wider audience.

Bowie described Reznor as an unexpected contender for the crown of industrial rock, noting that he played tuba, saxophone and piano and learned studio engineering. He called Nine Inch Nails’ 1989 debut, *Pretty Hate Machine*, a landmark: its melodic approach and a three-year tour helped it sell more than a million copies.