Nine Inch Nails' Pretty Hate Machine (33 1/3)

As of writing, this is the third review for this book and the previous two are not complimentary. Therefore, I want to contribute that I did enjoy reading this book and I think it is written well. Pretty Hate Machine by Daphne Carr is a quality book. However, I can understand the disappointment other reviewers have with the book, as it is annoying to expect one thing and get something else. If you read this book, here is what you will find:1) An introduction that defines the type of NIN fan of the 1990s.2) A 19 page explanation of the making of Pretty Hate Machine.3) A history/analysis of important cities of Trent Reznor's youth, including Mercer, PA, Youngstown, OH, and Cleveland.4) Testimonials from fans about their lives and the importance of NIN in their journey.5) A conclusion essay about the connection of NIN recordings with youth culture, particularly Hot Topic.A common frustration of the 33 1/3 series is that they seem to promise a thorough explanation of how albums are created. However, content can vary widely. Some books deliver and give a thorough account of the album's creation. Other authors only loosely tie the album to their narrative. And others set out to historically document the album, but are frustrated to find they cannot get key players to be interviewed. From the start, Carr states that this book is more about the fans of NIN and Pretty Hate Machine than the band or the album. Having experienced (and enjoyed) this kind of 33 1/3 book before ( AC DC's Highway To Hell (33 1/3)  and  A Tribe Called Quest's People's Instinctive Travels And the Paths of Rhythm (33 1/3) ), this different approach did not bother me.Yes, it would have been interesting to read more in depth explanation of the album's creation (including interviews with Reznor, Chris Vrenna, and Flood), but as one who did not know about the PHM demos, I found what was there to be interesting. I also enjoyed the essays on the cities, but some might find their connection to the music a stretch. (My take on it is that NIN was so different, it is interesting to consider that it did not come from anywhere exotic, but from the American Rust Belt.) Finally, I was initially skeptical of the fan monologues, but found them revealing in their own right. NIN is intense music. And for early fans, it was all yours. Then, suddenly you had to share it with everyone. When I was a kid, I rocked my  Nine Inch Nails - Broken T-Shirt  (but mine was white) in high school and thought all others were poseurs. Thankfully, as an adult I can appreciate the experiences of others. I disagreed with some of the interpretations of lyrics, but found them compelling none the less. Many of these people have had to deal with some very challenging experiences and that a piece of art served as an anchor for survival is an amazing consideration. As outlined in the introduction of the book, with all the incredibly intense lyrics of NIN, it is a fascinating question of what type of person considers the music entertainment.

Although I understand the negative reviews of this book, I found it to be an intriguing read. I was fairly unfamiliar with TR's work and background - except for this album and The Downward Spiral. Although, like the negative commentators, I was hoping for a more detailed "this is what the album is about and how TR made it" read, I was surprised to see some of my life reflected in the interviewees recollections. Side Note: I didn't truly come to listen to this album until 2006 after a bad time in my life. Obviously, a time in my life I NEEDED to hear this album.Like the interviewees, I grew up in a rusting, economically depressed area (Buffalo, NY). I share similar memories and feelings about the place I lived that they do about theirs. I shared the interviewees feelings about the music - again, something I didn't think I would.I hadn't realized that TR was such a fan of "The Wall" - well, now I do and I finally "get" where he was coming from (that and I know he had some Ultravox in his album collection - God, he HAD to have some Ultravox in his album collection)."Something I Can Never Have" is (like ABBA's "S.O.S.") is in my top ten "It's Over and It's Killing Me" song list. Perhaps, then, I am glad that the book DIDN'T focus on how the record was made and any "meanings" the songs had/have for TR. For me, it's best to have a personal relationship with the music - TMI can shatter your illusion.

A refreshing look at the impact and appeal of Trent Reznor and his career as Nine Inch Nails, Daphne Carr’s 33 1/3 entry goes beyond music criticism and adolescent fandom to provide historical and cultural lenses through which the term “industrial” takes on new meanings—factory life in small towns, men (and women) vs. machines, changes in music technology.Like many of the fans whose stories are profiled in the book, I first heard NIN when I was young and spending too much time at the mall. My introduction was through the “Broken” and “Fixed” EPs, which I didn’t so much enjoy as try to understand. I’d listen again and again, one side of the cassette to the other, looking for something familiar, something comforting, something that fit with my idea of what pop music was supposed to be. (I remember reading once how delighted Reznor was that a guitar magazine called the “Wish” riff “virtually in-transcribable.”) I think what stood out to me most was Reznor’s voice. It wasn’t “good” in a Jeff Buckley, Joni Mitchell kind of way, and it wasn’t raw and cathartic like Kurt Cobain’s. But it wasn’t bad, either; he could carry a tune. It was just so different, this nasally tone that sounded like Reznor’s speaking voice stretched a little too far. It was like he was the guy in the band who somehow got pressured into being the lead singer because no one else would do it. But it was Reznor’s heart and soul laid bare on these songs; they were his, and he was the only one who should—maybe could—sing them.I’m not completely sold on PHM as a focal point, or even a starting point, for these discussions (many fans profiled in the book have favorite NIN songs and albums that span the band’s discography). There’s plenty on Reznor’s upbringing and early career, but if you’re looking for interviews with Flood or Adrian Sherwood on the making of the album, this isn’t it. This is more a book on Reznor and NIN as generational figureheads, and PHM happened to be the right album at the right time. Regardless, Carr’s work here is astonishingly good.

Once again, another great book from the 33 1/3 series

Daphne Carr's Pretty Hate Machine is an absolute must for any NIN fan. The social history that surrounds that album and it's creator, Trent Reznor is rich in detail and bursting with an energy that only a NIN fan would appreciate. The series of stories from fans that live or have lived in the Mercer, Pennsylvania area and that Cleveland, Ohio really give you an idea of how important Reznor's art is to a large community of disenchanted youth from the early to mid 90's. This book could have been titled 'Chicken Soup For The Industrial Soul'.

I was worried by the description which owned up to this being more a discussion on what the album meant to the fans etc but I went ahead and attempted to get through it... Unfortunately whats there is deathly dull.. history lessons on Trent's hometown on Mercer, chapter upon chapter of interviews with fans..dull dull dull.. we're fans ourselves, I dont wanna spend money to hear what other fans think... we have forums and twitter for this.... Just a terrible & dull book.... it's going into the bin....

Endlich ist es da. Jahrelang wurde der Veröffentlichungstermin nach hinten geschoben, ich hatte die Hoffnung schon aufgeben. Und dann *schwupps* war es auf einmal doch da. Doch hat sich das lange warten gelohnt? Ich weiß es nicht. Ich habe mir das Buch etwas anders vorgestellt gehabt."Pretty Hate Machine" erscheint in der Reihe 33 1/3. Jedes Buch dieser Reihe behandelt ein Album der Musikgeschichte. PHM ist Band 78 dieser Reihe.Nun, was erwartet man bzw. ich wenn man hört "oh, ein Buch über das Album Pretty Hate Machine von Nine Inch Nails. Cool, endlich mal was über die Entstehungsgeschichte."Was bekommt man aber?Die Einührung ist 17 Seiten lang und besteht hauptsächlich aus der Beschreibung von zwei Dingen: der "Trench Coat Mafia" (Columbine Schulmassaker) und dem allgemeinen Gefühl ein Teenager in Amerika der 70er und 80er Jahre zu sein mit Bezug auf Columbine.Dann folgt S. 19 - 53 dort passiert viel: Die Geschichte der Familie Reznor von der Übersiedlung von Deutschland nach Amerika, allerdings sehr oberflächlich, eine Beschreibung der Stadt Mercer und Umgebung in den 70ern und 80er Jahren inkl. Rückblick auf Trents Besuch seiner Schule in 2005.Ab Seite 54 - 130 mehrere Interviews mit NIN Fans wie sie NIN Fan geworden sind (also zur Entstehungszeit von Pretty Hate Machine - huch, ein Bezug zum Buchtitel).S. 131-153 dann kurzer Abriss bis zur Gegenwart, dort hauptsächlich Trents Weg weg vom Supermarkt-CD-Verkauf und in die Selbstständigkeit.Danach nur noch Danksagung, Fußnoten Nachwort und Quellenangaben.Das Buch hat ein recht kleines Format von ca. 12 x 16,5 cm. Keine Bilder.Insgesamt muss ich sagen, das das Buch meiner Meinung nach nicht in die Reihe passt. Man erfährt so gut wie nichts zur Arbeit am Album, es hat niemand am Buch mitgearbeitet, der in irgendeiner Weise mit Trent zu tun hatte. Die einzigen, die zu Wort kommen sind Fans und die erzählen was sie an NIN damals fasziniert hat, wie sie das Album fanden, wie die Lebenssituation damals war. Das war aber nicht das, was ich mir von dem Buch gewünscht hätte. Es ist ein Buch über NIN-Fans (der ersten Stunde), aber halt nicht richtig über das Album. Davon mal ab, wird zu viel Bruce Springsteen erwähnt.Insgesamt erfährt man nicht viel neues, vieles ist entweder aus diversen Presse-Artikeln, dem Internet und/oder anderen Büchern bekannt oder schlicht uninteressant, auch wenn es neu ist. Insgesamt alles recht oberlächlich, bis auf die Interviews mit den Fans.Mir hat es nicht besonders gefallen.