Before They Were Rock Stars: Trent Reznor

Did you know that the Nine Inch Nails front man who wrote songs such as "Bite the Hand That Feeds" and "The Perfect Drug" was originally in a high school marching band? Yes, Trent Reznor, born Michael Trent Reznor had an interesting past before making the move to wearing mostly black and getting insanely jacked arms. Reznor, who used his middle name because his father shared the same name, grew up in a Lutheran household in Mercer, PA until his parents divorced and he went to live with his grandparents. His grandmother pushed him into taking classical piano at age 5 and he showed a great interest in music. When he hit high school, KISS and David Bowie became his main interests, though he'd go on to join his high school's marching band and concert band. He played tuba and tenor saxophone. He also showed promise in theater, even having his classmates vote him "Best in Drama" after his roles as Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar and the lead in The Music Man. Yes, Trent Reznor was the lead, singing "Seventy Six Trombones" in a school play. Later, Reznor would head to Allegheny College and join a band called Option 30. Though he'd lose interest in the band quickly and leave college after a year to head to Cleveland. There he joined a band called The Urge and later another called The Exotic Birds. Still trying to find his sound, Reznor played keys for Lucky Pierre, The Innocent, and Slam Bamboo before landing a job at Right Track Studios as a janitor. During off hours, the owner would allow Reznor to record some demos, which would later gain the attention of several labels and the rest is history.