David Lynch Turned Down Initial Nine Inch Nails ‘Twin Peaks’ Song for Not Being ‘Ugly’ Enough
When Twin Peaks returned this year with a long awaited third season, few expected there to be a live music aspect to many of the episodes. When ("the") Nine Inch Nails showed up to the program's Roadhouse, they gave a smoldering performance of their recent song "She's Gone Away" off their 2016 EP Not The Actual Events. But in a recent interview, frontman Trent Reznor revealed there were a couple of hoops before they made it on the show.
Talking to Chicago radio station 101WKQX, Reznor spoke about director David Lynch originally rejecting the first song they submitted, as it wasn't "ugly" or "aggressive" enough for the director's taste. “We wrote a different song initially, and [Lynch] said, ‘How about something less Twin Peaks-y sounding, and more aggressive and ugly,’” Reznor said. Collaborator Atticus Ross added, “I think he said, ‘Make my hair stand on end.’" In the interview, the pair also revealed the song was written specifically for their Twin Peaks appearance.
Reznor and Lynch have had a very successful creative friendship. Back in 2013, the two came together with Lynch directing the band's music video for "Came Back Haunted," an absolute eye-killer of a video, and a hell of a way to kick off the record. Reznor was also involved in the production for the soundtrack for Lynch's 1997 film Lost Highway, which included original music recorded by Nine Inch Nails, specifically their single "The Perfect Drug."
Nine Inch Nails recently followed up Not The Actual Events with the second disc in their planned trilogy, Add Violence. It's a ripping follow up of an EP, full of some of the best material the band has worked on in some time.
Hear Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on Chicago's 101WKQX
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