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Before they were Metal

BEFORE TRENT REZNOR WAS METAL HE HAD A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS HAIRCUT

 Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 at 11:00am by

 

Metal Insider‘s Bram Teitelman just keeps bringing it with the golden oldies of embarrassing “before they were famous” videos; this chili dog commercial starring Cinderella and this ad for Warrant’s 1-900 number were bonafide gems. Where does he find this stuff? I’m convinced Bram just sits at home on YouTube all night scrolling through search pages for “metal ’80s funny” until he strikes paydirt. Oh, he actually found this via The Daily Swarm? Nevermind.

Today’s laugher comes courtesy of one-time goth idol Trent Reznor, who apparently wasn’t always so dark and angry. Here’s a video of him covering Billy Idol’s “Eyes Without a Face” with a band called The Urge in the early-mid ’80s Cleveland club scene. THAT SHIRT! THAT HAIR! Trent’s always been forward-thinking and “with it” as far as technology goes, but I’ll bet today he wishes YouTube were never invented.

-VN

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  • McThulhu

    My god

  • McThulhu

    My god

  • McThulhu

    My god

  • McThulhu

    My god

  • lost goat

    typical 80s thing,eyes without a face is a great song

    they play it really well…

  • lost goat

    typical 80s thing,eyes without a face is a great song

    they play it really well…

  • lost goat

    typical 80s thing,eyes without a face is a great song

    they play it really well…

  • Elohdaeh78

    Umm is this shocking?  Early NIN was very new wave sounding.  And if you heard some of the demos that didn’t make pretty hate machine they were even more poppy sounding.  Obviously Trent has had a thing for new wave in his early years, and that look and style was “cool” in the 80s.  Trent Reznor was never a metal guy and has always been way closer to new wave in his music.  I don’t see anything shocking or embarrassing about this.  Who didn’t cover silly music when they were in a band when they were younger?  And who didn’t dress a certain way that was popular at the time but now seems silly?

    • Stu1

      He was very open about his old bands being very new wave. He raves about his love for Adam Ant in interviews.

    • Stu1

      He was very open about his old bands being very new wave. He raves about his love for Adam Ant in interviews.

  • Elohdaeh78

    Umm is this shocking?  Early NIN was very new wave sounding.  And if you heard some of the demos that didn’t make pretty hate machine they were even more poppy sounding.  Obviously Trent has had a thing for new wave in his early years, and that look and style was “cool” in the 80s.  Trent Reznor was never a metal guy and has always been way closer to new wave in his music.  I don’t see anything shocking or embarrassing about this.  Who didn’t cover silly music when they were in a band when they were younger?  And who didn’t dress a certain way that was popular at the time but now seems silly?

  • Elohdaeh78

    Umm is this shocking?  Early NIN was very new wave sounding.  And if you heard some of the demos that didn’t make pretty hate machine they were even more poppy sounding.  Obviously Trent has had a thing for new wave in his early years, and that look and style was “cool” in the 80s.  Trent Reznor was never a metal guy and has always been way closer to new wave in his music.  I don’t see anything shocking or embarrassing about this.  Who didn’t cover silly music when they were in a band when they were younger?  And who didn’t dress a certain way that was popular at the time but now seems silly?

  • eetfuk

    Yeah, Trent was into some seriously sketchy 80′s stuff :D Who cares, he still fucking ruled.

  • eetfuk

    Yeah, Trent was into some seriously sketchy 80′s stuff :D Who cares, he still fucking ruled.

  • eetfuk

    Yeah, Trent was into some seriously sketchy 80′s stuff :D Who cares, he still fucking ruled.

  • http://www.metalinsider.net Bram

    That’s what Metal Insider interns are for. If they find something awesome, they don’t get beaten.

  • http://www.metalinsider.net Bram

    That’s what Metal Insider interns are for. If they find something awesome, they don’t get beaten.

  • Nonsensei

    Eyes Without a Face is both an awesome song and a seriously freaky movie.

  • Nonsensei

    Eyes Without a Face is both an awesome song and a seriously freaky movie.

  • BRead

    Funnily enough Gary Numan ended up writing music that sounds like NIN

  • BRead

    Funnily enough Gary Numan ended up writing music that sounds like NIN

  • Marcus Templeton

    The Urge was a popular cover band from Erie, PA. 

  • Jamison

    I think this is his old band Option 30, not The Urge.  The Urge was from St. Louis.

  • Anonymous

    When was Trent Reznor metal? 

  • Anonymous

    When was Trent Reznor metal? 

  • fuckoffanddie

    This is not any more embarrassing than you guys praising bullshit like emmure or chimaira and all the other hot topic bands fuckers!

  • cougar party

    So beautiful…

  • Mr Booze

    Dude you should check out Trent’s old band Birds of Paradise. Sounds like second rate Dead or Alive. He was also in a band called somethingoranother bamboo. Good times brought to you bye the 80s.

  • the pair

     1. this is hardly news.

    2. al jourgensen was waaaaay fruitier when he started out3. trent was never metal. 4. nin were never industrial, either. the first album was a slightly less foppish depeche mode. as for afterward, if teen angst pop songs with distorted power chords are “industrial” we need a better label for coil and lustmord. 

    • the pair

      nice comment field fail. lists break the internet, i guess.

  • Tone

    Not shocking but still funny. Watch this, then ‘Happiness in Slavery’ vid (or better still the entire ‘Broken’ ‘snuff film’) back to back