question submitted by jlpower:

do you ever wish you could write music totaly 180 from nails under a different name? fucking forget peoples expectations. i hate using ‘side project‘. but that idea. just another side of your head, no one else.

response from trent:

yes i do. i’ve been trying to make nin as broad as possible but I may break it into sections in the future. not sure the best way to do it yet

question submitted by nal (oder auch hal, lässt sich schwer erkennen):

what would you think if some chick got a tattoo of your signature on: their ass in green ink, you ]know like a cabbage-patch doll? my girlfriend is threatening to do that.

response from trent:

my feelings would depend on the size, shape and contour of the canvas.

question submitted by ___ (nicht entzifferbar, siehe Bild)

what is the connection between “into the the void“ and “la mer“? they have the same melody, and i remember a television commercial. for the fragile which seemed to fuse both songs together. did these two songs begin as one?

response from trent:

a lot of the fragile involved songs emerging from bits of other songs, very organically and subconsciously. “into the void“ an “la mer” both grew from the same place- taken two very different directions. la mer’s conclusion is adrift and at peace on still.

question submitted by violet:

how does it feel to be one of the last true career artists remaining in rock music? nin and radiohead are still with us, but otherwise almost all of the big bands who surfaced during the nineties are dead, and the idea that a band can be popular for more than one generation seems like a joke these days.

response from trent:

times change, tastes change, fads move on, the nineties are over. i believe the key to having lasting interest as an artist is to stay true to your own vision, and perhaps you will be pertinent in the marketplace, perhaps not. catering to the marketplace = death.

question submitted by urizen:

urizen wants to talk. urizen likes you very much. urizen isn’t me. now, urizen likes your music, both when my mind is in times of war or in times of peace. urizen sends stenght: and advice: whatever you need to do to survive, do it... if you need help, ask for it... if you need time with the record, if something troubles you- don’t give a fuck about us the impatient fans. dig for you inner self and live. Everything has its time.

response from trent:

trent appreciates urizen kind words of advice.

question submitted by stephen:

do you ever listen to your old work? are you able to enjoy it, or do you look at everything like “oh i know i could do that better now” etc? is there a value in listening to your older art?

response from trent:

i haven‘t listened to anything of mine for a long time until last week. it was a nice and strange experience. i listened to the fragile an was surprised at how i felt. i was very proud of that record when i finished it and i guess i allowed myself to be convinced it wasn’t any good because it didn‘t perform commercially as well as some hoped. i never thought i‘d allow myself to be swayed by sales figures and what others thought of my work, but i had been.

when i put it on i felt the same surge of pride i had when I finished it. i really think that’s a great record and it’s ok people didn’t get it.

oddly enough, the downward spiral and the fragile have both mutated into different things to me after their release. a lot of what i was getting at in the fragile is much clearer to me now.

i’ll explain at a later date.

question submitted by lunautilus:

you seem to be an intensly private an isolated person. yet you can scrape out your soul and present the results to millions of people. what gives?

response from trent:

shy, loner misfit type writes personal lyrics from journal figuring the world won’t notice. world unexpectedly notices. shy, loner, misfit type retreats further feeling unnaturally exposed.

question submitted by marc:

do you plan to continue nin indefinitely or is there a shelf life in mind when you finally just have to say, i’ve needed to say, “fuck it, i’ve said all i’ve needed to say.” hopefully, not anytime soon. but could you picture yourself an older man with graying hair still presenting nin in a similar way? or is nin going to undergo changes (like bowie’s career) to conform to your audience age? granted, you have changed considerably from the first record to the record you are working on, but the same themes have always been present throughout your career. hopefully, i would like to see newer generations or listeners experience new records and live shows from nin much like bowie’s audience has crossed generations.

thanks for the music.

response from trent:

i think nin has a sort of theme and tone to it that will eventually run its course. i will know when that time comes. then it will be time to do something else.

question submitted by konstantin:

for me you‘ve always been a mysterious person and there‘s been so many unanswered questions floating around over the years. and now, having the chance to see you talking about stuff is kind of a real surprise for me... i mean, artists easily become idols for so many people and i guess they, the artists, like to keep distance between them and the audience. i think even the audience like such distance... and now, through giving us serious answers about some stuff and goofing around on other stuff, you kind of make us, or at least me, feel like you are one of us. i mean somebody really talented who faces issues in his life, who expresses himself in a way that makes us all be so thankful to you… my question is: what made you start this q&a session?

response from trent: i like the immediacy of the internet, and i wanted a forum to speak freely and frankly.

look forward to seeing you for the very first time live in concert! been a fan of yours for quite a while and I moved to the us from bulgaria two years ago. can’t stop going to concerts now! just saw the cure last night. they are really something.

response from trent: the cure are great. i’ve seen them many times over the years and they‘re one of my favorites.