Music
Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman on bombing an audition for Nine Inch Nails once
by Nicole Villeneuve
February 8, 2012
In the most recent episode of AUX’s new podcast, End Hits, Dillinger Escape Plan guitarist Ben Weinman tells the story of bombing a Nine Inch Nails audition in front of Trent Reznor.
Between 2004’s Miss Machine 2007’s Ire Works, Weinman got asked to audition for the band.
“I had nine hours to learn nine songs. They put me on a plane. I had assistants calling me asking what kind of amps and gear I wanted. ‘I don’t know. In Dillinger, if it works, I’m stoked. If I turn it on and the light comes on, cool.’ It’s a totally different world,” he says.
“Trent [Reznor] comes in, and he’s very cold. Super cold. The whole band is at attention like it’s Nazi Germany and Hitler just walked in the room. He goes, ‘What song do you want to start with?’ At the time, it was right before With Teeth came out, but there was no real news, no name for it. So I said, ‘Before we get started, I would like to make a suggestion. I have a name for the record.’ Just fuckin’ around. I’m going to be myself. I’m going to make a joke. Nobody laughed. Everyone looked down at the ground. I was like, ‘Is this thing on? Hello?’ That was it. I was out. I wasn’t in the band. The decision was made. I didn’t hit the guitar, nothing, and that was it. It was all downhill from there.”
Listen to the whole interview, including the happy Trent ending, here, and subscribe to End Hits here.
