Nine Inch Nails, etc. frontman Trent Reznor was asked this fall about which record ‘changed his life’ by Vinyl Writers. While one would have thought a David Bowie record would have been a lock given his own admitted idolization of the man, it was Talking Heads‘ gold-certified 1980 album “Remain In Light” that Reznor ultimately settled upon. He told the aforementioned site of that:
“There are a few candidates for this question, but one of my absolutely favorite records is ‘Remain In Light” by the Talking Heads. It is an album I didn’t understand when I listened to it for the first time in the beginning of the 80s. Back then, I was living in a rural small-town that was widely cut off from interesting culture. And then suddenly this album landed.
A strange, synthetic, polyrhytmical piece of art with African influences which confused me in every way. With good albums it is the case that at the beginning you don’t know what you are actually dealing with. But you are fascinated by it, and with about six listens it slowly reveals itself to you. With the 10th listen you are completely thrilled, but even when you listen for the 30th time you still discover something new.
‘Remain In Light‘ taught me that. The record enlightened and changed me. It showed me what music can do, how song structures can look like, or how drum parts can interact with other parts. Since I started making music myself, this wonderful album has been something I can always consult. The great thing is that the record can still be approached from so many different directions without losing its puzzles.
I had the privilege to moderate an evening of public discussion with Talking Heads frontman David Byrne in 2012. He had written a book called ‘How Music Works‘ and I was asked to take part in its reading tour. He is a super nice guy and a true gentleman.”
