The Man Behind
The "Nutcracker":
Trent Reznor Speaks

Trent Reznor is tired. One arm against the wall for support, he manages to drag a white towel across his neck and forehead. "My fucking fingers are about to fall off," he says with a grin. "But it went well. Real well."

We are standing in a brick hallway backstage at the Dallas Theater Center. It is opening night of Reznor's "Nutcracker" tour, and he had good reason to be apprehensive of audience reactions. "It's completely unprecedented," Reznor says matter-of-factly. "Never in the history of classical music has anything like my show been produced."

A veritable ocean of "Nutcracker" performances spring up each holiday season, but Reznor's shows have all managed to sell out, even with the rather extravagant ticket prices. Fans line up in the wind and snow for hours to snag a ticket to the most controversial show of the year.

So what is all the fuss about? Reznor, a trained classical pianist, explains: "This is kind of a departure from previous works I've performed. First of all, this is not something I composed myself, and that is a real big difference right there. With something that already exists, you have to listen to it, nurture it in your mind, find the parts of it that speak to you, and decide how to express those certain qualities...it's a very personal and emotional process. I've long been interested in Tchaikovsky, most notably the 'Nutcracker Suite.' And personally I don't get off on the wishy-washy 'Fantasia'-style crap that most ballets utilize. I mean, for god's sake, there's huge, crashing waves of noise in this piece! At least, the way I hear it. I think there's something strangely musical about noise. It is a very industrial, stripped-down piece."

Crashing waves of noise, indeed. And who better to take advantage of this opportunity than the Jim Rose Ballet Company? A small emerging company from Seattle, the Jim Rose Ballet's daring and often violent and grotesque performance-art style of dance perfectly complements Reznor's interpretations of the "Nutcracker Suite."

"The Jim Rose Ballet approached me about possibly doing some music for them. This was about the same time that I was just finishing up my 'Nutcracker,' and both Jim and I thought that this would be an incredible opportunity to make some waves in the classical music world," says Reznor.

And they make plenty of waves, oh yes. On a harshly lit stage furnished only with various pieces of machinery and one particularly evil-looking dentist's chair, the dancers perform classical ballet movements interspersed with self-mutilation, bondage, and circus tricks. Shunning the classic tutus, tights, and tiaras, the dancers are clothed outlandishly when they are clothed at all. Hardly your average concert pianist himself, Reznor sports unruly dyed-black hair, combat boots and leather shorts that seem more suitable for an S&M ball than a classical ballet. But somehow, he makes it work.

And what about the opening quintet? "Yeah, it's pretty much unheard of in the world of classical music and dance to have an 'opening band,' as it were. But the guys from Bach Will Eat Himself are some good friends of mine and have actually been a pretty big influence on my style." Reznor gets a big kick out of, as he so delicately puts it, "fucking with the norms in society." He chose to buck tradition once again and asked Bach Will Eat Himself to perform two of their own sonatas each night before Reznor and the Jim Rose Ballet take the stage.

As most of the concert-goers will tell you, the experience is pretty intense. "Don't eat for two hours before you come to see the show," Reznor jokes. To the faint of heart, a word of advice: Really, don't eat for two hours before you go to see the show. If Reznor's interpretation of Tchaikovsky doesn't shock you into tossing your cookies, the ballet just might.

Trent Reznor and the Jim Rose Ballet perform with Bach Will Eat Himself at the Dallas Theater Center through next Friday.

-- kate mccormack