In the 1990s, if you were to make a Mount Rushmore of rock artists, it could have easily included the faces of Courtney Love and Trent Reznor. From Hole and Nine Inch Nails, respectively, the two singers were icons in the decade and often discussed, both for their music and for their celebrity antics. In fact, the two even dated.
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Let’s dive into the beef between the two.
Short Romance
Hole opened for Nine Inch Nails on tour in 1994 after the death of Love’s husband, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. During that tour, Reznor complained that Love was often drunk and acting sloppy. Still, the two dated after that, hanging out first in New Orleans and later in L.A., where the tryst ended—badly.
After the courtship, Reznor released the album, The Fragile, which included the song “Starfuckers, Inc,” which many interpreted as a dig at Love. In the song, Reznor sang, My god comes in a wrapper of Cellophane/ My god pouts on the cover of the magazine/ My god’s a shallow little bitch trying to make the scene. The song, many believe, also included digs at more ’90s icons: Marilyn Manson, Billy Corgan, and Fred Durst.
Song Aftermath
In an interview talking about the song, Reznor later said, “It’s about everybody that I thought was full of shit at that time. There’s a bit of those guys in there, of course, but it wasn’t solely meant to be a ‘Fuck You Manson’ kind of song. It was also meant to be tongue-in-cheek and ridiculous and have a sense of humor.”
Love, who has had her share of beefs with other artists in the past, for better or worse, still seems to hold negative feelings for Reznor. In a 1995 Spin article, she offered the burn of the decade, “Don’t call your band Nine Inch Nails if you have a three-inch one.” And more recently in 2021, Love went on social media and took shots at Reznor and former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl.
Recent Beef
According to NME, Love accused Reznor of “systemic” child abuse, something she’s talked about before, in an Instagram post on June 13, 2021, that has since been deleted. And she also called out Grohl for Nirvana royalties.
Love said she was done “being made small” by, she added mockingly in reference to Grohl, “the nicest guy in rock.” And of Reznor, she got more detailed:
“As for Reznor, At least? HE’S talented but still a creep. I’ve never seen so much systemic abuse of kids, girls as young as 12, by him and his crew, we all (the members of Hole) witnessed it. So while these two jackasses are not my #metoo’s because I’m saving my 1 up (because we only get 1) they’re darn close.
“#fuckoff @treznor @nineinchnails @foofighters I really hope my example of standing up to them, putting a stop to them, will prevent any other women (or men) from this soul shattering level of personal and cultural abuse in future. Sexually, spiritually, financially.. #metoo #me3 #me88 etc etc ad nauseam. #blessed? Yeah to be breathing long enough to tell the tale. I’m cramming as much into every song as I can. Nam myoho renge kyo. ‘We are not doormats.”
After the post, however, she apologized, saying, “I need to apologize for my recent post. It was insensitive and it was wrong. No matter how I feel, there are real people behind my words and I need to learn to be more responsible with my words. I am truly sorry for those I’ve hurt and I will do better.”
Neither Grohl nor Reznor responded.
Trent Reznor Photo by Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images); Courtney Love (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
