Tale of Two Concerts, Part II

On the NINternet I am known to own this interesting but freaky piece of memorabilia.


What is it you ask? Why does it look like Trent Reznor? Well, it's a positive face mold of Trent Reznor's head and it was created for the video Closer so that latex pieces can be pulled from it. Remember this scene from the video:


That is where the latex pieces were used for the video and why the his head had to be casted.

So, a few years ago I was notified by a friend at the time that had known about an auction on eBay that was selling this head cast. When I first saw it I knew that I must have it. Why? Well first of all it was involved in the making in one of the most gorgeous NIN videos ever at one of the high points of NIN's musical career. Second, it's one of the weirdest but facinating pieces of memorabilia on the market. Hell, it would make one hell of a conversational piece.

Just. Had. To. Have. It.

After watching it like a hawk for days, I was able to snipe it at the very last minute. I don't remember how many bidders had bid on it. I was beyond happy when I won it. Little did I know at that time that some of my other online friends were also trying to win it. Some of those people stopped talking to me while others (one in particular) got a chance recently to see it.

So since then it was on display at my home and then eventually moved to museum storage and stayed there a while. It finally saw some light of day this past weekend when I decided (on the invite of a good friend) to go to Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre, PA for two NIN concerts. My mission was to meet Trent Reznor and have him sign the head. And that was an interesting experience onto itself.

The head was signed at the Wilkes-Barre show, shortly before the concert. Myself and the other four cohorts (Drunkpoet, Meathead, Anita, and Nothoney) were wandering around backstage and we walked into Catering for the 3rd time after finding nothing to do. As we made our way to the corner table we sat previously, I did not notice (neither did Drunkpoet, Meathead, nor Nothoney) that Trent was sitting at another table having his dinner. Apparently Anita did notice but didn't say anything. Then from out of nowhere I and the others heard "Oh, so that's how it is huh? I see..."

I turned around and I was looking dead on at TR with a grin on his face. The voice in my mind turned into a total fucking fan girl 'OMG it's Trent Reznor! Eeeeeeeeep!'. But luckily I kept my composure on the outside. The statement was aimed at Meathead and he makes a smart remark (to which I forget at this moment) and he goes to Trent's table. We all followed and proceeded to pull chairs up. I ended up sitting directly across from him. The moment I sat down Anita, Nothoney, and Drunkpoet started quitely telling me to pull the head out and flop it on the table. Trent was eating dinner and he was talking to his dad (who was sitting to his right) and did not nice our chatter. I told them that I didn't want to do it right now cause he was eatting and I didn't want to be rude. So I waited.

As Trent was finishing his meal we all made small talk: me being from Miami, the cancelled Fort. Lauderdale concert ("Mother Nature just didn't want us to play there" Trent said jokingly), the aftermath of Wilma and South Florida, why was Wilkes-Barre choosen as a stop (its all routing and had nothing to do with TR choosing), next year's tour starting in January (yes he is coming to Florida folks. I asked specifically), TR cracking jokes and humorous observations, and TR's dad telling a hilarious computer story involving images of beavers (and not the kind about the animal) and the screensaver and other stuff that escapes me at this moment. It was just a thrill just to be able to sit there and witness that whole thing. I tried very hard not to continuously stare at Trent and just tried looked casually relaxed.

So TR finish his meal and goes to dispose of his plate, once again my friends all encourage me to pull the head cast out and just put it on the table. I'm like "Are you sure?" "Yeah, do it now! You don't know when you will get another chance again." Previously Meathead or Drunkpoet had mentioned to TR that I had brought the head for him to sign and he just seemed kinda amused by it but didn't say anything. So I was kinda of worried that I would freak him out and that was the last thing I wanted to do.

I lean down to my side and started to fumble to get the head out all the while TR was talking to the others at the table. I pulled it out and quickly just dropped it in the middle of the table. I dropped it hard enough on the table that it make a "Clank!" noise from the remainind dinnerware on the table and shook the table a little bit. The conversations stopped and some of my friends started to giggle and smile. I just sat there with my hands on my lap and looked at TR's expression. For a minute he just sat there staring at the head while his father asked "What is THAT?"

I answered "It's a positive head mold used to pull latex pieces from."

Trent kept staring at it without saying a word. His father wanted a closer look and reach for it so I handed it to him. He looked at it really closely and make some kind and funny remarks (which again escapes me at this moment) about it. Then his father made some sort of joking remark as if he wonders what I have been doing with it and proceeds to sniff it. He makes a face as if to say "Oh that's not good" and smiles. Trent laughs and keeps staring at it. Trent's dad asks when was it made and before I could answer Trent says "It was made in 93 or 94 for the Closer video, right?" while he looks at me for confirmation. And I acknowledge that he was correct. I asked him if he remembers having the mold made and he said yes. Trent goes further to say that undergoing the process of making the mold was "a pain the the ass" and that no one knew what he had to go through for that. His father hands it back to me and I just lay it down on the middle of the table again. I asked him if he would sign it for me and he was nice enough to agree. He gets up and says he doesn't have a sharpie on him and starts searching for one but I told him I had one. He walks over to where I am sitting and asks me "Where do you want me to sign it?"

"Anywhere you want. It is your head after all," I said with a big grin on my face.

He smirks, stands back at bit to look at it some more and spins it around on the table to look for a place to sign. Someone made a funny remark about him drawing a mustache on it and I even said that if he wanted to doddle on it he could. He continues looking, indicates a spot, picks it up, places the headcast on its side on his lap and proceeds to sign it on the left side of the temple on the cast. After he hands it back to me I said "Thank you so much! I hope that wasn't too weird for you." "No, no. It's kinda cool actually" he says with a smile.

He gets up to go back to his chair to get his jacket to get ready to leave the Catering room to head back to his "Chamber of Solitude" (inside joke). As he was walking out, I approached him, reached out to shake his hand and said "Thank you so much again for signing that and it was a pleasure to meet you." "No problem and likewise. I'll see you around again I'm sure" as we proceed to walk out of catering. Then he looks down and says "Oh look The Head has its own bag!" I rambled something (again it escapes me right now) in response and it amused him a bit.

So that is the general discription of what happened. There were a lot more little details to it but I don't want bore you with them (and there are some details that I know that I am leaving out cause I don't remember. It's just that so much happened at what seemed like in such a short amount of time).

It was honestly a great experience not only because The Head got signed but I got to see what Trent as a person was like. He was super nice, very cordial, and just like a regular joe cracking jokes and making fun of things. It was a very positive experience overall.

Now hopefully the Wilkes-Barre Spiral video will show Meathead making out with The Head after it got signed.

Yes, Meathead made out with Trent's head and did other stuff to it.