“I feel like I’ve been molded for this gig. Trent has been an influence on me from the beginning”: How new Nine Inch Nails bassist Stu Brooks went from pop royalty to one of rock’s most sonically adventurous gigs

Stu Brooks performing with Nine Inch Nails.

Trent Reznor is a man whose reputation and genius truly precede him. Since forming Nine Inch Nails in 1988, the group has sold over 20 million records, including landmark albums Pretty Hate Machine and The Downward Spiral.

Currently attending to the bass role for the industrial rock band’s Peel It Back tour is the multi-talented Stu Brooks, who replaced longtime bassist Alessandro Cortini earlier this year. Luckily, in drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Robin Finck, Brooks has two dedicated role models.