Jerome Dillon
Jerome Dillon is the former drummer for Nine Inch Nails. He played for NIN somewhat on The Fragile, during the Fragility tours and the beginning of the With Teeth tours. After three shows were canceled due to his heart problems, Trent Reznor found a replacement.
Cancelled shows
Midway through the band's first Live: With_Teeth arena show in San Diego, California on September 16, 2005, as the band was finishing "Gave Up", there were noticeable problems with Jerome's drumming (losing the tempo and whatnot). As "Eraser" was supposed to start, he collapsed and was hospitalized. This and a subsequent show were postponed, and another gig was outright cancelled.[1] The cardiac disorder was later diagnosed as a non-life threatening consequence of his thyroid medication.[2]
Dillon would play his last show with NIN at the Hollywood Bowl on October 1, 2005.
Fall out with Trent and NIN
Months later, Jerome remarked that when he was healthy and ready to return, he encountered "complete apathy and no sympathy" from Reznor and NIN management. In return, Trent wrote that Jerome's "recollection of the events leading to his departure from the band is once again inaccurate." Recently, however Dillon remarked in the nearLY message boards that there was currently no (at least on his part) animocity between himself and "any member of the NIN camp". He also quipped that he especially meant Aaron North, since he "tattooed my name on his ass..." (sic) (Referring of course to the statement by north in the "access" section of nin.com [3] [4]
nearLY
nearLY was a side project of Jerome's throughout his tenure with NIN. Beginning with a reccuring bad dream, Jerome created a sonic adventure, very much like Fragile era NIN. The album, entitled Reminder, features Jerome in a Reznor role, contributing much of the instrumentation himself. Jerome abstained from singing on the record, instead opting for vocals by Nothing Records veteran, Claudia Sarne. Jerome is currently working on a follow-up to Reminder featuring singer/actress Persia White on vocals.
Jerome and Aaron
During the same Q&A that produced the "tattoo" statement, Aaron North responded to a question regarding Jerome's relationship status with an emphatic, "Back off bitch, he's mine!" This has been a very large portion of much of the NIN satire out there, including Anne Tai's "Squires Of Dimness" and Diaboli's Clay NIN's. Although the remarks were most likely in fun, the result has stuck. It should also be noted that Aaron North was the only current member of NIN to be seen at a nearLY show.