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→The Early Years
Reznor graduated from high school in 1983 and went on to study computer engineering at Allegheny College. He began dating [[The Becoming#Annie|Andrea Mulrain]] while at college. It was around this time that he joined his first "real" band, [[Option 30]]. They became popular in the college scene in western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio but Reznor clearly wanted to get out and see more. After a year in college, Reznor dropped out of school and left Option 30. He was offered a job as a salesperson at a specialty keyboard and pro audio shop, Pi Keyboards and Audio, in Cleveland and moved there. While working there, he met Bart Koster, who was building a new recording studio, Right Track Studios. Koster was impressed with Reznor's skills and offered him a job as a studio technician before he even moved into the building. [https://www.thefader.com/2013/09/23/nine-inch-nails-oral-history-interview] In Cleveland, Reznor also reconnected with [[Chris Vrenna]], whom he had met in 1985 when Vrenna bought a piece of gear from him. The day jobs helped Reznor pay the bills but, like in Pennsylvania, he became active in Cleveland's music scene.
Reznor's first band in Cleveland was a cover band called [[The Urge]]. This band drew crowds and Reznor got some recognition. When he left the band months later they lost much of their audience. Reznor briefly re-joined before parting ways again shortly thereafter. In March 1985, he joined [[The Innocent]] as a keyboardist, but left the band after three about five months. Reznor briefly re-joined The Urge before parting ways again shortly thereafter. Later in 1985, he joined the [[Exotic Birds]] as a keyboardist and back-up vocalist with [[Andy Kubiszewski]] (who would later join Stabbing Westward) and, at one a later point, Vrenna. During this time Reznor also met [[John A. Malm, Jr.]], who was doing promotion for the band. The Exotic Birds received some national attention after playing a few gigs with the Culture Club, but Reznor left the band in 1987. [https://casetext.com/case/reznor-v-j-artist-management] This was followed by keyboardist positions in [[Slam Bamboo]] and [[Lucky Pierre]]. Reznor was also briefly part of [[Kollaps]] during these years, alongside [[Richard Patrick]]. But all the while, Reznor wanted to be able to do his own music and be his own musician.
In 1988, Reznor was finally able to write his first "real" song. It was entitled "[[Down in It (song)|Down In It]]" and was recorded as part of a demo during Reznor's spare time at the studio. After trying to come up with a name for his solo project (an early contender was The Crown Of Thorns[http://www.theninhotline.net/archives/articles/manager/display_article.php?id=6183]), he settled on the name Nine Inch Nails (NIN for short) because "it sounded menacing, it was catchy, it stood the two-week test, and it could be easily abbreviated." Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen has also been quoted as saying that the name comes from a review of Ministry's ''Twitch'', wherein the reviewer stated that listening to the second half of the album was like having a nine-inch nail driven into your head.[https://www.laweekly.com/ministrys-al-jourgensen-is-a-national-treasure/] Malm had been informally managing and supporting Reznor during this period, and helped him shop around the demo to various record labels. Ultimately [[TVT Records]], known for its TV music compilations, signed Reznor and offered to help him release his music.