<P> Nine Inch Nails has been nominated for thirteen Grammy Awards, winning twice for the songs "Wish" and "Happiness in Slavery" in 1992 and 1996, respectively . In 1997, Reznor appeared in Time magazine's list of the year's most influential people, and Spin magazine has described him as "the most vital artist in music". In 2004, Rolling Stone placed Nine Inch Nails at 94 on the magazine's list of the 100 greatest artists of all time . In 2014, Nine Inch Nails was named as a nominee for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band's first year of eligibility . In 2015, Nine Inch Nails was nominated a second time . </P> <P> In 1987, Trent Reznor played keyboard in a Cleveland, Ohio band called the Exotic Birds, then managed by John Malm Jr . Reznor and Malm became friends, and when Reznor left the Exotic Birds to work on music of his own, Malm informally became his manager . At the time, Reznor was employed as an assistant engineer and janitor at Right Track Studios, in Cleveland; he asked studio owner Bart Koster for permission to record some demos of his own material for free during unused studio time . Koster agreed and allowed Reznor to use it whenever it was empty, commenting that it cost him "just a little wear on (his) tape heads". While completing the early recordings, Reznor was unable to find a band that could articulate the material as he desired . Instead, inspired by Prince, Reznor played all the instruments, except drums, himself . This role remains Reznor's on most of the band's studio recordings, though he has occasionally involved other musicians and assistants . Nine Inch Nails' debut was at the Phantasy Theater in Lakewood, Ohio on October 21, 1988 as part of the Pretty Hate Machine Tour Series . In 1988, after playing its first shows supporting Skinny Puppy, Reznor's ambition for Nine Inch Nails was to release one 12 - inch single on a small European label . Several labels responded favorably to the demo material and Reznor signed with TVT Records . Nine selections from the Right Track demos recorded live in November 1988, collectively known as Purest Feeling, were later released in revised form on the band's first full - length studio release, Pretty Hate Machine (1989). The overall sound on Purest Feeling is lighter than that of Pretty Hate Machine; several songs contain more live drumming and guitar work throughout, as well as a heavier use of samples from films . </P> <P> Reznor coined the name "Nine Inch Nails" because it "abbreviated easily", rather than for "any literal meaning". Other rumored explanations have circulated, alleging that Reznor chose to reference Jesus' crucifixion with nine - inch spikes, or Freddy Krueger's nine - inch fingernails . The English letters NIN are also noted for their resemblance to the modern Hebrew characters of the Tetragrammaton . The Nine Inch Nails' logo, which consists of the letters (NIИ) set inside a border, was designed by Reznor and Gary Talpas, and first appeared on the music video for Nine Inch Nails' debut single, "Down in It", and was inspired by Tibor Kalman's typography on the Talking Heads album Remain in Light . Talpas, a native of Cleveland, would continue to design Nine Inch Nails packaging art until 1997 . </P> <P> Written, arranged, and performed by Reznor, Nine Inch Nails' first album Pretty Hate Machine debuted in 1989 . It marked his first collaboration with Adrian Sherwood (who produced the lead single "Down in It" in London without meeting Reznor face - to - face) and Mark "Flood" Ellis . Reznor asked Sean Beavan to mix the demos of Pretty Hate Machine, which had received multiple offers for record deals . He mixed sound during Nine Inch Nails' live concerts for several years, eventually becoming an unofficial member of the live band and singing live backup vocals from his place at the mixing console . Flood's production would appear on each major Nine Inch Nails release until 1994, and Sherwood has made remixes for the band as recently as 2000 . Reznor and his co-producers expanded upon the Right Track Studio demos by adding singles "Head Like a Hole" and "Sin". Rolling Stone's Michael Azerrad described the album as "industrial - strength noise over a pop framework" and "harrowing but catchy music"; Reznor proclaimed this combination "a sincere statement" of "what was in (his) head at the time". In fact, the song "Down in It" spent over two months on Billboard's club - play dance chart . After spending 113 weeks on the Billboard 200, Pretty Hate Machine became one of the first independently released records to attain platinum certification . </P>

Where did the name nine inch nails come from
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