Richie Kotzen, known for his versatile guitar skills ranging from hard rock to intricate prog, nearly landed a spot in Nine Inch Nails (NIN) in the early 2000s. The guitarist, who has been involved in numerous projects, shared the details of his audition for the band in a recent interview with Hot Metal.
Kotzen revealed that he was introduced to NIN by Jeordie White, the bassist for Marilyn Manson, who was playing with the industrial rock band at the time. White suggested that Kotzen come down for an audition, as they were struggling to find the right guitarist.
“I was friendly with the bass player from Marilyn Manson, Jeordie White, who was playing in Nine Inch Nails. He said to me, ‘Listen, you’ve got to come down – we’re having a hard time finding a guitar player,’” Kotzen recalled.
Upon auditioning, Kotzen immediately impressed NIN frontman Trent Reznor, who essentially offered him the job on the spot. “Trent told me, ‘You’re by far the best guy that we’ve tried, love to have you in the band,’” Kotzen explained. “‘I’m going to have my manager reach out to you!’”
Kotzen left the audition feeling confident, expecting an official offer. “I left that day thinking ‘Wow, OK, I’m going to join another band!’” he said. However, after several weeks passed without follow-up, Kotzen inquired about the status of the offer and was given a surprising reason for the rejection.
Kotzen ran into Jeordie White, who revealed that Reznor had decided against hiring him due to his association with the hair metal scene. “Jeordie said, ‘Basically, he [Reznor] said he didn’t want to open up Rolling Stone magazine and see ‘Nine Inch Nails gets former Poison guitar player Richie Kotzen,’” Kotzen explained.
Despite his skills being exactly what NIN needed, Reznor couldn’t overlook Kotzen’s past in the glam metal band Poison. Kotzen understood the decision, acknowledging the potential image issues it could create. “Aesthetically, when you think about the fan base and then you think about how people would read into something, I can kinda see that,” Kotzen admitted.
Rather than harboring resentment, Kotzen expressed admiration for Reznor and his work. “I think [Reznor] is a genius,” he said. “I would have loved to have worked with him.” Kotzen also reflected on his time with Poison, saying he had no regrets about his musical past and was proud of the albums they produced.
Since then, Kotzen has continued to thrive in various musical endeavors, including his recent collaboration with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith on their second album, Black Light/White Noise.
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