Trent Reznor on New Orleans

From Offbeat magazine:

I grew up in Pennsylvania in a small town, and every time we’d come to New Orleans, it felt like another planet. It seemed like the weirdest place I had ever been. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly big city to me, but the culture, the tradition, the smell of the air, and the way it looks—things I never paid attention to like architecture. What I grew up seeing was steel row architecture. Houses you lived in, you didn’t see as art. They just functioned. And to see a sense of tradition, and the people I met. You can drink a beer outside! Oh my God! It was just mind-blowing.

There's more. What he says about New Orleans is filled with the inexplicable love and attachment that grabs so many people who visit this city and convinces them to stay. Growing up here, I knew I was in a different place, but didn't realize until I left exactly how different. I simply knew that I would be back, eventually. I really like these perspectives from "outsiders" who came inside, people who were grabbed by New Orleans and brought close to her bosom. Makes me feel less crazy.

I remember running into Trent Reznor at Decatur House almost every time I came home from school. There were always guys from big bands in some bar or another. They were in town to play at House of Blues or one of the festivals and hung out in holes to listen to great music. It was one of those cool, ordinary things that happen in NOLA. Trent lived here, though, and that somehow made him different. I never talked to him. He always looked really nervous. Maybe he was just there to score. Sadly, Decatur House is no more, so I guess I'll never know.

One more quick quote:

It was the first time I lived in a place and I really enjoyed being there. You never feel out of place.

Yeah, he gets it.

Props to oyster at YRT for the heads-up.