Nine Inch Nails were finally able to celebrate their 2020 Rock Hall Induction, and they did it in spectacular fashion with old members Chris Vrenna, Donny Lohner, Charlie Clouser and Richard Patrick joining them for a ripping set in Cleveland. Since they were together with Patrick, it seemed only proper that they cover the 90’s Filter classic, ‘Hey Man Nice Shot’. And cover it they did.
Back in the 90’s when MTV and radio reigned supreme, it was impossible to escape the track. And with good reason -it was (and still is) a certifiable banger. As big as Filter was in the 90’s, Robert’s fame was also intertwined with his actor brother, Robert Patrick.
Interestingly enough, Robert was looking out for his brother and actually tried to get Nine Inch Nails featured in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Kind of hilariously, though, The Terminator himself shut that idea down because he was apparently a bigger Guns N’ Roses fan. Here’s what Robert had to say about it:
“When I was making Terminator 2, I used to work out to Head Like a Hole by Nine Inch Nails, because my younger brother, Richard Patrick, was a touring guitarist for them. I took it to Jim Cameron and tried to get him to use it for the soundtrack to Terminator 2, but he said: ‘No. Arnold prefers Guns N’ Roses,’ who went on to record You Could Be Mine, an original song for Terminator 2. It’s ironic because Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails has won a couple of Oscars for his soundtracks now.”
It’s cool to see Patrick and Trent on good terms these days. Funny enough, it was the one-time friction between them that drove him to take Filter to the next level. In a recent interview with the Stop! Drop & Talk podcast, he said:
“But the final straw [of leaving Nine Inch Nails] was Trent goes, ‘Hey, listen, Rich, I know you need some extra cash. Listen. Down at the end of [the street], there’s a little pizzeria, and they need drivers. So maybe you can go make some extra cash over there. And I’m, like, ‘Wow!’
This was when I had ‘Hey Man Nice Shot’ written, and I had five record companies ready to sign me. And I was, like, ‘Hey, dude, I hate to tell you this now, but I quit. And I’m so sorry. But I fucking quit. I’m not gonna sell pizzas and I’m not gonna drive for a [pizzeria].”