Nine Inch Nails & Children

[Bonedwarf]

I let my kids listen to SELECT NIN tracks. Swearing? Don't care. Hence my ten and six year olds have "Only" on their ipod Shuffle's. (That was the videos fault though.) They also like "The Hand that Feeds". They like Perfect Drug too. I've shown them bits of NIN live too.

I would draw the line at a lot of songs though. My kid saying "Fuck" in front of their grandmother doesn't bother me. Them telling her they want to fuck her like an animal on the other hand...

I figure I'll wait until their at least 12 to show them the Broken movie...

(Since this is the internet and the collective IQ drops weekly, I must add the last bit is a joke)

To give some perspective, because of me my kids like Iron Maiden, David Bowie etc... Even a bit of Pink Floyd. My next trick is to get at least one hooked on Marillion's "Grendel" after I named my latest Terraria character that.

[mostlymad]

My kids have gone through my music collection and found their own stuff to like. I'm so glad my 12 year old is into classic rock and some of the more interesting older alternative stuff I have. It makes him an outsider at school, but he won't give up the stuff he likes just for those people. Now, as for the cussing, I didn't mind it at all, because it isn't like he had any context about what he was singing. They were just the sounds that went with the music. But other people? Not so fond of a six year old wandering through the mall yelling "Don't you fucking know what you are?" way back when. I'm a little more careful about the words that my youngest, at six now, hears over and over again.

[DirtyLittleHeart]

My kids have been listening to NIN since birth. Girl is almost 15, boy almost 13. Both are well-adjusted. My daughter saw NIN when she was 9 years old. And yes, that included everything.

Not all kids are the same but considering what they hear at school and how early they hear it, I don't think it's that big of a deal. JMO

[burn.]

I don't want my kids fucking like animals.

Actually I'm pretty sure I won't have a problem with that. They'll be old enough by the time they understand english (I'm from Venezuela).

But supposing they knew english I guess I'll select a few songs for them.

I think a kid would enjoy some songs from Year Zero (Capital G, The Beginning of The End, The Great Destroyer), With Teeth, The Fragile and The Slip.

I try to picture myself listening to Letting You or The Great Destroyer at age 10 and I'm almost sure I'd have loved it.

I'd definitively keep them away from TDS, Broken and PHM except for a few songs.

[NINmuffin]

I heard my 1st NIN song at 11 and have been a true fan since 13. It's been 11 years now, I am still a NIN fan. The music kids were into in my school at the time I attended truly scared me. It all sounded the same, meaningless words, sub par beats and no creativity. NIN opened up a world of possibilities creatively for me when I was younger. I explored different types of music and art because I was on a search to find more things that made me feel the way NIN did.. musically, nothing ever really came close.. artistically, knowing NIN made me find and appreciate many different types of art that I still enjoy to this day. NIN got me through all the bad times in my life and I can attribute many a song to certain times and special/terrible days in my life. A few years ago I stopped listening to the radio all together.. It has been almost 5 years, I'm guessing that nothing besides NIN has played in my car.. When I was pregnant, the earphones stretched over my belly everyday played NIN.. Whether it was Rock-a-bye baby NIN or just plain old NIN. When my son was upset after he was born I played NIN and I found that he quieted down pretty quickly, if I played something else.. he did not usually quiet down. My son is 17months old, he is already very musical. He loves to sing and dance and play his toy piano. Now that he is talking I try and monitor the songs I play for him because there are certain words I don't want him to repeat. He knows NIN instantly and begins bopping his head and "singing" - he doesn't do this with radio music. My son is still young, but as far as I can tell it seems like NIN or not.. music in general can be enriching in children's lives.

[Space Suicide]

When I have a child I won't deprive them the given music that they like. If they happen to enjoy certain stuff I do later on down the road, not just NIN then so be it. I would't even mind it if they did/do.

[GlitchyFlame]

Most kids would not really understand the lyrics and just pay attention to the cool sounding noises, but in rare cases there maybe kids who pay attention to the lyrics but not in necessarily in a negative way. Some may listen to the lyrics and sympathize with Trent, and not feel like they are sad and depressed. To tell you the truth when the child is even 10 he/she might be ready to hear The Downward Spiral in its entirety, I started listening to NIN when I was 8 yrs old and when I was ten I bought my first NIN album (The Downward Spiral) I understood the lyrics meaning but did not turn out like a crazy psychopath. I really don't think nin is the worst thing ever like a lot a parents think. But this is just my opinion, yours might be radically different than mine. But there are some things like The Broken Movie, that would be VERY inappropriate for a child.

[sweetsavages]

I first listened to Nine Inch Nails when I was six. I would always listen to it with my older brother. Then I'd sneak into the living room late at night and watch MTV and watch old NIN and Red Hot Chili Peppers music videos. Though the music videos kindof freaked me out sometimes, I loved it. I still love it. So even though I started listening to NIN from a really early age, it never emotionally scarred, it actually helped me with any emotional stuff I had.

[InversePhase]

The real problem with this question/thread is that every kid is different, every parent is different, and to boot, every environment is different. I was a kid that entered grade school knowing cursive, multiplication and division, and how to write software. My parents wanted to shelter me from things. I saw it as a bit overbearing. But I was good at asking questions, and really, I guess I turned out all right. Beware of the kids that always ask "why?" =] Once a kid learns to want, they will find a way to get what they want.

I began listening to NIN at around age 10, but age is just a number. It's hard to claim what age a kid should know something by because of the different speeds at which certain parts of a kid will develop. I think providing additional metrics (what concepts, at an ultimately basic level, are familiar to the kid?) is helpful if only to better gauge whether sharing certain things with the kid is a good idea or not.

[Goldfoot]

I fully intend on letting my children listen to NIN, but I would probably withhold some songs from them at first. I will not pick some arbitrary age, because every person is different. The same way I think it's stupid that at 18 we're suddenly mature enough to decide if we should smoke or not; or 21 with drinking. I started listening to NIN a few months before I turned 10, and my parents for me Broken for my 10th birthday. At that age, there was plenty in the lyrics I just didn't understand. None of it was too much worse than some of the music I heard from my parents anyway. Someone mentioned Prince; my mom loves Prince and would listen to him all the time. I'm sure there's countless examples, but I never even knew what the words to My Sharona were until like 4 (age 23?) years ago, and yet I can remember hearing that song since before I really listened to music on my own. Then there's Ted Nugent, with Cat Scratch Fever of that "sweet poontang" song. I could go on and on, but the point is that I turned out fine. I'd even say it's at least partially because of the music I listen to that I did turn out like this. So, no, I see no problem in letting a child listen to Nine Inch Nails. My sister is constantly telling me about songs on the radio she wishes her kids didn't hear, and some of those I might agree with, even though her kids don't understand what the whips and chains are for in whatever pop song that is.

[Halo Infinity]

Looking through the first NIN purchase thread reminded me of this topic as I've noticed that there were several people that bought their first NIN album when they were in middle school. I just thought that it was nice to know that they got to know about NIN before entering high school. I didn't get into NIN until I was 17. I'm still among those that don't really see anything wrong with 10 to 12 year olds listening to NIN, and it was still a bit surprising to see more people okay with it on ETS these days.

However, if any of you that believe NIN is more of a 13+ band are out there, I still would like to see what you'd have to say. I've got to admit that you do make good points, even though I find myself agreeing with those that say it's okay for people under 13 to listen to NIN. (I wish this thread didn't sink so soon, and I'm just curious as to what other people who haven't seen this thread would think.)

@redshoewearer - I thought I'd like to see your take on this too. However, from what I've read, your kids are way beyond being old enough to get into NIN anyway. I just like to know what NIN fans that are parents think of this too. Whoa, that was some awkward wording there.

[Halo Infinity]

My kids have been listening to NIN since birth. Girl is almost 15, boy almost 13. Both are well-adjusted. My daughter saw NIN when she was 9 years old. And yes, that included everything.

I just couldn't resist. It's sort of amusing... now that there really IS a song called Everything. The horror... oh Everything... the horror.

[skip niklas]

I just couldn't resist. It's sort of amusing... now that there really IS a song called Everything. The horror... oh Everything... the horror.

"Everything" is my daughter's favorite song. In fact, Hesitation Marks is the only album I've let her listen to almost in it's entirety since "All Time Low" is the only song that has vulgar language. I've also played the instrumentals and the lullaby tracks for her over the years, and she likes them as well.

[hobochic]

Stop this madness.

No one, and I mean no one, as in kids or even adults, should ever be subjected to EDIETS.

[nowimnothing]

My kids do listen to NIN and I have an 8 year old son and 4 year old daughter. They have no concept of the lyrics at all. And they only like the more poppy songs anyway. I skip Closer and some of the more hard core songs out of courtesy to them - as I don't think they need to hear intensely aggressive tunes or overtly sexual ones. I say that because I know my kids and what they can handle.

[theimage13]

Stop this madness.

No one, and I mean no one, as in kids or even adults, should ever be subjected to EDIETS Everything.

Modified for personal preference.

[Shadaloo]

I used to listen to Naughty By Nature at the age of 10 or so. I didn't understand a lot of it; but I was also listening to Metallica at the time (or shortly thereafter) and they were singing about horsemen and bible stories and war. I think I brushed it all off as a bunch of dudes singing fantasy songs. It wasn't until I got into NIN, Soundgarden, and Manson a few yers later that I really started paying attention to the lyrics and thinking about them.

Depends on your kid, really, and depends on the song. As far as NIN goes there are a few things I maybe wouldn't put on (Big Man With A Gun does come to mind). But for the life of me I wouldn't have a problem with my kid listening to With Teeth, Year Zero or Hesitation Marks. I'd say a good 80% of the catalogue is fair game.

[BenAkenobi]

This topic mainly discusses profanity and dark imagery that's not necessary for kids. But what about kids that study music? Many begin music lessons even before school. I mean, Reznor made a lot of cool piano melodies that are simpler than Mozart or Chopin and some of it can be nice to learn and interpret from composition standpoint, no?

[Fist Fuck]

Why WOULDN'T you let children listen to Nine Inch Nails?

Depressing? Sure, some songs are, but that teaches them real life. Not everything is all puppies and rainbows, you know? Once they're old enough to understand that a song is depressing, they're old enough to know that.

Heavy? So what. If they don't like heavy music, they won't bother listening to it. If they do, what's wrong with that?

Swearing? Come on. Last time I checked there were guns in American houses. Houses where little kids lived. A few swear words won't kill anyone, and the earlier they learn what they mean, the less cool they are later. Meaning that when you grow up knowing what the word fuck means, it doesn't suddenly become the cool thing to say in school later.

I can't even think of another reason why someone would hestitate letting kids listen to NIN. The only thing I would do is select the songs. They have to be accessible. A little kid won't understand the perfection of a song like And All That Could Have Been, but it's probably gonna dance along to Only, Closer, Discipline, etc. or just enjoy the calmer songs like La Mer or Find My Way.

[PUNCHLINE]

Wow, some differing opinions here. I have a three year old and whenever I play music she just tells me to switch it off as she wants to watch her favourite dvds lol. When I was growing up my parents would be playing Hendrix, the Beatles, Stones, Cream, moody Blues, etc. Some of which I liked, some I didnt but I certainly didnt even listen to lyrics properly until much much older. If I was playing NIN at home now I wouldnt turn it off if my three year old was around but if it was a song with swearing in it Id skip to the next one. Simple as that. Exposing children to music with dark themes? A child really doesnt have that sort of understanding or attention span. My daughter would only be interested if she could dance along to it. :-)
Id be far more worried if she was listening to and getting into rap and the whole gangsta culture, or slutty crap like Rhianna...

[DaNiN]

My seven years old cousin was in my room while i was listening to "while i'm still here"..
I saw him 3 days later and it turned out that he searched the song on his ipad and started listening to it and then he searched for the lyrics and memorised them way before i had the chance to do it.

And later he somehow went through my stuff and browsed a nin album(don't know which one,possibly phm) and told me in a serious informative voice "hey danny, you know that nine inch nails IS trent reznor"

[gunn13]

My daughter is 4. We listen to all kinds of stuff around the house ranging from the cheesiest pop music to black metal. But almost always as quiet background music to whatever we are playing at the time. She loves to dance around but doesn't really pay much attention to any music seriously unless it is her favourites; which currently seems to be pretty much all the stuff in the charts. She loves it!

I always let her pick what to put on of my stuff (currently she always picks the Halloween III soundtrack - mainly for the Silver Shamrock jingle) and she has yet to pick NIN. I've put the poppier NIN tracks and the instrumentals on for her occasionally and she likes to dance to them though. I can honestly say that I've no plans to introduce any more NIN to her.

I always skip any songs with swearing or that sound too depressing or contains overly sexual lyrics. It just doesn't seem appropriate. Whilst I've nothing against that, it doesn't seem like her learning to copy such words or lyrics at such a young age, especially around other people, is really going to do her any favours.
Who knows when children are old enough to start delving into stuff like that. The way I see it: until she is able to take an active interest in her own right, it doesn't really matter. And even still I'd probably rather she just enjoyed "happy happy" dancing songs until she was well into her teens to be honest.

[m15a]

this topic seems to come up every once in a while. but, now, with so much NIN music out there, it's kind of like, why not skip TDS or make a copy missing a couple songs. like some people suggested above, i think the biggest issue is with the most blatant songs, really. like, "Big Man with a Gun" . . even fairly open minded adults have trouble coping with the subject. and also, the lyrics are pretty easy to follow and pretty dark no matter how you interpret it. personally, if i had a 6 year old son, i wouldn't want to worry about whether he'll get mad at another student and start slamming his crotch into their face or something. (on the other hand, i don't have or want to have kids. i don't want to have to worry about them at all. so what do i know?)

as for teenagers, talking to some recently and remembering what i do from high school, i think they could use a little broadening of their horizons. sometimes i am sort of shocked by how broad their concept of evil or "wrong" is. how quick they are to judge and how unsympathetic.

as for the music as a whole, of course. it's great *and* it has sort of a good range of things that a person can latch onto, a lot of entry points, i guess. i started writing music shortly after starting to listening to NIN, and, for me, i'm sure it's as big an influence and inspiration as any.

[ChasingTheGhost]

More likely going to raise mine on Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. Just like my father raised me on Zeppelin and Floyd.

I've discovered NIN when I was 8 and bought TDS when I was 13. I was hooked. I also remember getting in trouble in school for singing Closer.

[redshoewearer]

@redshoewearer - I thought I'd like to see your take on this too. However, from what I've read, your kids are way beyond being old enough to get into NIN anyway. I just like to know what NIN fans that are parents think of this too. Whoa, that was some awkward wording there.

Yeah they're older now - but they like NIN too. I never held them back - I followed my parents' model regarding art. For the most part they were glad I was reading and paying attention to culture, so they didn't restrict what I read or listened to. I think if you have a decent relationship with your kids, you can *discuss* what you are listening to. Sometimes people/parents have a hard time differentiating art from the artist. Suppose your kid listens to TDS. Does that mean he has to be like that or he's going to become like that? No more than if he read Macbeth. TDS takes you inside the head of a very troubled person, who as the name suggests, is going downhill. (I don't mean TR, I mean the guy in the record). It is a poignant and fascinating masterpiece, not to mention good music.

Now the younger one listens to R Kelly, Usher, Bisbal, and is in college to sing opera. But it was she who suggested we put on The Fragile driving home from Lolla when we had to drive late into the night last month.

Each family and child is different. Don't impose or withhold. Put out the buffet of art and culture and let them sample. And don't make the mistake of thinking that because you expose or don't expose them to particular music, that they won't develop their own personality and probably like some stuff that you roll your eyes at no matter what your taste - I don't mean the artists I listed above though.

[martin_b]

My son (2 years and 4 months old) loves "Copy Of A" and "Came Back Haunted".

Everytime when we are turning on our audio system, he demands one of these two songs by singing: "Copy, Copy, Copy!" or "Came Back Maslo" ("maslo" means "butter" in Polish - I have no idea why he is singing "Came Back Butter" - this is still a huge mistery for me). Despite the fact that my son will become/is becoming a Polish native speaker ;-) he is quite good in singing these two NIN songs by repeating (with a perfect timing) phrases like "black black black black black" or "beeee" or "believe" or "shado-shado-shado".

He likes BMWAG and Reptile too. ;-)

Ow, and BTW: it's really cool to hear my kid when he is singing NIN. :-)

[Tyson]

As someone that worked in childcare for six years, other people's kids, no. My nieces and nephews, select songs. My kids, which I will never have, yes. I listened to, watched and read worse when I was younger, and I grew into someone who understands perfectly the differences between right and wrong, when things are appropriate and inappropriate to say or do. I'm courteous and well mannered, especially in the presence of elders etc. Why? Because my mother played an active role in teaching me how to behave properly. I wouldn't force NIN upon my children, but if they expressed a real interest, and I thought they were ready for it I think there's nothing wrong with it when coupled with proper parental guidance.

[KarenLeslie]

My son (2 years and 4 months old) loves "Copy Of A" and "Came Back Haunted".

Everytime when we are turning on our audio system, he demands one of these two songs by singing: "Copy, Copy, Copy!" or "Came Back Maslo" ("maslo" means "butter" in Polish - I have no idea why he is singing "Came Back Butter" - this is still a huge mistery for me). Despite the fact that my son will become/is becoming a Polish native speaker ;-) he is quite good in singing these two NIN songs by repeating (with a perfect timing) phrases like "black black black black black" or "beeee" or "believe" or "shado-shado-shado".

Thank you for sharing that, that is beyond adorable .

He likes BMWAG and Reptile too. ;-)

....

I remember when this topic came up years ago, although I didn't post, and the consensus swung very much the other way. I think it's kind of a different question now though, since so much of the NIN material released in the last half-decade is instrumentals and songs with no overtly objectionable content-- doesn't HM only have one song that contains a swear word? I think it was a lot easier to have a gut reaction of "No way!" when With_Teeth was the most recent album released.

I hope I can have kids some time over the next few years, and I honestly don't know what tack to take with this. I have no issue with the poppier NIN songs like EDIETS, but songs with dark themes and cursing I would probably skip, just to keep the kid from parroting back the lyrics. I realize there's a whole deeper debate about whether exposing kids to dark themes at a young age, with proper explanation, is actually more helpful to their development than shielding them from it (or whether vapid, bubblegum pop is actually more insidiously harmful to impressionable children in a different way) but I'm not addressing that right now-- I just wouldn't want the kid singing Closer in the supermarket ^^;;

[EndlessLoveless]

My wife is pregnant and due in a month. Ive been playing nothing but nine inch nails and the beatles through headphones into her belly. Start 'em early.

[sentient02970]

My daughter has been playing Rock Band drums and vocals for Capital G since she was like 9. Although the Rock Band version is edited for lyrical content she knows the song by heart now and will recognize it if I'm playing YZ in the car. I got her getting into Ghosts now. I loved that when I played it she was like "wow this is Nine Inch Nails??" lol