Any Nine Inch Nails fans remember this oddity from 23+ years ago? I’ve had it for two decades and now I have put it up in my NIN memorabilia auction for someone to give it a new home. I know this poster has been something of a legend amongst fans/collectors who have wondered its origin, and I’m no different. I did not design it, and I don’t know who did!
I got this poster from the NYC Interscope/Nothing office circa 2001/2002; I had seen the design around and was happy they had one sitting around that I could have. This was not an official NIN poster, at least not in the sense that it was designed (or to my knowledge even approved) by anyone in the NIN camp. But it was always around in an official-feeling capacity, like someone involved in the touring process or record label had sanctioned it, so my understanding was that it was something that had been done or commissioned by promoters for the European leg of the Fragility tour. Local and especially international promoters would often run with their own designs, even if we provided them with material. It was kind of fun seeing local posters in various countries: Sometimes they were just versions of our official art, sometimes they were extremely cringe, sometimes they were a fun surprise, like this one. I asked my old friend who worked at the Nothing Records office back then, who I probably got this poster from, and she couldn't recall the poster’s origins either but her best guess was European promoters. So, it remains an oddity, a unique moment in time, an unofficially semi-official piece of NIN memorabilia for collectors.
The first round of public auction items is up now, with auctions ending this Sunday, September 24th (you can also make offers on anything that doesn't have a first bid yet). The reserves are set high because these are special to me and irreplaceable, I want them to go to real fans/collectors who will cherish them; I'd rather keep them than have a reseller snatch them. I have more rare stuff still to sort through, it's a process but at least this way the material is getting preserved and finding good homes. As before, members of my Patreon will get first dibs on the next round of items, and I'm also giving some of it away over there.
