Trent Reznor Wants ‘the Taylor Swifts of the World’ to Speak Out on Politics

By Ellis Clopton

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Trent Reznor isn’t afraid to get vocal about what he believes in and what angers him.  Right now, his annoyance seems to lie within Taylor Swift and other younger, contemporary artists remaining silent on today’s issues.

In an interview with the New York Times Magazine , the Nine Inch Nails frontman said the reason artists like Swift don’t speak out more often is because of worries and concerns over their brand image.

“You don’t hear a lot from the Taylor Swifts of the world, and top-tier, needle-moving cultural youth, because they are concerned about their brand, their demographic and their success and career and whatnot,” Reznor said.

Reznor said his activism stems from an interview he did in the mid-90s, when an interviewer made the point that his influence puts him in a position where he should be raising his voice and calling out issues. He said the Trump administration has driven him to be even more active, especially with the ease of which people can put out their thoughts to the world.

“My worrying about it isn’t helping anything. But what Donald Trump is doing is concerning and infuriating — and it’s not the conservative agenda, it’s not a question of religious preference, it’s not a question of should government be big or small,” Reznor said. “I don’t have any problem with those topics. But the disregard for decency and truth and civility is what’s really disheartening. It feels like a country that celebrates stupidity is really taking it up a notch.”