Reznor Calls Manson "Dopey Clown"

Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor doesn't have very kind words for Marilyn Manson, his former protege.

Reznor recently spoke to Mojo magazine about the feud between him and Manson, which happened around the time of the release of 1994's The Downward Spiral album.

"During the Spiral tour we propped [Manson] up to get our audience turned on to them and at that time a lot of people in my circle were pretty far down the road as alcoholics," Reznor says in the interview, according to Spinner.com. "Not Manson. His drive for success and self-preservation was so high, he pretended to be fucked up a lot when he wasn't."

Now, that's no longer the case, Reznor says.

"He is a malicious guy and will step on anybody's face to succeed and cross any line of decency," Reznor said. "Seeing him now, drugs and alcohol now rule his life and he's become a dopey clown."

Reznor co-produced Manson's 1994 Portrait Of An American Family debut album and co-wrote some tracks on that disc, 1995's Smells Like Children and 1996's Antichrist Superstar, and Manson was signed to Reznor's Nothing Records label. After they fell out, Reznor infamously threw baseballs at plates with various celebrities' faces on them, including Manson, in the video for "Starfuckers, Inc."

"Things got shitty between us and I'm not blameless," Reznor said of the bad blood between them. "The majority of it, though, was coming from a resentful guy who finally got out from under the master's umbrella and was able to stab him in the back."

Nine Inch Nails will play these dates:

June 2 Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 3 Mansfield, MA @ Comcast Center w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 6 Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 7 Wantagh, NY @ Nikon at Jones Beach Theater w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 9 Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 10 Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 12 Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/Jane's Addiction and Street Sweeper Social Club
June 13 Manchester, TN @ Great Stage Park (Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival)
June 19 Nickelsdorf, Austria @ Nova Rock Festival
June 20 Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival
June 21 Scheessel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
June 23 Poznan, Poland @ Malta International Theatre Festival
June 24 Prague, Czech Republic @ O2 Arena
June 26 Milan, Italy @ Idroscalo
June 27 St. Gallen, Switzerland @ St. Gallen Festival
June 29 Dusseldorf, Germany @ Phillipshalle
June 30 Berlin, Germany @ Berlin Arena
July 2 Arvika, Sweden @ Arvika Festival
July 3 Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
July 5 Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
July 7 Paris, France @ Le Zenith
July 8 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Heineken Music Hall
July 9 Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Rockhal
July 11 Balado, Scotland @ Balado Airfield (T In The Park)
July 12 Naas, Ireland @ Punchestown Racecourse (Oxegen Festival)
July 14 Manchester, England @ Manchester Evening News Arena
July 15 London, England @ O2 Arena
July 18 Istanbul, Turkey @ Rock N Coke Festival
July 20 Athens, Greece @ Vrahon Theater
July 22 Rome, Italy @ Rockinrome
July 24 Budapest, Hungary @ Syma Sport And Event Centre
July 25 Targu Mures, Romania @ Peninsula Festival
July 28 Nimes, France @ Festival De Nimes
July 30 Madrid, Spain @ La Riviera
July 31 Paredes De Coura, Portugal @ Paredes De Coura Festival
Aug. 2 Knebworth, England @ Sonisphere Festival
Aug. 5 Manila, Phillippines @ Araneta Coliseum
Aug. 7 Tokyo, Japan @ Summer Sonic Festival
Aug. 8 Osaka, Japan @ Summer Sonic Festival
Aug. 10 Singapore, Singapore @ Fort Canning Park
Aug. 12 Taipei, Taiwan @ Nan-Kang 101

Marilyn Manson will play these shows:

June 3 Brno, Czech Republic @ Velodrome
June 5 Nurburg, Germany @ Nurburgring (Rock Am Ring)
June 6 Nuremberg, Germany @ Zeppelinfeld (Rock Im Park)
June 8 Innsbruck, Austria @ Olympiahalle
June 9 Bratislava, Slovakia @ Incheba Expo
June 11 Dresden, Germany @ Junge Garden
June 13 Donington, England @ Donington Park (Download Festival)
June 17 Porto, Portugal @ Coliseo Do Porto
June 19 Bilbao, Spain @ Kobetamendi (Kobetasonik Festival)
June 20 Clisson, France @ Hellfest Open Air
June 22 Vienne, France @ Antic Arena
June 23 Geneva, Switzerland @ Arena Geneva
June 24 Linz, Austria @ Intersport Arena
June 27 Gothenburg, Sweden @ Frehamnen (Metaltown Festival)
June 28 Dessel, Belgium @ Festivalpark Boeretang (Graspop Metal Meeting)
July 1 Kristiansand, Norway @ The Quart Festival
July 4 Sopron, Hungary @ Volt Festival
July 10 Sacramento, CA @ Sleep Train Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 11 Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 12 San Bernardino, CA @ Glen Helen Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 14 Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 17 Phoenix, AZ @ Cricket Wireless Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 18 Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 19 Denver, CO @ Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 21 Kansas City, KS @ Sandstone Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 22 St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 24 Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 25 Indianapolis, IN @ Verizon Wireless Music Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 26 Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 29 Scranton, PA @ Toyota Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
July 31 Cleveland, OH @ Blossom Music Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 1 Pittsburgh, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 2 Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 4 Boston, MA @ Tweeter Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 6 Virginia Beach, VA @ Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 7 Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 8 Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 9 Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 11 Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 12 West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheater (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 14 San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)
Aug. 15 Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center (Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival)