Nine Inch Nails’ Ilan Rubin Is The Youngest Person To Be Inducted Into The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame
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Last night, a virtual pre-recorded Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony was broadcast on HBO Max after the original event was postponed from May. The class of 2020 includes Nine Inch Nails, Notorious B.I.G., Depeche Mode, Whitney Houston, T. Rex, and the Doobie Brothers. There were no performances, but each inductee was introduced by celebrity guests.
Trent Reznor accepted the award for Nine Inch Nails after being introduced by Iggy Pop. “As I’ve been wrapping my head around Nine Inch Nails being welcomed into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I think I was most looking forward to the ceremony itself where the hopefully whole camp, past and present, was going to get together and have a moment,” Reznor said at the beginning of his speech. “And we’re all stuck in our little boxes staring at our screens.”
With NIN’s induction, the band’s Ilan Rubin becomes the youngest person to ever be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame at 32. The previous youngest was Josh Klinghoffer, who was 33 when Red Hot Chili Peppers entered. Before that, Stevie Wonder was the youngest at 38 when he was inducted in 1989.
The band’s affiliates and members all shared messages on the official Nine Inch Nails website accepting the award. “The invitation to play with Nine Inch Nails is what I always see as the turning point in my life and career,” Rubin said in his. “The uncompromising drive, creativity, and quest for perfection were immediately evident, and I knew that this was the band for me.”
The ceremony is available to watch on HBO Max if you’re a subscriber. Watch Reznor’s acceptance speech below.
Some celebrities that popped up during the rest of the ceremony: Jay-Z, Nas, and Lin-Manuel Miranda appeared to talk about the late Notorious B.I.G.; Charlize Theron introduced Depeche Mode, whose video package included tributes from Chris Martin, Win Butler, and Lauren Mayberry; T. Rex were intro’d by Billy Idol and Joan Jett; Brad Paisley, Luke Bryan, Nancy Wilson, and Judd Apatow all paid their respects to the Doobie Brothers; and Whitney Houston was inducted by Alicia Keys.