Richie Kotzen is known for his stints in Poison, Mr. Big and The Winery Dogs, but his career almost took a decidedly different turn when at one point he almost joined Nine Inch Nails.
Kotzen revealed the little known fact about his career during a chat with Australia’s Hot Metal Magazine when responding to a fan question of if he had ever come close to joining any bands that people didn’t know about.
“The closest band that I ever came to joining was Nine Inch Nails – and nobody knows that. This is a true one,” remarked Kotzen.
How Richie Kotzen Almost Joined Nine Inch Nails
Kotzen elaborated on the experience within that chat, revealing that it was Jeordie White who alerted him that the band was potentially looking to add a new musician.
“He said to me, ‘Listen, you’ve got to come down – we’re having a hard time finding a guitar player’. So I went down to Third Encore [a rehearsal studio in North Hollywood] and I spent the day,” recalled the guitarist.
He continued, “Trent [Reznor] told me ‘You’re by far the best guy that we’ve tried, love to have you in the band I’m going to have my manager reach out to you.’ I left that day thinking, ‘Wow, OK, I’m going to join another band!”
Why Richie Kotzen Didn’t Join Nine Inch Nails
Within the discussion, Kotzen revealed that while the time spent with Nine Inch Nails and Trent Reznor’s comments left him hopeful, eventually he never got the call to join the group.
“A week went by. Then another week went by. I ran into Jeordi and said ‘what happened?’ Basically he [Renzor] said he didn’t want to open up Rolling Stone magazine and see ‘Nine Inch Nails gets former Poison guitar player Richie Kotzen.’ He didn’t want the association with a hair metal band in that camp.”
Kotzen had been Poison’s guitarist between 1991 and 1993, taking over for C.C. DeVille. While a member of the group, he was the guitarist on the group’s 1993 effort, Native Tongue.
How Richie Kotzen Feels About the Missed Opportunity
While Kotzen was admittedly disappointed, he says he was understanding of the reasoning behind it.
“Aesthetically when you think about the fan base and how people would read into something, I could see the point,” says Kotzen. “I kind of jokingly said, ‘Hey, I’ll do it under an alias.’ Because I wasn’t doing anything at the time and I think he’s a genius. I would have loved to have worked with him.”
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Kotzen admits that wasn’t the only time that his past band associations negated a musical opportunity, but he says he still holds his time working with his previous bands in high regard.
“I don’t regret having been a part of Poison because I think we made a really great record. So I would much rather have that record live where it’s living than have done any of the other stuff that I could have done,” says Kotzen.
The singer-guitarist also revealed that more so in rock than in some other genres, what you are known for can impact how you’re viewed when it comes to other projects. “It’s not just about the music. A lot of people listen with their eyes,” says Kotzen. “It’s unfortunate in a situation like that, but it is a reality.”
At present, Kotzen can be heard playing with Iron Maiden’s Adrian Smith in their self-titled group. The Smith / Kotzen album, Black Light / White Noise, is currently available.
Richie Kotzen Speaks With Hot Metal Magazine
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Gallery Credit: Sydney Taylor
