JEROME DILLON Drummer. Spent four years in alternative rockers Howlin' Maggie before moving to LA to work with soundtrack composers. Looks like actor Crispin Glover's less eccentric younger brother. How did you come to join NIN? "I went down to New Orleans in March to audition and I've been with the guys ever since. Doing movie soundtrack stuff helped when it came to working with Trent, because a lot of what he does is actually very cinematic." What were your fist impressions of Trent? "I didn't have any preconceived notions of what he was going to be like. But it was surprising that he was as approachable as he is - a regular-guy type. Very, very funny. He had me laughing within the first 10 minutes of meeting him. He's very gregarious. And I felt very comfortable working with him musically.       "I was most impressed by how quickly he works in the studio. He's extremely prolific and he works at a blisteringly fast pace. The record is definately art, and a certain amount of pain goes into creating any form of art. I think for Trent it was an ecercise in seeing how far he could push himself. That's pretty inspiring." NIN drummers suffer at least one painful injury onstage per tour. Any worries? "The last drummer (Chris Vrenna) got craned upside the head with a mike-stand in San Francisco. So I was planning on showing up in a football helmet. But my drum tech is taking good care of me so far - there's been a couple of projectiles that he's batted out of the way. And I tend not to take my eyes off Trent very often.       "People may get the wrong impression that it's totally for show and calculated. The bottom line is: Trent expects the musicians he plays with to convey emotion behind the song more than he expects them to play the notes perfectly. Everybody in this band makes a commitment to do that, and sometimes you literally have to throw yourself into it."

ROBIN FINCK Guitarist. Met Trent Reznor in 1993 and joined Nine Inch Nails for the lengthy "Mr Self Destruct" tour. Left to become musical director of touring circus Cirque Du Soleil and then spent two years working with Guns N' Roses on their "The Chinese Democracy" album. Rejoined NIN in the summer. Offstage attire consists of a bandanna, tracksuit trousers with elasticated bottoms, and dogs. How does it feel to be back in the band? "The first day, when we started going back through some of those older songs - 'Terrible Lie', 'Wish' - we broke quite a sweat and it felt f**king great. Better than any of us felt it would. And then getting to know the new material has been inspiring and challenging. So far, so good." What did you think when you heard 'The Fragile' for the first time? "I expected to be floored and I was. Mostly with the hint of optimism in some of the tracks. I feared that Trent was never going to get to that place, so when I heard songs like 'The Fragile' that were a little bit more hopeful, it felt really good. And, of course, sonically and intelligently, technically and dynamically, there's nothing like it around.       "I'd made the decision to come back before I'd heard the record, which is something I did intentionally. I'd been in contact loosely with mostly Danny through the past couple of years, so I knew what stage they were at and that they'd never replaced me - they'd never needed to for a live situation.       "It was a difficult decision to make because I was so wrapped up in what I was doing at the time and I was proud of the work I'd done. But when it came down to it, I couldn't imagine NIN going out without me or with somebody else. I'm in a good place right now." It's taken you four shows to injure yourself... "Unfortunately, Trent and I were dancing, he dipped me and we both fell down. I got six stitches above my left eye. Usually, it's bruises and stuff that goes away.       "It was really quite alarming - only the second song into that set and I was pretty much maimed for the rest of the show. It was a long hour-and-a-half. But that kind of comes with what we're doing. Anything goes." How bad did things get at the end of the last tour? "It was difficult for me. The Manson crew and the Jim Rose Circus were with us for most of a year and it got pretty stupid. Then coming off the road and landing in New Orleans - that's a tough place to try and re-collect yourself, because it's a city built on night-life and alcohol. I had to do something that was the complete polar opposite to Nine Inch Nails. So I joined the circus! Then Axl Rose called me up.       "But I had to rein back from the way things were at the end of the last tour, because after a while you get pretty warped. I couldn't do 'Mr Self Destruct' again, so this has to be different."

DANNY LOHNER Guitarist/bassist/keyboardist. Has been in NIN for six years. Like Clouser, he worked on 'The Fragile' for two years and also played with Rob Zombie. Looks like Ryan Giggs going to a fancy dress party as a New York gangster. Talks very quickly. Describe Trent Reznor. "Really cool, mellow and calm. Not at all like a rock star. When he's working, he's really hard on himself. Before, he used to not ever want to work - it was always a pain in the ass. These days he can just churn it out." Tell us one thing about 'The Fragile' sessions. "We used to joke about what the tour shirts would say. To start with it was '1998/99'. Everybody really laughed when '1999/2000' was suggested. I didn't know when it was going to be over. But there's a lot of material for the next record already recorded - there's at least 30 songs." What's the best thing about being in NIN? "Trent's vision is a lot more exiting than most of the other stuff out there. Obviously, we're part of something really good. Even if it doesn't sell the same as some other heavy metal bands or something, who cares? I'm a big fan of Pink Floyd's "The Wall" and that whole era, and NIN continually touch on that.       "It's trying on your patience and spirit at times to be involved with someone as talented as Trent is because it's hard to bring something to the table that's good enough too be used. But it's a great opportunity." What's next? "I've got tons of material that I submitted for 'The Fragile' that I could use elsewhere. Me and Charlie both worked with Rob Zombie, and I'm sure we'd do that again if he asked us. And if you know anybody, give them my number."

CHARLIE CLOUSER Keyboardist/theramin weilder. Joined NIN for 1994's 'Mr Self Destruct' tour and spent two years working on 'The Fragile'. Has also played on Rob Zombie's 'Hellbilly Delux' album and remixed tracks for NIN, Zombie and Deftones. Looks like Ginger after several decent meals. Where did you first meet Trent? "I was in LA doing a lot of drum and synth programming on Marilyn Manson's first record, which brought me into his world. Right from the beginning I was extremely impressed by the amount of care that the guy puts into stuff. He's never one to rubber-stamp something and say it's good enough. I know that contributes to the slowness of our operation, but it's good in the long run because the fans know that they're getting something that's been sweated over." Did you ever think 'The Fragile' would never get finished? "I thought we could see an end in sight when we had enough material to fill one disc. But Trent's quality control being what it is resulted in additional months fleshing it out to two discs. It didn't start to seem like a long time until the very last few months." How different is this tour to the last one? "We're all a bit older and a little calmer, at least in terms of before- and after-show activities. This may change as the months go on, because I think the way we were behaving at the end of the last tour was a result of it being so long. Hopefully, we won't get bored out of our skulls and go quite so crazy and indulge in so much hazardous behaviour.       "But onstage we're starting off with as much carnage as we had at the height of the last tour - in terms of smashed equipment, band members flying into the audience and that kind of hockey game violence. I'm very glad to see that it's every bit as violent and choatic."