Jerome Dillon Professional musician. Country: USA

1. Early Life and Music Career
2. Joining Nine Inch Nails
3. Health Concerns and Departure
4. Post-NIN and nearLY
5. NearLY and NIN Connections

Early Life and Music Career

Joshua Eustis Dillon emerged as a renowned professional musician, particularly known for his stint as the former drummer for the acclaimed industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. His musical journey began in 1994 when he joined the pop-rock band Howlin' Maggie, contributing to their album "Honeysuckle Strange." Despite the band's initial success, it disbanded in 1998.

Joining Nine Inch Nails

In 1999, while visiting Ohio, Dillon received a call from his manager urging him to audition for Nine Inch Nails. At the time, vocalist Trent Reznor was seeking a replacement for drummer Chris Vrenna, who had allegedly been dismissed due to "rancor and avarice." Dillon's audition was successful, and he became the drummer for Nine Inch Nails' live performances in support of the albums "The Fragile" and "With Teeth." He also participated in the recording of "Things Falling Apart," "And All That Could Have Been," "Still," and "With Teeth."

Health Concerns and Departure

Midway through the "Live: With Teeth" tour, Dillon's performances began to deteriorate noticeably. On September 16, 2005, during a show in San Diego, California, he abruptly halted after the song "Gave Up." Dillon experienced weakness and was taken to a hospital. Subsequent shows were postponed or canceled.

Medical examinations revealed that Dillon suffered from a non-life-threatening heart condition related to thyroid medication. His last performance with Nine Inch Nails was at the Hollywood Bowl on October 1, 2005.

Post-NIN and nearLY

In the aftermath, Dillon stated that upon his recovery and readiness to return, he encountered indifference and a lack of support from Reznor and NIN management. Reznor, in turn, disputed Dillon's account, claiming that it "doesn't ring true."

However, Dillon later softened his stance, indicating that there was no animosity from his end, notably towards the band's keyboardist Aaron North, who had allegedly gotten a tattoo of Dillon's name on his buttocks.

Dillon's side project, nearLY, released an album titled "Reminder" in 2003. Reflecting the Fragile-era NIN sound, Dillon performed the majority of the instrumentation while Nothing Records veteran Claudia Sarn handled vocals.

NearLY and NIN Connections

During a question-and-answer session, Aaron North infamously responded to a query about Dillon's personal life with the possessive exclamation, "Back off bitch, he is mine!" This sparked humor and speculation within NIN's fan base. Notably, North remains the only current band member to have reportedly attended a nearLY performance.