Combining solid research into NIN's roots with compelling, emotional oral histories from fans, a fascinating account of a huge subculture.

Trent Reznor rode into music mythology on "Pretty Hate Machine", powered by Futurist industrial pistons and covered in ice-spiked synth hooks shined by new wave robots. Then there was his voice. Whispered verses and screamed hooks before Kurt Cobain patented the formula suggested things teens weren't supposed to be thinking, but were. Reznor's brooding prince in PVC persona became the goth archetype that still pervades America over a decade on. Daphne Carr interviews dozens of NIN fans and gets to the heart of Reznor's very personal appeal.

"Carr's take on Pretty Hate Machine as an accessible piece of art is fortified by her ability to include everyone — fans, critics, NIN virgins — into her dialogue. Here, PHM is transformed from an album for outcasts into a work that applies more generally to mass culture." - Tiny Mix Tapes