best extracurricular project from the 'downward spiral' era

It's not steampunk.

https://66.media.tumblr.com/66801f0325b1217e93a08c6cf05eda47/tumblr_pw5nosVsTd1yt6k8zo2_500.gifv

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3bZ7ePzWwhs/hqdefault.jpg

definitely Edward Gorey-style goth and not steampunk

I dunno, I have a distinct memory of Trent on a dirigible sporting a goggle-festooned tophat and cranking a brass d&b automaton into phat drum-playing action.

Bowie's "I'm Afraid Of Americans" is glorious in all it's versions. The video is hilarious as well, "Oh no, a coked up Trent Reznor is chasing me!".

That would be a considerably scarier prospect now than it was then.

OL, I think you're conflating goggle-eyed Reznor with the top-hatted black gentleman from the 'Closer' video, which does indeed gesture towards the steampunk aesthetic.

https://format-com-cld-res.cloudinary.com/image/private/s--CrjEpf8P--/c_crop,h_441,w_663,x_0,y_0/c_fill,g_center,h_506,w_760/a_auto,fl_keep_iptc.progressive,q_95/v1/5dac64362a1f2b3a44c5e107bb44bd0d/Trent-Reznor.jpg

I love TPD but it's just as much warm memories of the two months of my late teens that were good

I was very into jungle and d&b at the time and I loved "The Perfect Drug"

(I was also very into Panacea's Low Profile Darkness and Third Eye Foundation's Semtex at this time)

Halo 5 thru 11 were very fun to collect bc they were all $4.99 or $5.99 (aside from Broken and DWS). The marketing of the "halo" designation made them all feel like part of an important collection. However $6 felt like a lot of money at the time, so Halo 11 definitely felt like a huge waste aside from the complete-ist aspect.

i already voted for further down the spiral but antichrist superstar deserves something

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4d/Sen._Orrin_Hatch_holding_a_copy_of_Antichrist_Superstar_beside_Sen._Joseph_Lieberman_at_a_Senate_hearing_on_the_negative_effects_of_violent_media.jpg

Halo 5 thru 11 were very fun to collect bc they were all $4.99 or $5.99 (aside from Broken and DWS). The marketing of the "halo" designation made them all feel like part of an important collection. However $6 felt like a lot of money at the time, so Halo 11 definitely felt like a huge waste aside from the complete-ist aspect.

Knew that was a Fragile one, but had to look it up. We’re in This Together. Love how Disc 3 has The Perfect Drug on it lol.

Halo 12: the VHS halo. Of course I had to have it.

HALO 10. Didn't even have to think about it. No idea how to decide whether the US or UK version is better, though. (But yes I bought all of these at the time and played them over and over. This was probably my NIN/Reznor fandom at its most intense.)

I picked “Further...” aswell, as that’s how I first discovered Aphex Twin.

Further Down the Spiral seemed to be the most ubiquitous NIN album in stores in the late 90s for some reason. Like the one most likely to be found in Walmart. Maybe because it was less PARENTAL ADVISORY than the proper albums.

Iirc - it came out right about the same time Hurt got crazy popular. I have a specific memory of seeing a jock-y looking 12 year old wearing a hurt t-shirt at the mall and feeling a little violated.

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

I was the deciding vote! *fist pumps*

When I caught them a little over a year ago they did an amazing "Perfect Drug" so I guess he figured out how to love the song again.