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COLD MACHINE is an unflinching meditation on life in contemporary porn-after the novelty of sex on camera has faded and what was once a fantasy has become nothing more than a day job. Male performer Logan Pierce is disillusioned by a growing sense of animosity towards the industry. He must decide if his existence as an object of desire (complete with fast cash and the promise of internet fame) is worth the physical and emotional toll it is taking on him. Structured over the course of a year, COLD MACHINE chronicles the reality of being a porn star living paycheck to paycheck, the emptiness of commodified sex, the persistence of STDs, webcam shows gone awry, erectile dysfunction, suicidal ideation, coping with one's own mortality, and the squandering of promising young talent.
"A rising male porn star relays a soul-searching account in the world's most provocative industry, COLD MACHINE serves deep cuts with frank, eye-opening honesty that porn enthusiasts on either side of the screen will appreciate. Set against key moments in adult entertainment history -- sexual health moratoriums, producer-performer power dynamics, award show hype, adult film star suicide, and the industry's interstate migration from Los Angeles to Las Vegas -- COLD MACHINE is the latest outstanding addition to the 'porn memoir' canon, joining the ranks of Tyler Knight's Burn My Shadow, Christopher Zeischegg's Body to Job, Oriana Small's Girlvert, Asa Akira's Insatiable, and of course, J. R. Verlin's previous debut, Between the Sheets."
~ Jiz Lee, adult film performer and editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star
"Maintains a steady, consistent vibe of dread throughout."
~ Carey O'Donnell, Writer, Co-host, "Sexy Unique Podcast"
"The porn industry isn't a world full of predators and victims, nor is it some radical, sex-positive corner of paradise. For most, it's simply a job people do for money, which brings with it all the same triumphs and tragedies of any other kind of job. With COLD MACHINE, J.R. Verlin impressively captures this truth."
~ Lina Misitziz, radio reporter and producer
"Verlin's COLD MACHINE sears through his porn career's center, detailing all the sex and filthy sets and STDs. At the burnt edge of every chapter are reflections on a life that seems too far gone into devolving fantasy. Extremely readable. A teetering between resignation and fading hope."
~ Chris Zeischegg, Author, "Body to Job," "The Magician"
