Reznor possesses a baritone vocal range. In his first years, Reznor was primarily influenced by punk rock, specifically The Clash. He later said, "I fucked around with some bad music; I was trying to sound like other bands. I thought The Clash were cool so I was trying to be cool, too. Important political statements, no one's going to make fun of me for them. But the journal entries of a horny, sad guy who doesn't fit in ... the words I was writing in my journal to keep myself from going crazy were the real lyrics I needed." Another early influence was synth-pop musician Gary Numan, which is evident as Reznor once said that "after hearing 1979 song "Cars" knew [he wanted to make music with synthesizers". This was exemplified years later on his single "Only" of 2005, whose disco-style beats and synthesizers draw from Numan's persuasion. He mentioned that college radio introduced him to bands such as Bauhaus, Joy Division and Throbbing Gristle, which were very inspirational for him. In a radio interview, Reznor stated the first Nine Inch Nails song he ever wrote, "Down in It", was a "total rip-off" of the 1986 Skinny Puppy song "Dig It".