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by Freak Face February 11, 2005
Get the Fishhead mug.Although their "fame" lasted for a full 15 minutes, few bands entered rock & roll with such a crazy reputation as the Plasmatics did. Started by Rod Swenson, a porn film producer who wanted to be the next Malcolm McLaren, the Plasmatics were fronted by sex film "star" Wendy O. Williams, a muscular, raspy-voiced "singer" who generally wore next to nothing onstage. (Her most radical bit of fashion accessorizing consisted of covering her nipples with black electrical tape.) Almost as captivating was guitarist Richie Stotts, a tall, gangly geek who fancied garters and stockings and a blue mohawk; he also liked to smash his guitar against his head until he drew blood.
Playing the New York punk circuit, the Plasmatics became notorious for their extreme stage shows, which, early on, started with Williams firing blanks from a sawed-off shotgun and taking a chainsaw to a human dummy filled with stage blood, sending a spray of fake gore throughout the club and anticipating the fake carnage of GWAR by nearly a decade. The music, however, was another story: mostly sub-literate punk rock loaded with lots of quasi-sci-fi totalitarianism and consumer nightmares of unknown proportions that on record didn't work without the stage pyrotechnics, something Swenson and the Plasmatics understood completely as the stage shows quickly became more elaborate: cars were blown up, guitars were sawed in half (oddly, the dummy disappeared), equipment was set on fire -- it was a Beavis and Butt-Head wet dream come to life, although none of this translated into good record sales.
While Williams became something of a demi-celebrity in punk circles, especially after she was busted (and brutalized by police) in Milwaukee for "public indecency," the Plasmatics were all show and no substance. Jean Beauvoir, apparently on a quest for legitimacy, quit the band, and the focus became Wendy O. rather than the bunch of unknowns backing her up. After 1982's Coup D'Etat, Williams went solo, worked with Lemmy from Motorhead, and roped in Kiss's Gene Simmons to produce her album W.O.W. She made another solo LP, 1986's Kommander of Kaos, and that same year appeared in the movie Reform School Girls; after a 1989 Plasmatics reunion outing, Maggots: The Record, she made a few more acting appearances before essentially dropping from sight altogether during the early 1990s. On April 8, 1998, it was announced that Williams had committed suicide; she was 48.
Playing the New York punk circuit, the Plasmatics became notorious for their extreme stage shows, which, early on, started with Williams firing blanks from a sawed-off shotgun and taking a chainsaw to a human dummy filled with stage blood, sending a spray of fake gore throughout the club and anticipating the fake carnage of GWAR by nearly a decade. The music, however, was another story: mostly sub-literate punk rock loaded with lots of quasi-sci-fi totalitarianism and consumer nightmares of unknown proportions that on record didn't work without the stage pyrotechnics, something Swenson and the Plasmatics understood completely as the stage shows quickly became more elaborate: cars were blown up, guitars were sawed in half (oddly, the dummy disappeared), equipment was set on fire -- it was a Beavis and Butt-Head wet dream come to life, although none of this translated into good record sales.
While Williams became something of a demi-celebrity in punk circles, especially after she was busted (and brutalized by police) in Milwaukee for "public indecency," the Plasmatics were all show and no substance. Jean Beauvoir, apparently on a quest for legitimacy, quit the band, and the focus became Wendy O. rather than the bunch of unknowns backing her up. After 1982's Coup D'Etat, Williams went solo, worked with Lemmy from Motorhead, and roped in Kiss's Gene Simmons to produce her album W.O.W. She made another solo LP, 1986's Kommander of Kaos, and that same year appeared in the movie Reform School Girls; after a 1989 Plasmatics reunion outing, Maggots: The Record, she made a few more acting appearances before essentially dropping from sight altogether during the early 1990s. On April 8, 1998, it was announced that Williams had committed suicide; she was 48.
A great band that wasn't understood by the public. They were so punk that it was impossible to describe them as that.
by Freak Face May 9, 2005
Get the The Plasmatics mug.The New York Dolls were punk rock before there was a term for it. Building on the Rolling Stones' dirty rock & roll, Mick Jagger's androgyny, girl group pop, the glam rock of David Bowie and T. Rex, and the Stooges' anarchic noise, the New York Dolls created a new form of hard rock that presaged both punk rock and heavy metal. Their drug-fueled, shambolic performances influenced a generation of musicians in New York and London, who all went on to form punk bands. And although they self-destructed quickly, the band's two albums remained two of the most popular cult records in rock & roll history.
All of the members of the New York Dolls played in New York bands before they formed in late 1971. Guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets, bassist Arthur Kane, and drummer Billy Murcia were joined by vocalist David Johansen. Early in 1972, Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain and the group began playing regularly in lower Manhattan, particularly at the Mercers Art Center. Within a few months, they had earned a dedicated cult following, but record companies were afraid of signing the band because of their cross-dressing and blatant vulgarity.
All of the members of the New York Dolls played in New York bands before they formed in late 1971. Guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets, bassist Arthur Kane, and drummer Billy Murcia were joined by vocalist David Johansen. Early in 1972, Rivets was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain and the group began playing regularly in lower Manhattan, particularly at the Mercers Art Center. Within a few months, they had earned a dedicated cult following, but record companies were afraid of signing the band because of their cross-dressing and blatant vulgarity.
by Freak Face May 14, 2005
Get the New York Dolls mug.A style of rock started in the 70's. It was music played by men who wore wigs, makeup, high heels. It was started by The New York Dolls.
by Freak Face February 10, 2005
Get the Glam Rock mug.A genre of music that is believed to have been started by The Grateful Dead. It is what older people call heavy metal.
by Freak Face February 10, 2005
Get the Acid Rock mug.A type of rock and roll that came from Britain. British Invasion bands were The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Who, The The,and Freddie and The Dreamers.
by freak face January 27, 2005
Get the British Invasion mug.Horrid music that is similar to heavy metal. Led Zeppelin was considered the fathers of hard rock. Fans of hard rock were like punx but they were more violent and they had no purpose.
by Freak Face February 10, 2005
Get the Hard Rock mug.