To me, the first lady of punk has always been the indomitable Wendy O. Williams!
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in·dom·i·ta·ble/inˈdämitəbəl/
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If you call yourself a punk fan, then you best know this lady's face! Plasmatics front woman, Wendy O. Williams, aka "WOW", "The Queen of Punk" and "The Queen of Shock Rock" was one bad-ass bitch that proved she could hang with the boys ~ and kick their asses, if need be...
Onstage, Wendy O. Williams was a force to be reckoned with. Besides sledgehammering TV's, she also enjoyed butchering guitars with a chainsaw and blowing up cars (yes, I said cars) onstage while performing - all while wearing little more than whip cream and a mohawk. All this, combined with her aggressive and fearless vocal style, have cemented Miss Willam's place in history as a feminist pioneer, and one of punk's all-time greatest performers.
Petite, blonde with a gorgeous, tight bod - Miss Williams defied all stereotypes. She turned the late 70's/early 80's punk scene on its ear, calling out even this subversive genre for its male-dominated hypocrisies. Wendy, along with Yale graduate Rod Swenson, formed the Plasmatics in 1977, and remained it's only permanent members until its dissolution in 1983. Her super-sexy, yet tough-as-nails look, combined with her dangerous & shocking onstage antics, created a larger than life persona - which unfortunately somewhat hid the very intelligent, passionate and progressive-thinking woman she truly was.
Wendy didn't just sledgehammer a TV onstage for shock value - it was symbolic of her abhorrence and frustration with greed & consumerism in modern society. She didn't perform almost nude just to say "look at my tits" - but rather to scream "I am woman, hear me roar!" Many do not realize that throughout her life, Wendy was a vegan, animal-rights activist, and natural foods advocate. Throughout her career, Wendy was arrested several times, mostly for "indecency" charges - which further fueled her feminist attitudes regarding double-standards. Though several of her male contemporaries had also been arrested during shows on indecency charges, none suffered this with more frequency than Miss Williams. In the mug shot photo above, the injuries Wendy sustained were from the arresting officers, due to her "resistance."
Sadly, like many other gifted and dynamic performers, Wendy also had a lifelong struggle with depression, which was most likely due to an undiagnosed bipolar disorder. In 1998, Wendy lost her battle with depression, and committed suicide with a self-inflicted gun shot wound. She was 48.
Rest in Peace Wendy O. Williams, an indomitable free spirit and true pioneer!
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