10 Most Outrageous Lead Singers In Punk Rock Music
2. Wendy O. Williams
Historically punk rock has been the genre that defies convention, subverts expectation and gives the middle finger to the status quo. Lead singer of the Plasmatics, Wendy O. Williams, ticked all those boxes, and then some.
She had a typical runaway story, leaving home at 16 to traveled the United States and Europe, while working a string of odd jobs that included: a lifeguard, a chef and a dancer. By the time punk landed in 1976, Williams was living in New York, performing in experimental theatre and live sex shows.
In 1977 she formed the punk group the Plasmatics, and soon made a name for herself as one of the wildest performers in the business. Although their music wasn't much to write home about, the Plasmatics become known for their theatrical and provocative live shows, which saw Williams cutting instruments in half with a chainsaw, simulating sex acts on stage and dressing in little to no clothing - sometimes only covering her self with shaving foam.
Her antic drew attention across the board, and she was arrested several times for public indecency - one such arrest was as a result of pretending to jerk-off a sledgehammer on stage...