Biography
In the New York punk milieu of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when audience provocation ranked as a common tactic, the Plasmatics distinguished themselves through an unmatched flair for generating scandal. Their performances at peak popularity might feature lead vocalist Wendy O. Williams coated in shaving cream and electrical tape while wielding a chain saw, alongside blue-haired Richie Stotts assaulting his guitar while dressed in drag, or encompass the smashing of televisions, electric guitars, automobiles, and assorted household items. Although numerous contemporary punk acts sought to stir debate, the Plasmatics extended this approach further by facing bans in multiple major cities, notably London, and by seeing Williams prosecuted for obscenity in a high-profile 1981 Milwaukee trial; at the same time, their frenetic live presentations, repeated TV spots, and forward-looking blend of punk speed with heavy metal guitar force helped introduce the genre to broader American audiences.
The Plasmatics originated in 1977 when Williams and Rod Swenson, a self-described “anti-artist,” connected after she responded to a casting notice for Captain Kink, an experimental adult theater Swenson operated in Times Square. Captivated by the city’s emerging punk movement and impressed by Wendy’s bold stage demeanor, Swenson recruited a group around Williams that included lead guitarist Stotts, rhythm guitarist Wes Beech, bassist Chosei Funahara, and drummer Stu Deutsch. The band first performed live at CBGB in 1978, after which their intensely destructive shows rapidly turned them into a local sensation. By 1979 they were topping bills along the East Coast and filled the New York Palladium, becoming the first act to achieve that without major-label support. They also became the first group to detonate a car on that venue’s stage. In 1980 the band signed with the storied British imprint Stiff Records, which issued their debut album, New Hope for the Wretched, produced by Swenson, Ed Stasium, and Jimmy Miller; Jean Beauvior had by then replaced Funahara on bass. Shortly afterward the Plasmatics traveled to London for their British debut only to learn that authorities had canceled the concert; their follow-up North American tour, however, met warmer receptions and included multiple sold-out engagements.
In January 1981 Williams was taken into custody after a Milwaukee performance on obscenity charges, with police alleging she had committed a lewd act onstage using a sledgehammer; she was also badly injured by officers who asserted she had assaulted them. Days later she faced another obscenity arrest in Cleveland. Although eventually cleared of every charge in both cities, the resulting media coverage only heightened the group’s already notorious visibility. Later that year the Plasmatics cut their second album, Beyond the Valley of 1984, which introduced former Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith after Deutsch’s departure. The band maintained a heavy touring schedule and appeared on several popular television programs, among them Fridays, SCTV, and Tomorrow. Toward the end of 1981 they issued the EP Metal Priestess, which foregrounded the heavy-metal leanings previously present in their sound; this shift drew interest from Capitol Records A&R executives, who offered the band a major-label contract. Coup d’Etat was tracked in Germany under producer Dieter Dirks and featured yet another revised lineup—Williams, Stotts, Beech, bassist Chris Romanelli, and drummer T.C. Tolliver. Capitol’s marketing efforts proved minimal, however, prompting Williams and Swenson to shift their next undertaking to a Wendy O. Williams solo project. The 1984 release WOW paired Beech and Tolliver with musicians assembled by producer Gene Simmons, several of whom were also members of Kiss. Williams’s second solo outing, 1986’s Kommander of Kaos, continued in a metal direction; Stotts had departed, replaced on guitar by Michael Ray and on bass by Greg Smith. The Plasmatics moniker returned for one last album in 1987—Maggots: The Record, a conceptual work addressing environmental damage and runaway consumerism—that utilized much of the Kommander of Kaos personnel plus additional session players and backing vocalists. After touring in support of Maggots, Swenson and Williams disbanded the group; following a hip-hop-oriented album issued in 1988 as Ultrafly and the Hometown Girls titled Deffest! and Baddest!, Williams withdrew from music. She and Swenson stayed together until her suicide on April 6, 1998.
The Plasmatics originated in 1977 when Williams and Rod Swenson, a self-described “anti-artist,” connected after she responded to a casting notice for Captain Kink, an experimental adult theater Swenson operated in Times Square. Captivated by the city’s emerging punk movement and impressed by Wendy’s bold stage demeanor, Swenson recruited a group around Williams that included lead guitarist Stotts, rhythm guitarist Wes Beech, bassist Chosei Funahara, and drummer Stu Deutsch. The band first performed live at CBGB in 1978, after which their intensely destructive shows rapidly turned them into a local sensation. By 1979 they were topping bills along the East Coast and filled the New York Palladium, becoming the first act to achieve that without major-label support. They also became the first group to detonate a car on that venue’s stage. In 1980 the band signed with the storied British imprint Stiff Records, which issued their debut album, New Hope for the Wretched, produced by Swenson, Ed Stasium, and Jimmy Miller; Jean Beauvior had by then replaced Funahara on bass. Shortly afterward the Plasmatics traveled to London for their British debut only to learn that authorities had canceled the concert; their follow-up North American tour, however, met warmer receptions and included multiple sold-out engagements.
In January 1981 Williams was taken into custody after a Milwaukee performance on obscenity charges, with police alleging she had committed a lewd act onstage using a sledgehammer; she was also badly injured by officers who asserted she had assaulted them. Days later she faced another obscenity arrest in Cleveland. Although eventually cleared of every charge in both cities, the resulting media coverage only heightened the group’s already notorious visibility. Later that year the Plasmatics cut their second album, Beyond the Valley of 1984, which introduced former Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith after Deutsch’s departure. The band maintained a heavy touring schedule and appeared on several popular television programs, among them Fridays, SCTV, and Tomorrow. Toward the end of 1981 they issued the EP Metal Priestess, which foregrounded the heavy-metal leanings previously present in their sound; this shift drew interest from Capitol Records A&R executives, who offered the band a major-label contract. Coup d’Etat was tracked in Germany under producer Dieter Dirks and featured yet another revised lineup—Williams, Stotts, Beech, bassist Chris Romanelli, and drummer T.C. Tolliver. Capitol’s marketing efforts proved minimal, however, prompting Williams and Swenson to shift their next undertaking to a Wendy O. Williams solo project. The 1984 release WOW paired Beech and Tolliver with musicians assembled by producer Gene Simmons, several of whom were also members of Kiss. Williams’s second solo outing, 1986’s Kommander of Kaos, continued in a metal direction; Stotts had departed, replaced on guitar by Michael Ray and on bass by Greg Smith. The Plasmatics moniker returned for one last album in 1987—Maggots: The Record, a conceptual work addressing environmental damage and runaway consumerism—that utilized much of the Kommander of Kaos personnel plus additional session players and backing vocalists. After touring in support of Maggots, Swenson and Williams disbanded the group; following a hip-hop-oriented album issued in 1988 as Ultrafly and the Hometown Girls titled Deffest! and Baddest!, Williams withdrew from music. She and Swenson stayed together until her suicide on April 6, 1998.
Albums
