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rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/smash-the-control-machine/Content
Roman Divezur
If you understand the line, "Posers get lost," then no further explanation is necessary. Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, the band of changing musicians created around the singer by radical anti-artist Rod Swenson, decided that merely singing against the status quo wasn't good enough. They backed up the music with deeds: demolishing cars, smashing TV sets, chain sawing guitars, and stepping over the edge at any given chance. Other acts may have attempted to come close, but Williams, during her evolving career as "Queen of Punk," "Queen of Shock Rock," and "High Priestess of Metal," pushed it harder than anyone. She proved to be one of the most authentic performers in rock history.
The Plasmatics exploded out of the New York City scene, and by 1979 it was one of the biggest drawing bands at CBGB. After numerous EPs, the debut album, "New Hope for the Wretched" was released in 1980 – Williams followed it up with several studio releases during the 80's as part of the Plasmatics and as a solo act. But while the records were classics, the live performances were revolutionary. The controlled chaos of a Wendy O. Williams show distanced itself from the rest and not unexpectedly incurred the wrath of the mainstream establishment.
It was pushback from the mainstream along with not wanting to compromise her beliefs about art that caused Williams to retire from music in 1988. She moved to Connecticut with Swenson, her long-time companion, and became a state-licensed animal rehabilitator. Williams' death in 1998 caused shock waves and sadness among her friends and fans. It is undeniable that Williams challenged the establishment in ways that have not been seen before or since. And the influence can still be felt today.
Wendy O. Williams will be inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame on Sunday, April 24, with a tribute performance led by Plasmatics guitarist Wes Beech and Cheri Currie, former lead singer of The Runaways.
Beech and Plasmatics drummer TC Tolliver will also do an in-store record signing on Saturday, April 23, at the Record Archive, from noon to 1 p.m. For more info, go to recordarchive.com.
City reached out to Beech at his home near Detroit, and talked with Rod Swenson, who is currently in Arizona. Swenson is a CESPA Fellow at the University of Connecticut. Both agreed to rare and candid interviews, and the extensive conversation with Swenson was spread over two sessions. An edited transcript of those interviews follows.
City: What was the best thing about being a member of the Plasmatics?
Wes Beech: Probably the camaraderie of being in the band, and the group dynamics. We were trailblazers. I don't think there was anybody with a strong female voice like Wendy fronting a band at that time. We went against the grain of everything that was out there. She was out to shake up the status quo and we were right there with her.
When the band started to destroy cars onstage, what were you thinking at the time?
The first time we did it nobody had done anything like that before, and we really didn't know what was going to happen. That was at the Palladium in New York. I was a little apprehensive, but I wasn't really worried. We had rehearsed some of the explosions, and even though it looked like it was out of control, it was more or less controlled.
That explosion was so loud, I couldn't hear the rest of the band for a couple of seconds. I was playing along and hoping that once my hearing came back we would still be together. We did one show at the University of Florida, and I got too close to the car as it was ready to explode and Wendy had to grab me and pull me away from the car right as it exploded.
How many cars did the Plasmatics demolish?
Quite a few. There was one tour were we blew up a car at every show. We played in a place in Detroit called the Masonic Temple Theatre, and that was the last rock show they had for a while. With the car explosion and the crowd going into frenzy, they didn't have rock shows for many years. When we went to England, we were going to blow up a car at the Hammersmith Odeon. The Greater London Council was trying to clamp down on punk rock bands, and they told us that we couldn't blow up the car. They canceled the show at the last minute, and it was a sold out show. We blew up cars all across the country and never had any problems.