Formed in 1979 in New York City, USA, the Plasmatics were a theatrical hardcore band that incorporated into its performances such violent acts as blowing up Cadillacs and chainsawing guitars in half. Assembled by and masterminded by former pornography entrepreneur Rod Swenson, the original personnel of the group included vocalist Wendy O. Williams (b. 1949, d. 6 April 1998, Starrs, Connecticut, USA) a former star of sex shows, who wore see-through lingerie, but for the most part, appeared topless with strategically placed masking tape. The remainder of the band comprised Richie Stotts (guitar), who wore a blue mohawk haircut and a pink tutu on stage, Wes Beech (guitar), Stu Deutsch (drums) and Chosei Funahara (bass, later replaced by Jean Beauvoir). After releasing two EPs on the independent Vice Squad label in 1979, the Plasmatics signed with Stiff Records in the USA and the UK, releasing New Hope For The Wretched in 1980. It was largely panned by the critics but sold as a cult item due to the group's extensive press coverage, as did such singles as "Butcher Baby" and "Monkey Suit'. A second album, Beyond The Valley Of 1984, was issued on Stiff in 1981, as was an EP, Metal Princess. In 1982 the Plasmatics signed to Capitol Records and released Coup D'État, but by then they had evolved into an outright heavy metal outfit and had lost most of their novelty appeal. Williams and Beauvoir went on to record solo albums following the Plasmatics" mid-80s break-up. In April 1998 Williams was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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