In 1994, while interning at a local college radio station, I discovered a band that would soon change my life: X-Ray Spex. I had little to no knowledge of punk rock at that time. I was an isolated child trying to channel my anger by vicariously living through Smashing Pumpkins lyrics. I needed something more. I needed someone who I could truly identify with. I found Poly Styrene. A cherubic woman decked in day-glow whose lyrics were comprised of things like “My Mind Is Like A Plastic Bag.” Poly was more to me than just a singer in a band; she was an inspiration. If you go back in punk history, the movement was (and very much still is) run by white, heterosexual men: the type of people who would have had it easy sans the bondage garb. The Sex Pistols never inspired me. I always felt like they were clowns who took themselves too seriously. Poly was something out of the ordinary. She was a plus-size woman of color who was giving a big “fuck you!” to boy’s club. With braces, a killer set of lungs, and a style that was more secretary-on-acid than the omnipresent King’s Road uniform, she paved the way for women in the punk movement , and made life a lot easier for teenage misfits. Much of my generation’s Feminist punk icons (Kathleen Hanna, Beth Ditto, etc.) all cite her as a huge influence.
I was a misfit who discovered X-Ray Spex 15 years after they disbanded. Poly changed my life in many ways, and I’ve grown up to pave my own way and question authority. Here’s to hoping a new generation of outcasts will be inspired by Poly’s irreverent lyrics, style, and charm.
Throw on your brightest, shout to the top of your lungs, and have fun! Poly did.
