Before Stacey Q, before Cyndi Lauper, before Madonna, before Gwen Stefani there was the original recipe manic pixie dream girl, Clare Grogan. It was her work with the band Altered Images where the hyperactive, estrogen-drenched, squeaky-voiced adorableness many singers would later take to the bank first truly burst into the public consciousness.
I was clearly not the target demographic for Nü Metal. I was in my thirties by the time it rolled around, had already cycled through all the genres that fed into it, and had also spent a lot of time listening to the progenitors of the form (namely Faith No More and Nine Inch Nails).
So if I tell you Nü Metal seemed utterly prefabricated — and for the most part, supremely irritating — to me, I hope you’ll understand where that’s coming from. It’s coming from a place of love.
