There were punk rock acts, like The Clash; there were shock rock acts, like Alice Cooper, and then there was the Plasmatics. The band, led by frontwoman Wendy O. Williams, could have been described as either, but were actually something else entirely — purveyors of loud, destructive, gender-bending musical theater that were just as likely to drag chainsaws and sledgehammers onstage as they were drums and guitars. 

Williams' stage presence was always provocative, often belligerent, and at times partially nude; throughout the band's '80s run, she was slapped with multiple obscenity charges, and the band was known to destroy not only their instruments but also television sets, consumer electronics, and even Cadillacs. The Plasmatics fielded several LPs with titles like "New Hope for the Wretched" and "Beyond the Valley of 1984," but their gonzo live shows were the band's focus — and they were so completely, consistently off the rails that on the one hand, they were banned from performing in Britain, and on the other, they sold out New York's legendary Palladium without a major record contract, something no other band had ever done. 

In the late '80s, Williams continued with a solo project produced by Gene Simmons of KISS, one final Plasmatics record entitled "Maggots: The Record," and even a rap-themed album, before retiring in 1988. A decade later, at the home she shared with former manager and partner Rod Swenson, she died by suicide; Swenson indicated that she had long had difficulty adjusting to life outside of music, and that she had planned her death for some time (via Rolling Stone). Williams was 48 years old.

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