Brijitte West

The 11th of 12 children, Brijette West was a shy, forgotten child until she discovered the liberating sound and lifestyle of punk rock. Not long after picking up her first guitar, West was out in the streets and clubs of Gotham, making a name for herself and her band, NY Loose. After studying the explosive aesthetics of heroes like MC5 and the Stooges as a kid, West transmogrified so much male rustbelt frustration and aggression into a sultry garage pop grind that combined sex, death, and urban nihilism into one big trashy swagger that left her fans hot and bothered. Perhaps one of the sexiest female performers in all of '90s rock, West could out-strut and out-scream any host of waif kittens with her perfect face and haggard soul. Forming NY Loose with Washington D.C.'s Danny Nordahl (a former Ramones roadie, punk scenester, and boyfriend of White Zombie's Sean Ysault) the pair assaulted the lower East Side starting in 1994. Several shows and 7" singles later, word of West's sexy persona and musical directness spread far and wide and in 1995, NY Loose headed off to the U.K. where a considerable underground following was developing for the band. The British tour of duty was a smashing success and upon returning home (and making some minor lineup changes), NY Loose were off to the studio to record their debut EP, Loosen Up, on Flipside Records. The debut did nothing to curtail the growing ranks of critics and fans in love with West and her fevered music. Disney's Hollywood Records noticed the buzz that was building around the band and began a fevered courtship of West and her bandmates. The group signed with Hollywood and released Year of the Rat in 1996. Unfortunately, the underground promise of West and NY Loose didn't translate into mainstream stardom. Despite some big-budget video and tour support, Hollywood couldn't shape West into a viable mainstream commercial product and the group faltered, eventually disintegrating. Shortly thereafter, West joined up with Ysault in her joke-band Famous Monsters. Campy and camouflaged in absurd costumes that looked as if they were picked from a small-time Vegas Batman review, West ended up hiding her best asset, an insanely beautiful face, behind a silly mask while her new band hacked their way through bad instrumental surf-punk. After a couple forgettable Famous Monsters releases (1998's In the Night!!! and 1999's Around the World in 80 Bikinis), the band and West seemed to be drifting into obscurity.