Monday 29 April 2013

RIP Chrissy Amphlett

Chrissy Amphlett, vocalist of The Divinyls, died last week after battling breast cancer and multiple sclerosis.
The Divinyls were formed in 1980 and scored a worldwide deal with Chrysalis Records in 1981 after their debut single Boys in Town reached No. 8 on the ARIA chart. They went on to record five studio albums between 1982 and 1996, when they split up.

Without a doubt, the band are most known around the world for their 1991 song I Touch Myself, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, No 10. in the UK and No. 1 in Australia. Chrissy and the rest of the band were so much more than just that one hit though.

Chrissy was known for her onstage outfit of a schoolgirl uniform with fishnet stockings. Her image was "controversial", but only in the sense that she was a woman unafraid to express her sexuality or of appearing "ugly".

It was a rarity to see a woman fronting a band (let's face, it's still rare to see in the mainstream charts today) and Chrissie helped break down the male-dominated mold of what a rock band should look like. Through her lyrics, she talked about masturbation and women's sexuality, slut shaming and abusive relationships, subjects that we still don't talk about enough, and she did it without ever holding back.

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