Thank for writing this book, and a big thank you for including me! Look for more interviews coming soon, and I'll be back in the studio after the baby gets here!
I just want to say this:
I too have my own opinions on the difference between a chick who is a heavy metal singer vs a chick who sings for a heavy metal band. There IS a difference.
Furthermore, the corset/runny makeup look is played out, no question. However, it serves a purpose. If your music is all about the drama and sorrow of being delicate and graceful and romantic or tragic or something like that, it's kinda the look you want. No one is going to believe a chick in a bullet belt, loincloth and leather boots wielding a sword while singing a piano ballad about the sorrows of the trees, or whatever.
You can't knock a band for exploiting their sex appeal to sell records or gain fans; just because the person fronting the band is a woman doesn't mean that they're doing something wrong by selling their sexuality. Come on, guys do it too. I bought posters of bands that I couldn't have cared less about as a teen because the singer or the guitarist was HOT.
There are a number of people who I have personally met who don't know a single EPICA song, but they will tell you all day long about how amazing Simone Simons is. So, there ya go.
Guys wear smeared eyeliner and tight clothing to get metalheads with boobs to buy their records and hang out with them after the show; but no one complains about that (I know I don't...ehhhhehehehehe).
You can't compare a chick in a corset to a beer ad; I don't think it's the same kind of sexuality being marketed. There is a huge cross-section of metal dudes who like the idea of brandishing weapons and lighting fires and slaying dragons, so why wouldn't they be turned on by a mopey, sweetly sorrowful chick with a cincher and sleeves that drag on the ground? It all goes back to that medieval appeal.
Likewise, you won't see Maid Marion undulating provocatively on a pole in a rock video, nor will you see a chick in Reeboks and an Iron Maiden tee shirt on anyone's calendar.
I personally deck myself out from head to toe when I perform or when I'm in that setting; I like leather, latex, high heel boots, corsets, badass belts, and tops that make my boobs look amazing. I'll still kick your ass. Nothing wrong with being a sexy metalhead.
Point A: Chick singer in a metal band does not equal chick metal singer. Doesn't mean your band isn't a metal band. Just means your singer isn't a metal singer.
Point B: Your music defines your look defines your music. Nothing wrong with that. Played out? Maybe. So what.
Point C: Chicks using their hotness to their advantage in order to gain fans or sell records is perfectly acceptable.
