Lydia Lunch on chaos, Alan Vega, and no funerals

Lydia Lunch, the frontwoman of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, shared vivid anecdotes and opinions in a recent interview. She recounted an incident where she struck a drunken audience member with a blackjack after he made a rude remark, showcasing her preparedness for stage disruptions. Lunch expressed profound admiration for the band Suicide, particularly Alan Vega's performance style, citing their "musical schizophrenia" and "thousand-yard stare" as impactful influences she witnessed upon arriving in New York at 16.

Discussing her connection to Australian rock figures, she spoke fondly of Rowland S. Howard and Tex Perkins, whom she collaborated with and admired. However, Lunch rejected the notion of "missing" deceased musicians, preferring to "celebrate what there was" and viewing grief as a "western form of selfish greed." This perspective extends to her views on posthumously naming places after artists, seeing it as a better alternative than having a hamburger named in their honor.

Lunch also voiced strong opinions against pop culture, calling it an "existential vacuum." She dismissed the internet's demand for personal disclosures as a "sacred sacrament" and offered no comment on Nick Cave's "agony uncle" persona. Looking ahead, Lunch expressed a definitive stance against funerals, stating her body will never be found and that she intends to "evaporate" into the ether when her time comes, rejecting a quiet death.