Brody's Appeal
overall rating
76
What is punk today? What is its place in music? Are modern punk bands really punk? While the thinkers tinker with the "angel on a pin" natter, Brody Dalle and The Distillers are busy taking their nurtured angst and churning it into a sonic storm. Let others worry about punk, Brody seems to be saying -- we'll be punk.
Hard, outraged and highly melodic, Brody takes punk back to its heyday, when lyrical content was key and musical skills did matter. For this reason she is famous, having won back all those fans alienated by the gamut of splintered and often talentless bands out there. While they're not as big as NOFX or Rancid, The Distillers are a punk powerhouse that's growing every year.
personality & talent
76
Brody Dalle hates the world, her fans, even her bandmates. And with every ounce of her white-hot fury, her music becomes that much more intense and vivid. But, like most punks, Brody's anger springs from a sincere sensitivity to the world. She's probably not an easy person to get along with, but behind it all is a woman with a peculiar and interesting insight into things.
Brody lacks that extroverted rock star personality, taking a more subdued, almost businesslike approach to music. The contrast between her subtle stage persona and the gripping shock of her music is a bit unsettling, even out of place. A little more performance anger would surely get the mosh pit even sloppier and her delighted fans more ecstatic with rage.
sexiness
73
Brody is far from the music industry ideal of the perfectly coiffed, meticulously made-up waif. Her look could best be described as "gothic hooker," one that appeals to a narrow segment of society -- those who turn their backs on the mainstream, the popular and the conventional.
Brody's sex appeal comes from her raw disregard for the social contract; she is the ultimate bad girl. Though for most men the exaggerated makeup and junkie air is hardly a turn-on, there's something about her dungeon-porn crudeness that might awaken a dark kink in a few.
accomplishments & fame
75
Brody Dalle screamed and thrashed her way to become a top icon in a genre already saturated with bands. Blending primal, gut-busting hate with skillful guitar riffs, she has led The Distillers to stand out in a sea of near-identical faces.
Brody started playing guitar at 13, shortly after discovering that its characteristic angry tone was the perfect channel for her frustrations. Her rage was genuine, and those who heard the songs of her first band, Sourpuss, were rightly wowed.
Brody's next band, The Distillers, started off well in their L.A. birthplace, quickly scoring album deals when other bands couldn't even book a show at a basement dump. Brody's inspiration spawned three albums; with each release, the band showed how much they had grown and learned through tours and experience. After touring just about every continent, the band was well-established as a punk leader, and Brody was recognized as the Rock 'N' Roll Woman of the Year at the 2004 NME Awards.
natural beauty
84
The rare glimpses we get of Brody without the layers of face ink and gel reveal an attractive woman with distinct features like gray eyes, full lips and a delicately sloping nose that ends in a button tip. But even though she is classically attractive, highlighting that would go against the "punk idea" of eschewing popular tastes.
personal style
72
Brody's style is a rehash of the freakish girl-punk guise that, for a genre that espouses non-conformity, has become the norm. You'll see her sporting studded leather with high boots, spike bracelets and the occasional wife beater that looks like it was jammed through a meat grinder, a carefree gut hanging loose.
Brody overdoes the red lipstick (à la Courtney Love), smears eye shadow on her eyes in a silver-dollar radius and messes up her hair to its physical extent. By trying to look as ugly as possible, she stays true to her "hate" aesthetic.
Out of sheer curiosity, to see Brody dressed in Chanel with professional makeup on.