![]() The first song of theirs I remember hearing is “I’m Only Happy When It Rains,” the second single from their debut, self-titled record. She infamously failed on the first attempt, only to be asked to audition again. Upon seeing a video of them playing on TV, Vig had his people get in touch with hers and requested she audition for the band. Manson had formerly been the singer of Scottish alt-rock band Angelfish. ![]() But drummer Vig, whom many will remember as the producer that made Nirvana’s Nevermind, declared he wanted a female vocalist that sounded like “ Debbie Harry, Patti Smith, Chrissie Hynde and Siouxsie Sioux.” They found their answer in Scottish singer Shirley Manson. Initially, the band was intended to be a three-piece. The band was founded by Duke Erikson, Steve Marker, and Butch Vig, all mainstays of various midwestern alternative rock bands. They are a band of aural fluidity, blending sounds of trip-hop, rock, and pop into unforgettable hits. Critics and fans alike branded them a rock band, but doing so feels like a disservice to what Garbage was creating, especially in 1995 when they first appeared in the public consciousness. Garbage is a band from Madison, Wisconsin. The radio in the grocery store was the first place I heard Garbage. The radio was my gateway into another world, offering glimpses into the possibilities of other ones. The radio is an omnipresent force in the life of a retail worker, always there in the background and often the sole respite from the drudgery of the daytime hustle. Once the training wheels are off, you’re handed a box cutter and a sense of purpose and let loose into the aisles to fend for yourself. There is just no way to make loading a cart full of canned fruit or asking “paper or plastic?” sexy. They seemed to come loaded with a loud and solid understanding of their place in the world-strong and virile and charming. ![]() By contrast, these men were intimidating in their masculinity. There I was, shapeless and in search of a mold. I was young for the job-I was young for any job-and was trained for it by men who were anywhere from 5-10 years older than I was. With my McDonald’s rejection in hand and nothing left to lose, I walked down the street to our largest family-owned grocery store and handed in a resume with no prior experience listed. Maybe the outside influence of other people would change the way I saw myself and help me find my path. I had hoped that a job would force me into a social environment. Puberty was wreaking havoc on my system, making me turn tall and lanky, unsteady on my feet. I was just about to turn fourteen and was looking for work to put money in my pocket. In the spring of ‘96 I was rejected for the first time, by what was then the sole McDonalds restaurant in downtown Whitehorse, Yukon. This is Everyone Is Gay, a column by Niko Stratis on gender and sexuality in nineties music-and how pop culture failed to talk about it at the time.
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