P is for Peaches

By Sandy

So, as I was doing research on Peaches to write this blurb, I was reminded just how brash and unappealing casual encounters with Peaches can be for the average Joe and Jane. Most of us know her because of her the notorious hit "F*ck the Pain Away" and its unimaginably vulgar lyrics. And aside from the soft spot I had for the kick ass anthem "Boys Wanna Be Her," that was all I knew about her too before I saw her live last summer. What can I say, brash isn't always unappealing for this girl, and that night Peaches became my fuel.

Her show was so energetic. It's tough to not get revved up when the performer comes out swinging in a boxing suit, which gives way to a body suit with horsehair fringe and then, THEN!, a leotard with a laser shooting out of her crotch. Later on in the show, she pumped that laser to the beat of all of "Operate." She cat-crawled around the upper tier of the venue for "Slippery Dick." And while all the dressings were aggressive and glamorous, and yes, her lyrics remain unimaginably vulgar, Peaches somehow never came across as gratuitously bawdy. The shorts were boy cut, leotard was ill and loose fitting, and armpits unshaven. Peaches was there, a powerful female force was on stage, exploiting her sexuality and with lyrics and energy, and not cheaply and quickly with her body. And I was drinking it in.

When women in music tend to run the gamut between the Pussycat Dolls and Ani DiFranco, or their portrayal between Sir Mix A Lot and Josh Groban, it was exciting to see another quadrant get its due on its own behalf. Peaches herself may not appreciate my looking to her as a strong, explicitly female performer; she often fights the gender lines, performing in full drag...and did I mention the laser penis? But to me, and maybe some other Joe and Janes out there, it made all the difference that is was a woman performing, succeeding and making us all beg for more.