Inger Lorre and the bottom of the ninth. If you want to talk about women in the underground music scene during the eighties and nineties, Inger is the home run hero. Originally from New Jersey, she made her way to Los Angeles after a brief stint in New York where she played bass in a band called The Undead with original Misfits guitar player, Bobby Steele. Once she got to Los Angeles she decided to stay permanently, and quickly got down to business making music of her own. She already knew how to play a variety of instruments, but she also had, and still does, an incredible knack for writing and singing, too.
Eventually, she started the The Nymphs. They made one album for Geffen Records and subsequently disappeared. After that, she performed with the band Motel Shootout and released a solo record Transcendental Medication. There were also collaborations with Iggy Pop, Henry Rollins, and Jeff Buckley and a return to live performances, most notably in 2006 and 2016 which were widely anticipated, and well received. The 2016 show was recorded live at the Viper Room and was released in 2017 on CD and as a live double album on purple vinyl. She brought the shit to say the least. Check out the proof and buy the record!
One of the main drawbacks of her career was that she fought vehemently against sexual harassment in the music industry at a time when not too many other women were doing it. There was no #MeToo movement. No safety nets. No support. She was put on mute by the powers that be and her career suffered as a result. It was easier for the media and the industry to dismiss her as crazy, and it was more convenient for journalists to circumvent the truth than it was to acknowledge the unwanted advances she endured from creepy A&R guys. She paid the price for sticking up for herself and other women at a time when she could have complied and had songs on the radio. She chopped the wood and carried the water.
Recently, I talked with Inger, along with Ginger Coyote, and today she's in a better place. So many of her answers in the following interview were capped off with a cautionary, boisterous laughter. She's the lady with nine lives who took a detour to the nine circles of hell, and came out sideways whistling the theme song to "Rocky." She has more projects on the way. She is currently working on writing her biography with co author Janiss Garza and Literary Agent Lee Sobel. A new movie "Galina" by Xan Cassavetes, which was set to feature Winona Ryder, but the producers have decided to go another direction with another actress T.B.A. and another record which has no release date as of yet. Stay tuned to her social media profiles for updates.
https://www.facebook.com/inger.lorre
"You don't have to pray for me, I got so many friends on the other side"
-Inger Lorre
Punk Globe: Hi, thanks for doing the interview!
Inger: Sure, Ginger said nice things about you. She loves you.
Punk Globe: Thanks! Likewise.
Inger: Everyone loves Ginger. She knows everyone. She's a rock star! Okay, I'm going to go to the back of the house so we can have complete peace. I told you where I am, right?
Ginger: No, where are you?
Inger: I'm in sober living and I'm doing these amazing things for myself and the music community and for people in recovery. And for dogs, ya know?
Ginger: So you live in a sober house?
Inger: I do! And will be for awhile.
Ginger: That's what Demi Lovato is doing, too.
Inger: Is that what she's doing?
Ginger: Yes, I believe up in the Hollywood Hills.
Inger: Well, what we're doing is Curious K9 Rescue. And it's a safe place for pets for people in recovery.
Ginger: Oh, isn't that good?
Inger: Yeah, because there's a lot of people that need and want recovery, but they won't go in because they have a dog. You see a lot of people downtown who have a dog and they're homeless and people offer them treatment at the Salvation Army and they really want it but they can't take their dog. And a lot of these people are gay and transgender and lost their families and all they have is their dog. That one family member that does not judge them and there's no way they're going to get rid of their dog. It's the one family member that isn't going to call them a fag. Animals love us for who we are. This is a much needed thing. I don't know why we haven't had it before in America. I'm very happy to say that me and my friend Jack Curious. We did this together. Jack Curious is a trans man who is very important to the dogs and for the people. I'm so happy to be involved with Jack and the animals.
Ginger: And also helping the people on the streets with addiction problems who are isolated.
Inger: Oh yeah, I've been isolated and addicted for so many years, which is the main reason people haven't heard from me in awhile. Now that I'm sober, I'm out there doing things. Good things for people. I'm also doing the benefit for the Malibu fires. I'm doing that February 16th. And 100% of the money goes to people who have lost their homes.
Ginger: Is it for people up in Paradise? Or Malibu people?
Inger: All of the Malibu People. I went to a meeting and this lady was speaking about losing her entire home and both of her cars. Her Range Rover and Mercedes, all of her jewelry and pictures. She lost every fucking thing she owned and she was just crying at this meeting. The custom is when someone tells their story you listen and afterwards you thank them. So, I went to thank her and told her I was doing a benefit for her and she just collapsed in my arms and cried. It was a really heavy moment for me. Holy fuck. I've done a lot of benefits, but I've never gotten to see that kind of gratitude before I even did it.
Ginger: Oh, that's amazing.
Inger: Yeah.
Ginger: Shawn, are you there? Do you have some questions?
Punk Globe: Yes, here. To start off, some people may not be aware that you do more than just sing and write lyrics. You play a wide variety of instruments as well. Can you give our readers a little background on what you can play?
Inger: Piano, violin, alto saxophone, Hammond B organ, acoustic and electric guitar, upright bass, regular bass. Mainly I took piano lessons as a little girl up until 13 when I was starting to get rebellious and I was like, fuck this..I don't want these fucking piano lessons anymore. My mom wouldn't get me a guitar because she thought guitars weren't for girls. This was before The Runaways and Suzi Quatro and guitars were seen as super dykey. It was back when if you were a girl who wanted a guitar your mother would turn to you and say "Oh my God, are you a lesbian?" My mother thought I was gonna shave my head and become a butch lesbian. And I already had a black leather jacket. She was okay with an acoustic guitar, because it was okay to be Joni Mitchell, but you can't be Joan Jett. So she said pick something besides a guitar, something from the orchestra, and I was so pissed off that she wouldn't get me an electric guitar. So, I picked the upright bass because it wouldn't fit on the school bus and she would have to drive me to school everyday. That really pissed her off! And also, I knew that I could learn how to play guitar just by learning the bass. There was a lot of drama about the stupid thing but it was hilarious. I remember being in the New York Times, but my mother never took me seriously. She couldn't believe I was in the New York Times. She called up her friends and told them about it.
Punk Globe: You're from New Jersey originally. What prompted you to move to Los Angeles? From your point of view what was it like back then and what is it like now?
Inger: Actually, I did go to New York first when I was sixteen. I played bass in this band called The Undead which was a punk band. The thing is, in the original Misfits, there was a guy named Bobby Steele and he was the original guitar player for The Misfits, and Glen kicked him out, because he was playing up and down, and he liked The Misfits to play downstroke and once in a while he would catch Bobby playing up and down. That's a no-no for the Misfits and he got canned and started The Undead which were a groovy little band, a three-piece, a drummer, guitar player who sang and me the bass player. I played on one of their singles that was put out and that was my first band. We played CBGB's and Max's, but I was under age and we couldn't tour because I was only sixteen. I kind of had my own songs that I wanted to sing, but Bobby wouldn't let me sing. I wanted to evolve and sing. I would have been like Meshell Nedegeocello. She plays with Sting and Madonna and is fucking awesome. But Bobby just wanted me to stand their and play bass. Anyway, after that I started writing letters to Tony Kinman from Rank and File. I'd write a letter on Monday and I would have one back from him by Wednesday. He recently passed away. Chip was his brother. Tony was really dark and serious and Chip was really blonde, fun and smiley. They were ying and yang. They were so fucking close. They really were best friends.
Ginger: They ended up becoming barely civil with each other in the latter years.
Inger: What? I don't know about that. They were working on that record.
Ginger: I think that's when Tony found out he had cancer and wanted to make amends but for a long time they didn't even talk to each other. The funny things is they both ended up being Republicans. Bobby Steele is a Republican too.
Inger: No fucking way.
Ginger: Chip is a Republican but I hope he doesn't support Trump.
Inger: Trump is cutting out all the blue collar working class jobs.
Ginger: He doesn't care who he hurts. He's sexist, he's a racist, an ageist. There's no limit to his hate.
Punk Globe: I think he's going down in 2019.
Ginger: I agree. Now that we have Nancy Pelosi in there. She is out to get him. She is against this government shutdown which is hurting everybody. Trump also wants to take money away from the defense fund and FEMA and the California fire victims.
Inger: He does not care about anyone except his fucking self.
Ginger: And that wall. Anyone can dig their way under it. There are tunnels that are already there.
Inger: That wall is taking attention away from China. China is getting more powerful. They are flexing like the U.S.A. isn't that powerful anymore. And they are also in collusion with Russia and it's going to turn the U.S.A. into Mexico and Mexico into El Salvador. Then we might actually need a wall.
Ginger: He's Putin's puppet. He never says anything bad about Putin. He gets a jealous glare when Putin and that Saudi Arabian guy are high-fiving each other. But he's so quick to criticize Saturday Night Live. He was actually going to get a lawyer and try to stop them as some sort of democratic propaganda that was trying to prove he was involved with Russia. I love Alec Baldwin when he does him.
Inger: He does it so well. It's ridiculous.
Ginger: All the SNL people are brilliant. Ben Stiller doing Michael Cohen, Melissa McCarthy doing Sean Spicer. Just really brilliant.
Inger: They are.
Ginger: So tell us how you got to California. Was it Tony Dil that got you here?
Inger: Yes. So, he was living with Dave Alvin. My dad said "I don't know what you're trying to do in New York, but New York is dead, the punk scene is over and all of the major labels are in L.A. and the entertainment industry is in L.A. so if you're serious about doing music you have to go to Hollywood." I was like, thanks a lot, dad, you don't even know this guy and you want to send me off to him three-thousand miles away. I had a really close relationship with my dad and I was still so young. I wasn't even eighteen. I felt like he was throwing me to the wolves. He said I should get Tony to show me around in L.A. So I did that and it wasn't that bad. I liked it. And I already had all of The Gun Club records and all the Tex and the Horsehead records. All the X records. I wasn't so much into The Blasters but they turned out to be very nice people who I am friends with to this day.
Ginger: They were really sweet .
Inger: So it was me, Jenny, Jill, Dave and Buster all in an apartment building.
Ginger: Iris Berry who also lived at Disgraceland told me that Charlene Tilton rented a room there. And another story was about Kim Fields who was on "The Facts of Life." Anyway, Iris brought her over and there were all of these rockabilly guys hanging out.
Inger: Wow. Well, so I came out for a visit first. The weather was nice and Tony showed me everything like Canter's where all the bands hang out and Hollywood Boulevard, Mann's Chinese Theatre and of course I had to see if my hands were the same as Marilyn Monroe's. I met Jenny and Bill Bateman. So, right before I was supposed to go home, Dave had a big party and he brought Exene, Texacala, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and like I have these people's albums. To me, this was like seeing Keith Richards or Mick Jagger walk in. I mean, I'm from New Jersey. I'm not from New York or L.A.
Ginger: Debbie's from there.
Inger: Yeah, Debbie is and so is Andy Warhol, Jack Nicholson, and Susan Sarandon are from New Jersey. We are not the cool people from New York. We're the uncool people from New Jersey. They called us B and T and that means bridge and tunnel people.
Ginger: Right now everyone has to live in New Jersey because it's so expensive in Manhattan unless you have an apartment for years and years and you have rent control. I think Debbie still has a house in Red Bluff.
Punk Globe: On the live album, you did a cover of "Monitor" by Siouxsie and the Banshees. What inspired you to do that specific song? You really nailed it.
Inger: Sometimes when I'm doing art work or running I'll hear a song in my head (sings the opening chords to "Monitor") so we tried that song at rehearsal one day and I thought, oh my God, this is gonna be great. And I knew if I did I had to kill it! For instance, I love Beyonce, but when she tried to do "At Last" it was like...don't even go there. No matter what, it just wasn't gonna be Etta. Originally, I thought I'm never gonna be Siouxsie, so why even attempt it? I'm so happy you liked it.
Punk Globe: Technology has changed so much since the last Nymphs record. But you've done other things since then. Do you think it's a bit more difficult to put things out these days or easier? So many artists have told me that you can't make any money off records anymore. All the money is in touring. How have all of these changes in the music industry affected you in terms of releasing new stuff?
Inger: With me, it just takes a little longer.
Punk Globe: Going back in time a bit. You sang on a cover of "Imitating Angels" with Extra Fancy years ago. How did that come about?
Inger: One day Brian called me up and said "Inger, I want to ask you something but I don't want you to be mad." And I said " God, what do you want to tell me." And he told me he wanted to cover "Imitating Angels". And in fact, had already done it and he wanted to know if I was angry at him. I was completely flattered that he thought it was that good. I never knew people liked my music that much. I was going to quit until Carrie Hamilton (Carol Burnett's daughter) told me to keep going. She said her mom had been in show business for forty years and she knew what was good.
Ginger: Oh, Carrie was so sweet.
Inger: She said "You're really good."
And I said "Are you sure?" I was about to quit and she told me not to quit. And she knew from her showbiz mom what is good and that one second where she said all of that literally kept me afloat for two years. I was very hard on myself but I have really good instincts and I know what is good especially with females. There's so many out there that doll themselves up that can't sing at all, you know, like Madonna, it just looks good. Then there's people like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey who can sing fantastically. They can break glasses with their voice and there's people who can do both like Miley Cyrus. She's cute and she can sing fantastically and she was raised by her dad who really is a great singer.
Ginger: Dolly Parton is her Godmother.
Inger: Dolly Parton is like Elvis. She's fucking amazing. But, I never knew where I laid on that line. I've had a lot of musical lessons, but the music I was making was so uncommercial. It was like nothing else that was being made. What I was trying to do was make music that was as heavy as Black Sabbath but with a female singer and that's what I was trying to do with The Nymphs.
Ginger: So, you knew Brian before he played with Margot, right?
Inger: Margot?
Ginger: She was in The Go-Go's, they had a band together and Brian also worked with Mink Stole.
Inger: I didn't know he was working with Mink. I knew they were really good friends. Brian loved her and always told me I should meet her that she would love me and I would love her. I already did love her. I love John Waters.
Ginger: Back to Extra Fancy, so you sang back-up on the cover?
Inger: Me and Exene did.
Ginger: Exene is fun. I went out with her at Punk Rock Bowling one night. We both stayed at The Golden Nugget Hotel. She was there to DJ and I was there for a movie I had done.
Punk Globe: In the past, you had a feud with Courtney Love. How did that end? Was that hatchet buried?
Inger: Courtney has no credibility musically and no one takes her seriously. She's actually a really good actress when she's playing roles that are really just herself. She played a stripper. Well, she was a stripper for years and years and years.
Ginger: I grew up with her in San Francisco. I knew not to bring her over because she always had a cigarette going and I didn't want her to burn my house down.
Inger: She's already done that. She's already burned people's houses down. She's the personality who has to make it, no matter who lives or dies, at any cost.
Ginger: She got nominated for a lot of awards for playing Althea Flynt.
Inger: Well, it's easy to play yourself. I'm doing a movie with Xan Cassavetes and the part was written for me. The first female lead is Winona Ryder and I'm the second female lead. It's called "Galina."
Punk Globe: How did you come up with the title Transcendental Medication? Is it inspired by Jekyll and Hyde?
Inger: This puts me on the spot, but I have to tell the truth. I was really trying to get sober for so many years and I was having a hard fucking time, especially from my family, not from my dad, but my mom was a teenage mother and she was extremely abusive. She was very frustrated that she was a mom and she took it all out on me and subsequently I became a heroin addict. And when I first took it it was like...I can breathe now. It was just a big long sigh. My chest didn't hurt anymore, you know? And I felt like I could do my work with no more anxiety. So, it was a play on words. So, I that's why I called the record Transcendental Medication.
Punk Globe: There was also the legendary Geffen incident. When the press picked up on that did you find it frustrating in any way? From your point of view, did it overshadow the record once it came out?
Inger: Yeah, all these guys at the record company wanted to fuck me and I didn't want to fuck any of them, and when I asked them when the record was coming out they told me it wasn't since I wouldn't comply. This was before the #MeToo movement and everyone should know what was going on before that. During that time my fiance overdosed and I had all of this stress. At the time I was on the road with Lenny Kravitz and I just wanted to quit and go home. Unlike Courtney Love, her husband dies and the next day she's on stage planning a world tour. That's not me. When my husband died I fell apart into a million pieces and just wanted to lay under the blanket and sob. And just hope I could gather myself into some form of human being again. I couldn't eat and started losing all of this weight because I was so broken as a human being.
Punk Globe: So, all these incidents collectively overshadowed your work?
Inger: Yeah. And I'm very lucky that I stopped being a junkie before I ripped anybody off, because that's the nature of the game. Eventually, you rip people off. I cured my habit before it got to that point. The worst it got is when I copped off this guy in a parking lot and drove off with some merchandise without paying him, which was a dangerous thing to do because this guy knew some bad people. I was doing fucked up crazy shit.
Punk Globe: I read that someone you worked with for the album art for the Geffen album was done in a 48 hour period then capped off with an earthquake tremor. Do you remember that?
Inger: Yeah, we had to hurry up, because it was just at the last minute. We were pushed back. When we got signed all of our friends records came right out. The Chili Peppers and Jane's Addiction second records were already out. We felt like we were being left in high school, which is another reason why my drug addiction kept spiraling upwards. We did our own version of a clock, a koo-koo bird coming out of a clock, we used the number 5 because there were five people in the band, we used syringes in the art work because we were strung out. It was just really indicative of what was going on with the band at the time.
Ginger: So, it was kind of a collage of what everyone was into at the moment. Did that come out on Geffen?
Inger: Yeah. Eventually.
Punk Globe: You're also a painter. Do you still paint? Is there anything out there you've done that people may not be aware of?
Ginger: Yes, tell us about your artwork.
Inger: There's a lot of stuff. I have a lot going on there. You know, I worked for Billy Shire for twenty years and Billy knows art, he cares about art and has a fabulous collection of art. Every time he has a show, he picks the piece that holds the whole show together. It might be a piece on female taxidermy and he'll have that hanging in his office. His office is like a museum.
Ginger: My friend Evie used to work there. Did you know her?
Inger: Really? Yes, I knew her.
Punk Globe: Wrapping it up, any advice for people who are struggling with addiction?
Inger: If you die from addiction, you're problems are over. If you live it's incredibly painful. It's tragic and it just gets worse. But, you can beat it.
Ginger: I never got into needles but I think it's important to encourage people and find examples of people who have beat it.
Punk Globe: Where can people keep up with you? Any specific site that you keep updated on a regular basis?
Inger: I'm on Facebook and I'm always posting about my shows and where I'm playing. Inger Lorre Official.
https://www.facebook.com/inger.lorre
You can catch Inger live on February 9th @Beyond Baroque in Venice, CA and February 16th @Casa Escobar On Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA