“Born Susan Ballion in 1957, she was the product of post-war suburban life which, like many, she grew up to resent entirely … She was 14 when hospitalised with ulcerative colitis and it was while watching Top of the Pops on a children’s ward in 1972 that she saw David Bowie’s performance of “Starman” – a magical, rupturing event for many of her generation, and one that had a profound influence on her … Susan Ballion was one of the first to understand the radical possibilities offered by Bowie’s cut-up aesthetic, clearly and slowly began remaking herself as Siouxsie Sioux. Sioux’s image would become a violent but not haphazard mix of Charlotte Rampling in The Night Porter, the incarnation of David Bowie she had seen from her hospital bed, and Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra, and would draw upon the sharp lines of Kabuki masks and the leather and steel of S&M gear … Siouxsie’s “monstrous” look combined with her innovative musical vision had a profound impact on those around her …”
/ Excerpts from the catalogue to The Horror Show exhibit (2022/23) by Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard /
Light a black candle (or at least don a black T-shirt), grab the hair crimpers and can of Aqua Net - today marks a sacred occasion! Haughtily composed high priestess of punk, spooky voodoo doll frontwoman of the Banshees (and The Creatures), perennial eyeliner role model, perfecter of the death glare and Chislehurst’s finest, Siouxsie Sioux (née Susan Janet Ballion, 27 May 1957) turns 67! For generations of punks, goths, queers, malcontents and misfits, Siouxsie represents MOTHER! What a life-changing performer: it was seeing a black-and-white photo of Siouxsie in a magazine when I was in my early teens that planted the idea of moving to London. (I’m still unsure whether to be grateful to her or not!).
