Author(s): Justin Quirk

HEAVY ROCK

From 1983 until 1991, Glam Metal was the sound of American culture. This was the world stalked by Hair Metal bands like Bon Jovi, Kiss, W.A.S.P., Skid Row, Dokken, Motley Crue, Cinderella, Ratt and many more. Big hair, massive amplifiers, drugs, alcohol, piles of money and life-threatening pyrotechnics. Armed with hairspray, spandex and strangely shaped guitars, they marked the last great era of supersize bands. Where did Glam Metal come from? How did it spread? What killed it off? And why does nobody admit to having been a Glam Metaller anymore?