PRETTY ON THE INSIDE
HOLE
Even by 1991’s constantly surprising standards, not many people were prepared for Hurricane Courtney unapologetically blowing in and turning everything on its head.
Courtney Love, the force of nature to beat them all, had been knocking around on the West Coast scene for a while, having formed Pagan Baby in Portland with Kat Bjeland, later of Babes In Toyland. The pair brought in drummer Janis Tanaka and bassist Jennifer Finch, who went on to join the equally aweinspiring L7. After dabbling with acting, and paying her way by stripping, by 1988 Love had moved to LA and placed an ad for a band: “My influences are Big Black, Sonic Youth and Fleetwood Mac.”