“Fuck Them and Fuck It”: How Amy Taylor Became the Face of Women in Punk

I was at a bar near Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles when I first heard Amyl and the Sniffers. They were loud, bawdy, and raw, all the requirements of good music, but it was the discordant nature of the band’s fiery chanteuse, Amy Taylor, that grabbed me by the short-and-curlies. The second she began to howl, take me to the beach, take me to the country, climb in the backseat, if you love me, I was nearly blasted off my barstool. Taylor reeked of conventional resistance, and I knew right away punk was having a revival. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I used to be one of those dreadful cynics who believed that punk rock was dead. All my heroes had either died, gotten sober, or become some beer-bellied relic of my youth, with no band since 1998 coming remotely close to satisfying my kink for contemptuous cacophony. I had lost faith, totally convinced that I’d never again encounter another scalp-peeling auditory assault driving me to howl at the moon. And then, just like that, my inner werewolf was redeemed.

Amyl and the Sniffers is the second coming of punk rock, I am sure of it, with two critically acclaimed records—2019’s debut and 2021’s Comfort to Me—leading a sonic exhumation of the long-lost anti-establishment. They have been gifted to this wounded world by the ghosts of punk past, hellbent on shaking the foundation of a genre that has, for far too long, insisted on spitting out tunes in the key of the wimpy and insipid. Taylor, the matriarch of this Melbourne-bred mayhem, is neither of those things. “I’ve never been hit,” she told me when asked about her aptitude for fisticuffs. On October 25th, the band will release its third record, Cartoon Darkness, which contains a strapping, little liberation anthem perched atop a middle finger entitled “U Should Not Be Doing That” and their provocative latest single, “Jerkin’.” Not only is Amy Taylor the archduchess of anarchy, but she is also one of the most charismatic, loud-mouthed matrons of modern punk, the real fucking deal. I recently sat down with the esteemed frontwoman to discuss the band’s latest record and ponder the buffoonery of politics in an unhinged America. I’m now a recovering cynic. 

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MIKE ADAMS: Hi, Amy. How are you?

AMY TAYLOR: How are you doing?

ADAMS: I’m hanging in. Where are you at right now?

TAYLOR: I’m in L.A. at the moment. I’m temporarily living here. 

ADAMS: I love L.A.

TAYLOR: It’s fucking awesome.

ADAMS: What’s your favorite part about it?

TAYLOR: It’s really social and it’s got good weather. That’s what I like.

ADAMS: For sure. Well, didn’t you just deliver a keynote speech at BIGSOUND festival?

TAYLOR: Yeah, I did. 

ADAMS: And you opened up that show with a poem, right?

TAYLOR: I did, a poem I wrote last year called “Life is Like a Buffet.”

ADAMS: That’s funny. It’s interesting that there’s such a stigma to a buffet. It used to be this cool thing. You could eat all these different types of foods and you don’t have to finish one thing to have another. But also, there’s a dark side, and people are gross. What do you think we can learn about humanity, for better or worse, from eating at a buffet? 

TAYLOR: Well, I guess you usually have all different kinds of food from all over the world. You’ll have spaghetti, which is Italian, and then maybe orange chicken from China. You’re getting a global snapshot.  I never really thought about what you could learn from people at a buffet. You could learn a lot. That’d be good people-watching.

ADAMS: We could learn a lot about people by watching how they react to others sneezing on mashed potatoes, I suppose.

TAYLOR: Exactly.

ADAMS: So, the new record is called Cartoon Darkness. How did that title come about?

TAYLOR: That title’s been bouncing around in my head for a while. I guess because the future seems so dark in a lot of ways. My whole life I’ve been told that the climate crisis is a thing I’ll probably experience, and now a lot of people my age are not having kids. And the cartoon part is saying that it’s just a sketch: even though the future’s dark, we’re not there yet. I’m trying to encourage people to not mourn what we haven’t lost already. I want to explore the confusion of all of that.

ADAMS: So the darkness isn’t going anywhere?

TAYLOR:  The darkness is there and it’s not going anywhere, but the future’s not written yet. I get nihilistic like, “Well, fuck it. I’m going to be dead in 20 years. Who gives a shit?” But I’m trying to reframe my thinking to, “What’s the point of just giving up now?” As in, who knows what it’ll look like?

ADAMS: I guess that’s a little dose of positivity from the punk rock scene, right?

TAYLOR: That’s right. I’m coming in hot with some positivity.

ADAMS: I like it. So the record was produced by Nick Launay?

TAYLOR: That’s right. The reason we chose him was because he’s done a lot of Aussie rock records. Being an Australian band, we didn’t want that part of us to be lost, because it’s such a strong identifier.

ADAMS: He has done so many great records. Do you like recording?

TAYLOR: I like recording, but it was also really stressful this time for some reason. I love getting the music down, but I’m always so cranky when we do it.

ADAMS: So you would rather be performing live than recording?

TAYLOR: I think so. If I had to pick, I’d pick live.

ADAMS: Well, I love the record. And of course, I love “U Should Not Be Doing That.” What was the mood like for the band when that song started to come together? 

TAYLOR: Thank you. It kind of crept up on us, and for some reason it wasn’t an instant love for me. This was a song that we were all writing for ages, and we were kind of trialing Nick Launay to see how we worked together, so we did a couple of songs with him and this was one of them. 

ADAMS: What’s your favorite song from the new record?

TAYLOR: I think my favorite three songs are “Tiny Bikini,” “Me And The Girls” and “Doing in My Head.”

ADAMS: Right on. And you’re getting ready to tour again starting in October?

TAYLOR: Yeah, we’re going to go on tour at the start of November, but all of October we’re darting around doing press. 

ADAMS: What’s the most challenging part about being on the road as much as you are?

TAYLOR: I guess there’s lots of different challenges. There’s no sense of familiarity or stability or comfort. There are little hacks. Like, I could take my pillowcase along with me or something. I don’t mind being somewhere different every day, but I think you can get kind of stuck in a bubble socially. You can never really water out relationships because you’re in a new city every day. Trying to make time for socializing outside of the venue takes a lot of effort. 

ADAMS: Do you get a sense of lawlessness and untouchability when you’re touring, because you’re only in the city one day? 

TAYLOR: I kind of feel like that a lot of the time anyway, because I feel like I live outside of society and that’s pretty dope. I don’t do groceries because I don’t cook, and I don’t wash my dishes because I don’t cook so there’s nothing to wash. So that’s pretty cool.

ADAMS: Right. Speaking of food, I saw you did a post on TikTok where you were talking about catering?

TAYLOR: Oh, yeah.  

ADAMS: Let’s talk about it. What is it that you’re going to eat the fuck out of once you find it backstage?

TAYLOR: I’ve got a runt mentality. I’m like, “Free food, let’s fucking go.” There’s been so many times where I’ve just gone crazy at catering before we play and then I feel so sick and I’m like, “Damn, I shouldn’t have done that.” I remember there was some really good macaroni and cheese a couple of times, a chicken schnitzel, spaghetti bolognese, any of that comfort food. And I love a salad on tour. I’m not a crazy bitch, I get those greens in me. Sometimes they got cocktails and that is fucking awesome. There’s been many a loose night on that.

ADAMS: What’s your go-to cocktail? 

TAYLOR: Pina Colada, Dirty Martinis, usually shaken, extra dirty. Sometimes a margarita, but also I don’t give a fuck about them as much as other stuff.

ADAMS: Yeah. Over the summer you did some shows with the Foo Fighters, right?

TAYLOR: That’s right, in America.

ADAMS: How does their crowd react to a band like yours?

TAYLOR: Well, the people that are there either like it or just sit there waiting for Foo Fighters, but it’s a pretty empty stadium most of the time. Some of them are like 60,000 people stadiums, but you probably have 5,000 people watching you, so it looks fucking empty. But every now and then you’ll see somebody just rocking the fuck out and you can tell that you’ve won them over. And that’s the funnest thing. I’m like, “All right, cunt. I’m going to get you by the end of this.”

ADAMS: And does that happen quite a bit?

TAYLOR: It happens enough that I feel happy about it.

ADAMS: I saw a photo of you wearing an AC/DC shirt. I’ve got to ask, what’s your favorite album? 

TAYLOR: High Voltage.

ADAMS: Shit, all right.

TAYLOR: But it’s always hard to pick. I mean, it’s like they’re all fucking awesome. Growing up in Australia, every memory basically has AC/DC playing somewhere in the background. And I love their simplicity. I love that it’s super simple and just super rockin’. 

ADAMS: Staying on this topic, everyone talks about their influences and things that they idolize, but what are a few bands that maybe your fans would be surprised that you like?

TAYLOR: Ooh, interesting. I think what the pop world’s doing in a lot of ways is really interesting at the moment. Fucking what’s her name? Camila Cabello. I’ve been listening to a lot of her over the last month, but I can’t imagine how it would influence my experience in music. Or I was listening to a lot of Caroline Polachek before the album, but I’m not sure if that influence would leak out. There’s a lot of really chill music, like Exotica, which I love. If I could ever somehow meld that my music I would, but it’s so different. So, it influences me because it’s a separation from what I’m doing, and being able to do other shit is good. Because otherwise I’ll just be like, “Fuck every cunt.”

ADAMS: Yeah, I get that. I saw something interesting the other day. Someone got a tattoo of your face.

TAYLOR: Yeah, people do that.

ADAMS: That’s wild. What’s that like?

TAYLOR: Well, I hope nothing’s too permanent. They can always get it removed if they change their mind, but I think it’s fucking awesome. I can’t believe I mean that to some people. Because I know what it would take for me to get a tattoo with someone, and it would mean that I draw a lot of inspiration from them. So if I’m doing that for people, then that’s fucking awesome.

ADAMS: Right. No, it’s crazy just to see that happening, and that’s how you know you’ve made it. 

TAYLOR: That’s right. But it definitely makes me want to be like, “I don’t want to let those motherfuckers down.” Because I mean something to them, so I got to make sure I do think about the people that are committed sometimes. It’s a little bit of a Homer Simpson, “Do it for her moment.”

ADAMS: Those are your lifer fans, right?

TAYLOR: Yeah.

ADAMS: If you ever cross paths with them in person, what you say and do will change their lives.

TAYLOR: That’s right, exactly. It’s fucking crazy.

ADAMS: Talk a little bit about politics. I’m not going to get real heavy or anything, but I’m curious what you think about the political circus here in the United States.

TAYLOR: Well, I’m an outsider obviously, but it’s really hard to gauge. Maybe it’s naïveté, but I genuinely think most people are coming from a good place, but an ignorant place. I’ve got a friend who does sex work and runs a glory hole and lot of the people who were going to the glory holes, who are maybe closeted, were talking about politics and how they’re really struggling and they don’t know what to do, and they think maybe Trump will save them. And I think when people are feeling really lost and in times of chaos, which is probably by design anyway, they look for a leader who is accessible to them and who seems to speak their language. And then that leader will probably lead them into a cave and shoot them in the head and take their purse. You know what I mean? And with Kamala—I don’t know how to pronounce the name, sorry, I’ve got an Aussie accent—but in Australia, when someone is meant to represent the left, they’re not listening. So I think globally there’s an era of disenchantment with leaders in general, because it definitely seems like two heads of the same beast. I’m obviously anti-Trump and anti-Trump’s policies and his clown act muppetry and violence. A lot of the time I really just don’t understand it. There’s so many layers of truth and lies, and it’s really hard to decipher the two without becoming a conspiracy theorist. I just feel like another tire on the tire fire.

ADAMS: Yeah, I think everyone’s really confused. And like you said, that’s by design. Anyway, I have to talk to you about your fashion.

TAYLOR: Let’s do it.

ADAMS: I see some of your fans going absolutely batshit over your stagewear. So, I’m curious, where does the inspiration come from?

TAYLOR: It changes over time. For me, I feel the best when I look like I’m staunch but slutty, and it has to be practical. Because I’m a mover and a shaker; I’m walking places, I’m fucking brushing my teeth. I can’t have big, long fake nails all the time. So it’s got to be practical. I get inspiration from all different kinds of stuff, but I try to keep it unique. Also, having an audience, I try not to buy too much cheap crap that’s fast fashion, because then I can uplift some local brands and shit. But the bigger I get, the more fun I’m having with it.

ADAMS: Right on. I believe you posted something over the summer about 40-year-old heavy metal guys giving you shit over your outfits. What was that about?

TAYLOR: Well, I’ve always dressed scantily clad on or off-stage. I always get shit for it. But the weirdest group of people are the random metalheads who are like, double my age. They’re sitting there bitching about, “Oh, they’re only good because she wears short shorts,” and all that shit, and they’re just sitting around doing lines at three A.M. talking about how we sold out. I’m like, “They don’t even know the meaning of a sellout yet. Just you wait, bastards.” 

ADAMS: What’s interesting is, this is not a new thing. Are you familiar with Wendy O. Williams?

TAYLOR: Yeah. I love her. She’s fucking awesome. 

ADAMS: What she was wearing in 1978…

TAYLOR: That’s the thing. The fact that people still get upset by it is so boring. It’s like, “Can’t you guys worry about something new?”

ADAMS: Right. It’s interesting, because no one would have said shit to her because she’d fuck them up.

TAYLOR: Exactly. No one said it to my face. They’d be dead.

ADAMS: Can you fight?

TAYLOR: I’ve never been hit. Let’s put it like that.

ADAMS: Oh, look at you. Well, speaking of badass, there’s so many great punk brands coming out over the past decade. Of course, your band, Mannequin Pussy also comes to mind.

TAYLOR: Fuck yeah.

ADAMS: How do you account for such a savage movement in the femme-fronted punk genre?

TAYLOR: I think people are hungry for it. They want to hear what women have to say. People really want to listen to stuff that’s coming from all different kinds of people at this point in time. And it’s not even that they’re waiting for it. They’re actually like, hunting it down. There wouldn’t be a better time to get into it if you’re a different kind of person. Also, I think we all uplift each other. There’s no sense of competition or any air of that. We’re all just excited by each other. There’s another sick band from Atlanta called Upchuck who are doing mad shit. The punk world has so much good stuff coming out of it at the moment.

ADAMS: For sure. Well, your band has enjoyed tremendous success up to this point. Let me ask you, is there anything about your career right now that frightens you? 

TAYLOR: I’m scared all the time. I’m like, “What the fuck? I’m going to be famous and shit.” I didn’t plan for this, but I’m enjoying it. Stuff scares me all the time, but it never stops me. I’ll always check myself. I think people trust their instincts too much, which is a weird take. But that’s a thing I’ve learned from jet lag. When you’re jet-lagged, you think you need to go to sleep, but that’s actually the wrong thing to do. And I think fear can be the same. There’s always new stuff that I’m doing that maybe my knee-jerk reaction would be like, “That could end bad.” But I just go, “Shut up. I’m just going to do it anyway.”

ADAMS: One more question for you: What has being in this band taught you the most about life that a lot of other people your age might not learn until later?

TAYLOR: I think a lot of people experience criticism, but being in the public eye you experience more. So it can really hold people back, and even the thought of being criticized can hold people back. The idea of, “Oh, they might think I’m weird, or they might think I’m ugly,” or whatever the fuck. I guess what I’ve learned is that it really doesn’t matter either way. 

ADAMS: Just go for it.

TAYLOR: Yeah. Who cares? Fuck them and fuck it. Whatever. We’re all dying.