Genitorturers aren’t just about being shocking

Industrial-punk band’s real message may be one of self-acceptance

by Ben Salmon

Before she embarked on a 33-year (and counting) career as the frontwoman of the provocative industrial-punk band Genitorturers, Gen Vincent was a pre-med student at a well-to-do liberal arts college in a small Florida town about 20 miles north of Walt Disney World.

And if you know anything about Vincent or her band, it probably goes without saying that she didn’t exactly fit in.

“(In 1986), Rollins [College] was a real hoity-toity school. Kids were driving Lamborghinis and stuff like that. Everyone was wearing pink Izod shirts and boat shoes and plaid shorts, and I showed up with this huge, bright blue mohawk,” Vincent says with a loud laugh. “After I was there for a while, one of my professors said, ‘You know there’s another one of you here.’”