Inger Lorre

A figurehead of the Los Angeles punk/rock underground of the late '80s, Inger Lorre is best known as the irrepressible leader of Nymphs. Wrangling a mix of punk, glam, hard rock, and the burgeoning grunge sound, their only album, Nymphs, appeared on Geffen -- following a series of contentious delays -- in 1991, shortly before the group disbanded. She took a more varied approach to alternative rock on her first solo album, the confessional Transcendental Medication, which eventually followed in 1999. Although Lorre stayed active in the music scene with soundtrack appearances, solo shows, the occasional single, and a handful of brief Nymphs reunions over the years, it was nearly a quarter century before she returned with another solo full-length. The musically toned-down, still angst-ridden Gloryland saw release in 2023. Inger Lorre founded Nymphs in her native New Jersey in the mid-'80s. Other members came and went, but by the end of 1989, the lineup of Lorre, guitarists Geoff Siegel (aka Jet Freedom) and Sam Merrick, bassist Cliff D., and drummer Alex Kirst had recorded a debut album and signed with Geffen Records. They could be seen on-screen performing their song "The Highway" -- written by Lorre about a girl's infatuation with a serial killer -- in the 1990 thriller Bad Influence. Continued contention between the band and executives at the label resulted in the delayed release of Nymphs' self-titled debut, which finally appeared in 1991. It included a cameo by Iggy Pop on the song "Supersonic." After a series of controversial acts, including on-stage sexual antics with her then partner, the band fired Lorre in 1992 when she refused to go on-stage to open for Peter Murphy. That year, Nymphs released an EP of demos and other miscellany titled The Practical Guide to Astral Projection, which included a decadent cover of Badfinger's "Come and Get It." The remaining band soon broke up, and Lorre returned to New Jersey, where she continued to pursue music and eventually entered rehab for substance abuse. Inger Lorre's first solo release was "Burn" b/w "I Need Somebody," a collaborative single with Motel Shootout. It arrived on the Sympathy for the Record Industry label in 1995. She went on to record with friend Jeff Buckley, including lending vocals to his song "Angel Mine" from the Jack Kerouac tribute album Kicks Joy Darkness. When Lorre released her solo debut LP, Transcendental Medication, on Triple X Records (U.S.) and Sweet Nothing Records (Europe) in 1999, it featured posthumous appearances by Buckley on vocals and guitar. To start the new millennium, Lorre moved back to Los Angeles and appeared in the 2001 film Down and Out with the Dolls, about an all-female rock band. Next up was a cover of "Slip It In" for the 2002 tribute album Rise Above: 24 Black Flag Songs to Benefit the West Memphis Three. Lorre resurfaced sporadically throughout the rest of the decade, including an acoustic show in Hollywood in 2004, a handful of Nymphs shows with a revamped lineup in 2006, and the occasional song placement in a movie or promotional trailer. Nymphs drummer Alex Kirst died in a car accident in 2011, and it would be another five years before Lorre returned to the stage with Nymphs songs, resulting in Live at the Viper Room (Sweet Nothing Records, 2017). 2016 also included a Nymphs cover of “Hard Candy Christmas” (featuring the lineup of Lorre, guitarists Mario Tremaine and Aaron Cruz, bassist Jordan Lawson, and drummer Eric James Contreras) and a reissue of Nymphs by Rock Candy Records coinciding with its 25th anniversary. Lorre's first studio album in 24 years, Gloryland, appeared on Kitten Robot Records in October 2023. Produced by Paul Roessler (.45 Grave, Dc3), its much sparer, country-inflected approach reflected themes of loss and despair.
© Marcy Donelson /TiVo