The first thing I notice when I walk into Scout Smissen’s home is the sheer personality it radiates.
This is my first time meeting her, but as my eyes wander around her studio, I begin to understand who she is. Carefully curated art fills the walls, illuminated by an assortment of antique lamps. Shelves are packed with all types of figurines, memorabilia, and CDs. A few of the pieces on the wall that catch my eye are collages, handmade by Smissen.
When I arrive she is putting batteries into a set of new color-changing lights, which she tells me are going to go in her closet. But Smissen’s closet isn’t any ordinary closet. It’s home to a number of iconic one-of-a-kind pieces — ones you may have seen before on stage.
She points out a few of her favorite pieces — a pink dress and a bright orange blazer — and tells me that they are hand-me-downs from her grandmother, one of her biggest fashion inspirations.
“Even in her late sixties, she was still rocking hot pink cowgirl boots and a mini-skirt, and she was fucking killing it,” says Smissen. This fabulousness and fierceness clearly run in the family.
“I love pieces of clothing that are going to be a challenge to style,” Smissen explains. For the Iggy Poop frontwoman, there is nothing more exciting than being at a thrift or antique store and seeing something that is “the most ridiculous, heinous, ugly, fabulous” thing she’s ever laid eyes on (for curious readers, she says with confidence that the Bellingham Value Village is the best one she’s ever been to).
“Being and looking totally ridiculous but really good at the same time is the epitome of the Iggy Poop fashion aesthetic,” notes Smissen.
When it comes to performing, the outfits she chooses to wear on stage are anything but arbitrary. Fashion and aesthetics play a vital role in creating a performance and bringing it to life. She sees them as an avenue for connecting with audiences and communicating her and the band’s identity.
“I think that fashion and music are very hand in hand,” she explains. From the runways of New York Fashion Week to the house shows attended by Bellingham audiences, the marriage of fashion and music is all around us. Unique and creative stagewear has the power to elevate performances, adding “that extra layer of perfection” to the experience for audiences and performers alike.
Growing up, Smissen would accompany her mother, who was an event manager working for The Stranger. Naturally drawn to and inspired by their fabulous outfits, this is where she would come to develop an admiration for performers and their outrageous styles. Now, she says that Iggy Poop has given her an opportunity to dress how she wants, wearing outfits that make her feel confident and comfortable, but also visually interesting to audiences, complementing every performance she puts on.
“There will definitely be people that will maybe be bored by our music, and that’s totally okay,” says Smissen. “But if they’re gonna be bored by our music, I don’t want them to be bored by our outfits too. That’s like a double kill. You can’t be boring and physically boring too.”
Knowing this about Smissen, it’s not hard to understand where she draws much of her inspiration: music and fashion icon David Bowie. “I really love and appreciate him so much because he was somebody that, through every decade, mastered the sound of that decade.” This ability to change and adapt has played a large role in inspiring Smissen’s flexibility when it comes to genre and style. “I could make a ton of singer-songwriter acoustic songs, or I could get on the electric guitar and try a whole new genre.”
If they’re gonna be bored by our music, I don’t want them to be bored by our outfits, too. That’s like a double kill. You can’t be boring and physically boring, too.
Like Smissen’s eclectic wardrobe and style, Iggy Poop’s sound can be hard to pin down. But Smissen says the band has coined their own tongue-in-cheek catchphrase to describe it — “shitty music for shitty people.” Beneath this phrase lies the gritty experimental and DIY undertones that fuel Iggy Poop.
The band has been described as punk, pop, and now, since Smissen’s addition, riot grrrl, which she believes is the highest honor an artist can receive. But none of these labels are entirely accurate. In reality, their sound is more like “a cornucopia of so many different genres.”
One reason for this is that the band takes its roots in different cities, songwriters, and musical inspirations. Before Smissen, and before they were Iggy Poop, the band was based in Portland, and performing under the name Sacred Stem. Many of their songs were written there, and many of them were written by Smissen to be played solo on an acoustic guitar.
In addition to this mix of old and new, each of Iggy Poop’s members contributes their own unique styles and inspirations to the sound. Bassist Abe McMullen is really into Van Halen and KISS; guitarist Billy Morton loves Alex G and Modern Baseball; drummer Liam Kenwood is obsessed with Bjork. And most importantly, Smissen tells me, they all love Ween.
And as for the name Iggy Poop? Smissen explains that it traces back to an inside joke about forming an Iggy Pop cover band called Iggy Poop. The name stuck, and today they are among some of the more well-known and loved bands in the Bellingham house show scene.
She expresses a great deal of gratitude toward the Bellingham music community for giving her and Iggy Poop the platform that they have today. Still, she isn’t afraid to use that platform to address its shortcomings when it comes to progress and inclusivity.
There are a number of challenges facing women and BIPOC artists in Bellingham, she says. “It’s not that they don’t exist, it’s that they’re not really getting gigs.” The Bellingham house show scene is still permeated by a preference for white masculine artists and tastes and is in dire need of an update. Things are starting to change though, with artists like Ebony, The Hobby, and Madam Monarch coming onto the scene, and various new venues springing up around town. But there is still much progress to make.
“I feel so grateful, but I also am bored and craving new genres and new house show scenes. People don’t care about a bill! People care about going and seeing and supporting people who are actually good.”
Fans have much more to look forward to from Smissen and Iggy Poop this summer. She tells me that the band has an album in the works, with a tentative release date in August. But if you’re looking for a bit of that live performance magic, you can see them play live at the Wild Buffalo on June 30th.