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Against the Muzak and blanched interior of a Denny's in Swarthmore, PA, the Friggs stick out like a pair of stilettos at a church picnic. Though the Friggs might resemble the bad girls from high school, they don't sit in the smoking section or order any beer (you can at this Denny's). Instead, they extrapolate about how cheese clogs arteries while sipping coffee and snacking on side dishes of mixed veggies.

The Friggs' most recent lineup is crammed into a U-shaped booth around a dingy mauve table. Drummer Elle Sandoz's mood is as dark and impenetrable as her eyeliner. Singer Lexi Plumm - who looks like a Glitter-Punk Barbie - and bassist Suki Von Trapp gossip while guitarist Palmyra Delran trashes '80s glam-rock pants that discern whether a guy is "packin' a lunch or just a snack."

At present, Palmyra is the only original member left in the Friggs' lineup. (The last shakeup happened in August '96.) But the four-piece has always been all female and estro-fueled with an entourage of "girl band geeks." The majority of their fans aren't weirdos or stalkers, though they seem to have more than their share.

"We were playing in Rhode Island on an [all-girl] bill," Palmyra recalls, "and this guy crawled up on the stage and started licking my boots. He didn't look like a freak at all, so I gave him the other one and he licked that one too! Then I walked back to the other side of the stage and continued to play. I look over and he's jerking off into a cup on the stage. [Our manager] threw her beer on his dick to cool him off? And then we went through this long stretch where every time we went through Rhode Island we'd see somebody's dick."

Such a gender-related tale raises questions about the expectations that come along with being a female musician. "I think that people expect us not to be good and are surprised when we can actually play," says Suki. As for being a woman, she thinks that whenever any entertainer is on stage, they want to look their best.

Lexi adjusts her studded vinyl cat collar, and counters, "I think it's more about being a girl. It doesn't matter that it's being in a band. It's being onstage; you're putting on a show. So I guess I feel that I have to dress up, 'cause it's something special. I do feel [the expectations] that it's important to look like 'a girl.' I don't know what it is, sometimes I feel I have to look a certain way, but I don't?"

"I don't feel any of that," Palmyra interjects. "I sleep in my clothes and then wear 'em to the next gig."

Perhaps some males temporarily lose their sanity when watching the Friggs because the girls are also accomplished musicians. Influenced by a range of rock from T. Rex to the Yardbirds to Iggy and the Stooges, they come up with tunes that sound like classics. Constantly touring and recording their rehearsals has enabled the Friggs to come up with an album's worth of great material, captured on their first full-length LP, Rock Candy (E-Vil Records).

"We're all really happy with our record," asserts Palmyra. "I hear bands all the time complaining about their records. Then they're wasting their time, and that's really sad."

"I think it represents us really well," adds Suki. "Even though some of the songs were written with past lineups, it's really a good description of how the band is right now."

- Geeta Dalal