Maggie Estep - Biography
By Marcus Kagler
Primarily known as a spoken-word poet and author of the Ruby Murphy mystery novels, Maggie Estep also made a small splash in the music world during the mid-’90s by releasing two full-length albums and appearing in numerous MTV spots. The native New Yorker began her poetry career while attending the Naropa Institute in Colorado where she was a member of the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics.
In her early twenties, after having worked as a maid and a go-go dancer, she relocated to New York where she developed a nasty heroin addiction. Once clean, Estep began performing spoken-word poetry sessions in various venues throughout the city. Known for her riot girl wit and political tirades, Estep was approached by an MTV scout who’d caught one of her readings in the early ‘90s, and she was asked to appear on the network.
At the apex of the grunge movement, Estep released her debut spoken-word album, No More Mr. Nice Girl (Mercury) in 1994. Utilizing the hard grunge sonic textures of the times mixed with Estep’s rambling poetry, the album was a surprise hit for a spoken-word release and Estep joined the Lollapalooza tour that year.
Three years later, she returned with a sophomore full-length, Love Is A Dog From Hell (1997 Mercury). Forgoing the grunge sound for a more streamlined experimental approach, the album sold moderately well and kept the rising star within the music industry spotlight. After appearing as a guest vocalist on This Mortal Coil’s Unsound Methods (1997 Mute), the poet officially ended her foray into music and shifted her focus toward writing novels and short stories. Her debut book Diary of an Emotional Idiot was published in 1997.
Estep still gives spoken-word readings today and divides her time between Brooklyn and Woodstock, New York.
