Early Life
Bjelland was born in Salem, Oregon and grew up in nearby Woodburn. Her mother was Lynne Irene Higginbotham; her father was Lyle Bjelland. Bjelland's parents divorced when she was young, and she referred to her stepmother in later years as "abusive" and having a great effect on her life. In the documentary, Not Bad for a Girl (1995), Bjelland revealed this:
You know, I really hate to talk about it because she's great now, but in my childhood she was very abusive... like I said, though, it probably did help my creativity a lot. I was always grounded. I hate to talk about it because I feel like she doesn't think that she did it, but she was and it influenced my life quite a great deal.Bjelland also claimed to have been beaten by her mother, and said she was told to "shut up" a lot and wasn't allowed to speak, which resulted in her outspoken nature as she grew into adulthood.
She attended Woodburn High School, where she was a popular student and cheerleader. As a teenager, Bjelland became interested in music. Her uncle, David Higginbotham, taught her to play guitar. Her first performance was at a small bar in Woodburn called Flight 99 (now defunct), with the band called The Neurotics.
Read more about this topic: Kat Bjelland
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