Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (born Neil Andrew Megson; 22 February 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, poet, performance artist, and occultist. P-Orridge rose to notability as founder of the COUM Transmissions artistic collective, which operated in Britain from 1969 to 1975. S/he (at that time still a biological male) fronted the pioneering industrial band Throbbing Gristle between 1975 and 1981 and the experimental band Psychic TV from 1981 to 1999. P-Orridge is also a founding member of Thee Temple ov Psychick Youth, an informal occult order s/he established in 1981.

Born in Manchester, P-Orridge developed an early interest in art, occultism, and the avant-garde while at Solihull School. After dropping out of studies at the University of Hull, P-Orridge moved into a counter-cultural commune and adopted their nom-de-guerre. On returning to Hull, P-Orridge founded COUM Transmissions, whose activities attracted the attention of the national press; their confrontational performance work dealt with such subjects as sex work, pornography, serial killers, and occultism, representing a concerted attempt to challenge societal norms. Their 1976 Prostitution show at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts was particularly vilified by the tabloid press, gaining them the moniker of the "wreckers of civilization."

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