Singing at country and western venues in Canada, lang began to establish an appearance and style referred to as "cowboy punk". She was called a "Canadian Cowpunk" in the June 20, 1985 issue of "Rolling Stone". She would later recall the inspiration for her defining look in an interview with The Canadian Press: "I used to sew plastic cowboys and Indians on my clothes – just having fun with it on a budget. I was broke at the time, so I'd find things at Value Village or get my mom to make me a skirt from the curtains she was about to throw out. I loved playing with the clothes as much as the music."