Retro Geek Nick Waterhouse Went From Being a Punching Bag in Orange County to a Trendsetter in GQ

Style has always played a major part in shaping Nick Waterhouse. The singer's retro geek chic look is in now, but that doesn't mean it was when he was growing up here in Orange County. In a story in this month's edition of GQ, the singer reveals he was bullied due to his appearance. "As a kid in Orange County, my look was such a radical thing," he told the men's magazine. "I was the only one wearing collared shirts, pegged pants, and leather shoes. I got accosted, beat up, called 'weirdo' and 'faggot.'"

Fortunately the singer found his salvo in music. He continues, "Then I found this community of rock 'n' roll bands. Those guys saw me as this audacious young guy--the one who played 'Long Tall Shorty' on an organ at their emo shows."

Waterhouse's youth clearly wasn't the best of times, but he managed to survive and is a musician whose profile on the rise, giving the proverbial middle finger to the bullies who made his life hell as a kid. These days, he's gracing the pages of glossy magazines and--judging from his latest video--spending time partying with Japanese business men.

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