The frontman, a demonic whirl of confrontational action and reaction in concert by all breathless accounts, seems like quite a character.
According to the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Taylor intended the piece to be "confrontational"; he admitted, "the worst reaction you could give my work is no reaction".
In "The Master," Anderson created sharp and confrontational images that provoked intense reactions from Phoenix and lent those reactions a powerful physicality.
Her impatient, confrontational populism can be seen as a reaction against the disorder amplified and travestied by punk, but her impatience with decorum and hypocrisy, her assault on customs and institutions, was itself a form of punk.
That attitude may explain why Birmingham has produced so much screamingly loud, confrontational music, from Napalm Death to the Negative Reaction label, alongside quieter outliers such as Broadcast, drone label Oaken Palace or electronica imprint the Irrational Media Society.
But any type of facial surgery can spark strong reactions, including silence, stares, gossip and confrontational remarks.
Wal-Mart's response was surprisingly less confrontational.
Another source of suffering, unanimously shared by all participants, was the reactions from confidants, as disclosure was frequently an unexpected, confrontational, and emotional event.
The interviews were held in a non-confrontational way to avoid defensive reactions.
