Typical Girls: Women in Punk/Post-Punk/Underground Music (Circa 1975-1980s)

[WWWhatsup <joly AT dti.net>]

[Helen's book launch and the Slits @ McCarren -
lots of great pics on the page - yes I wrote to
her about that Ana clunker]

 http://bbcamerica.com/content/216/index.jsp    

Lost Women of Rock FOUND!

posted Tuesday, August 28, 2007


Emotion and excitement bubbled like the champagne at the lunch in
London's hip Portobello Road that writer, artist and activist
Caroline Coon put together for 'The Lost Women of Rock Music:
female musicians of the punk era,' (Ashgate Books) by Dr. Helen
Reddington. It was old home week for first wave punk rock grrrlz,
and British punk legends, Lora Logic, and her old bandmate in X
Ray Spex, Poly Styrene, were both there with personality-packed
daughters! There were also various MoDettes, Belle Stars, and
others.

Caroline gave a great speech, which you will be able to see a bit
of right here (coming soon!). The author used to play in a
Brighton punk band called The Chefs as Helen McCookeryBook.
Classic punk rage at how girl punk musicians have been ignored
and written out of history -- see, that's why it starts with
"his"! -- inspired Helen to write this valuable book. It began as
an academic thesis but will reach much further.

The seriously cool guys, like Kurt Cobain, who championed the
Raincoats, and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, do get the greatness
of the girls. Supported by London's original punky reggae female
rockers, the Slits, Sonic Youth performed the whole of their
'Daydream Nation,' at McCarren Pool, a hipster hangout in
Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Onstage Moore hailed up the Slits and
called Ari Up "My hero!" Although Thurston later humbly said "I
just kept my head down and tried to get through to the end," the
show really felt like a journey, epic and emotional. Kim Gordon
is a sultry, brooding rock star, with a fluid, forceful bass
style, who scores double 'cos guys love her and the females in
the audience all sense she's a sister.

The new generation of Slits, like Hollie Cook, keep the vibe
alive. Hollie is original punk rock royalty as her father's Paul,
the drummer of the Sex Pistols, and her mother is Jennie of the
Belle Stars, who was in great form at the Women In Punk lunch.
You can also hear Hollie on 'Milk And Honey,' the single from a
new release that I love, called "Survival of The Fattest:
Battling the forces of evil with hippy reggae," by Prince Fatty.
It's the new project by Mike Pelanconi, the producer/engineer who
made the smash "Alright, Still," with Lily Allen.


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