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

[Sharon Cheslow <decomposition AT mindspring.com>]

Title: Re: [TypicalGirls] Girl Power (the book)

Can't wait to read it!  Thanks for the review Tobi.

Dina, I like your image of a giant constellation.  I guess the way I think about it is that there is some sort of recognizable constellation of women musicians, because women have learned to survive by forming networks with other women.  Or if they haven't, and they either don't align themselves with a female network or they are more male-centric, they nonetheless get grouped in with other women by virtue of gender.  But I don't think there's something uniquely female or feminine about these groups of women, other than that the female singing voice obviously has different sonic properties than the male singing voice - and looking at women one obviously notices physical differences.  So I think one can feel part of large feminist force while at the same time feeling part of other forces that have nothing to do with gender.

On a related side note - I saw Patti Smith do readings a week ago for her new book Just Kids, about her years in NY with Robert Mapplethorpe.  She was so inspiring!  I saw her at the Hammer Museum, doing a tribute to Harry Smith (who lived in the Chelsea Hotel with her and Robert), and at Skylight Books.  It's interesting that many women from the first wave of punk - like Patti Smith - didn't even consider themselves feminists.  Patti told a story about an interview she did with a "feminist magazine" (maybe Ms.?) in the '70s, and she joked that she didn't know why they'd want to interview her.

Sharon

> here's my review:
> http://jigsawunderground.blogspot.com/2010/02/girl-power-nineties-revolution-in-music.html
> On Sat, Feb 6, 2010 at 8:56 AM, Dina
> Hornreich <dina.hornreich AT gmail.com>
> wrote:
> > Is anyone else reading Marisa Meltzer's book on the
> > explosion of
> > women in rock/pop music in the 90s?
> >
> > I'm only halfway through it right now, but I do see it's relevance
> > to
> > this listserv. It begins with a chapter on riot grrrl, and it
> > includes interviews with list-members like Sharon Cheslow and Tobi
> > Vail.  I think she puts things into a historical perspective that
> > is
> > certainly valid (albeit a little subjective), and overlaps with
> > mine
> > (being from "that" generation).
> >
> > Reading it reminds me of a theory I never developed about women in
> > music being part of some kind of giant constellation rather than
> > unifying category in and of itself.  There is no one
> > identifying
> > factor, but taking a few gigantic steps back you can see something
> > uniquely identifyingly female. Or not.
> >
> > What is weird is that it keeps me wondering why I choose (or have
> > chosen) to listen to the music that I do -- to hear what's new and
> > innovative and interesting without overlooking the tendency of
> > women
> > to have been marginalized; to feel like I am part of something
> > bigger
> > and important (a feminist force); just because it catches me in
> > that
> > certain way.
> >
> > On an unrelated note, I have to thank the list for introducing me
> > to
> > bands like wetdog and the coathangers. Did we discuss tUnE-yArDs?
> > ...Dina
>