I guess it'd be different if they thought we were human
Revolution! Grrrl Style Now!!!
Support female artists
“Female artists have ventured to celebrate girlhood as a means of fostering female youth subculture and of constructing narratives that disrupt patriarchal discourse within traditionally male rock subcultures” (Wald, p. 588).
Music as a medium for self-discovery and progression, personally and politically, remains consistently operative and successful in its far reaching capacity. I know it has been a passion of mine since I can remember and this week’s reading all about feminism, girl culture, and music as an outlet and channel is right up my alley! Since I could write a novel with all my thoughts, opinions, insights, and inquisitions on the matter of females in punk and indie rock I will stick to those I am most familiar with.
I loved Wald’s article based on Gwen Stefanie circa No Doubt because she was a staple character in the anti-corporate girl power movement. Wald does not attempt to argue the positive or negatives of the matter, but explores the context and discourse created by the paradoxical girl-power movement, where female characters are using constructed ideals of girlhood as tools of denying the tyranny of patriarchal methods previously employed in the female music world.
Some seemingly innocent, such as the harmonious yet jolting musical compositions and lyrics of the Canadian lesbian sister duo, Tegan and Sara, while some make a point to be brash and evident in their displeasure of the status quo, such as Kathleen Hanna’s projects: Julie Ruin, Bikini Kill, and the existing electronic/dance feminist group Le Tigre.
Kathleen Hanna is my personal hero and definitely one of my favorite musicians. As the chief representative of Riot Grrrl, she has kept the movement and activism alive via passionate creations of music and been the controversial voice for the Riot Grrrl movement.
A song created in the 1990s with her sophomore group, Julie Ruin, is one of my most favorite and I would love to share the lyrics with you, and then go download it! While you are at it, check out the other girl bands mentioned in our text. Maybe even get inspired to create your own girl rock band!
“How many girls stay awake all night
too scared to sleep and too scared to fight back
i know you know what i'm talking about
another woman killed and hardly a pout about it
green river killer my f***ing ass
the cops have gotta be deaf, dumb, and spastic
to not catch the killer of one hundred woman
i guess it'd be different if they thought we were human
i wanna know what love is
what the f**k if we all got guns
to off the f***ing pigs and all the other motherf***ers
raping the children they paint like dolls
jon benet didn't scream because she never f***ing was
come on now the police aren't gonna save you
they're part of the problem that society gave you
locking up black men for whistling in the wind
you see a mirage when you call the cop your friend
i wanna know what love is
the killers and the cops give us special advice
like cross your legs and act f**king nice
while they kill us off old and f**king young
for breathing, relieving, and having fun
they'll keep you scared so you have to have a boyfriend
and take your kids away if you're a la la lesbian
arrest you for whoring then rape you in the car
it's time we point the finger at who the real criminals are
i wanna know what love is
i want you to show me
so i'll stay awake almost every night
a pen in my hand and in the other a knife
because i'd rather be scared and fight back
than be some dick's maid, babe or wife"
The discourse in these lyrics accurately convey the anger and frustration caused by an unjust political system and this is the reason we still need these strong female figures producing art that challenges the ideals perpetuated by the corporate rock world and our capitalistic worldview, especially when we have people saying there is no need for feminism!
Marina Maresca
Support female artists
“Female artists have ventured to celebrate girlhood as a means of fostering female youth subculture and of constructing narratives that disrupt patriarchal discourse within traditionally male rock subcultures” (Wald, p. 588).
Music as a medium for self-discovery and progression, personally and politically, remains consistently operative and successful in its far reaching capacity. I know it has been a passion of mine since I can remember and this week’s reading all about feminism, girl culture, and music as an outlet and channel is right up my alley! Since I could write a novel with all my thoughts, opinions, insights, and inquisitions on the matter of females in punk and indie rock I will stick to those I am most familiar with.
I loved Wald’s article based on Gwen Stefanie circa No Doubt because she was a staple character in the anti-corporate girl power movement. Wald does not attempt to argue the positive or negatives of the matter, but explores the context and discourse created by the paradoxical girl-power movement, where female characters are using constructed ideals of girlhood as tools of denying the tyranny of patriarchal methods previously employed in the female music world.
Some seemingly innocent, such as the harmonious yet jolting musical compositions and lyrics of the Canadian lesbian sister duo, Tegan and Sara, while some make a point to be brash and evident in their displeasure of the status quo, such as Kathleen Hanna’s projects: Julie Ruin, Bikini Kill, and the existing electronic/dance feminist group Le Tigre.
Kathleen Hanna is my personal hero and definitely one of my favorite musicians. As the chief representative of Riot Grrrl, she has kept the movement and activism alive via passionate creations of music and been the controversial voice for the Riot Grrrl movement.
A song created in the 1990s with her sophomore group, Julie Ruin, is one of my most favorite and I would love to share the lyrics with you, and then go download it! While you are at it, check out the other girl bands mentioned in our text. Maybe even get inspired to create your own girl rock band!
“How many girls stay awake all night
too scared to sleep and too scared to fight back
i know you know what i'm talking about
another woman killed and hardly a pout about it
green river killer my f***ing ass
the cops have gotta be deaf, dumb, and spastic
to not catch the killer of one hundred woman
i guess it'd be different if they thought we were human
i wanna know what love is
what the f**k if we all got guns
to off the f***ing pigs and all the other motherf***ers
raping the children they paint like dolls
jon benet didn't scream because she never f***ing was
come on now the police aren't gonna save you
they're part of the problem that society gave you
locking up black men for whistling in the wind
you see a mirage when you call the cop your friend
i wanna know what love is
the killers and the cops give us special advice
like cross your legs and act f**king nice
while they kill us off old and f**king young
for breathing, relieving, and having fun
they'll keep you scared so you have to have a boyfriend
and take your kids away if you're a la la lesbian
arrest you for whoring then rape you in the car
it's time we point the finger at who the real criminals are
i wanna know what love is
i want you to show me
so i'll stay awake almost every night
a pen in my hand and in the other a knife
because i'd rather be scared and fight back
than be some dick's maid, babe or wife"
The discourse in these lyrics accurately convey the anger and frustration caused by an unjust political system and this is the reason we still need these strong female figures producing art that challenges the ideals perpetuated by the corporate rock world and our capitalistic worldview, especially when we have people saying there is no need for feminism!
Marina Maresca
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