hi...welcome to the first issue of RawkGrrl : )...a little something I wanted to say about Sonic Youth's album "Dirty": some consider this to be SY's "sellout" album. I think that's complete bullshit. Yes, it does have a more polished, produced sound, but by no means is it the generic crap that some people say it is. Just because a band has a more accessible kind of rock sound doesn't mean they've sold out. Sold out, in my opinion, is when the band doesn't give a damn about creating good music, but instead care more about selling tons of albums, getting vids played on mtv, and selling every ticket to a huge arena show (although I detest arena rock, just because a band plays an arena doesn't make them a sellout). Selling albums and getting radio and video airplay aren't bad things at all, but it is if thats the only thing a band cares about. And that sure as hell doesn't describe Sonic Youth. I won't argue that Dirty is as "experimental" as some of their other stuff, its not. But I haven't heard anything else like this...or to quote Thurston himself: "what's experimental? anyone can make a fucking racket." Well anyways, here's the first issue, its finally done, hope you enjoy it : )
See you in June!
Ani Di Franco has been playing gigs since she was nine and living on her own since she was 15; she's been free ever since.
She started her own record label, Righteous Babe Records, in 1990, and released her first album at the ago of 20. Eight years and six albums later, she's released "Little Plastic Castle", an amazing new album which has been quoted by "Jump" magazine as "Courtney Love with an acoustic guitar." Every major label would kill to sign her, but she wishes they'd get the hell of her answering maching. She's happy doing it herself.
Despite her 5'2" frame, people still seem to be afraid of her. She told Rolling Stone that at a photo session, "the photographer must have been prepped, because he las like 'is it okay if I click the camera now? Is it okay if I step to the left?' "
"PEOPLE THINK I'LL HAVE FANGS AND A PUPPY HANGING OUT OF MY MOUTH"
-Ani in Rolling Stone, Feb. '97
Ani loves doing tours and the heavy girl vibe that comes with it. There's always a feeling of strength at her shows and she recognizes men's bravery for coming to her concerts, but she hates the fact that they're starting to relate to her.
Her feminism and sexual orientation has often been the basis of interviews. She remembers one interview as having every question about masturbation, or who she fucked, hit, and cried over. For many years, people just assumed she was a lesbian, but she tells Spin magazine different. The fact is, she has a boyfriend, Andrew "Goat Boy" Gilchrist and they like to take turns with their gender. "He's more of a gril than I am!"
"I'M THE STOMPY-BOOTED, SORT OF BUTCHY, GO-GIRL FOLKSTRESS AND I'M SUPPOSED TO ROLL WITH THAT LIKE I'M A CARICATURE OF MYSELF."
-Ani in Spin, August '97
"For many, many years, simply walking into a guitar store was almost an act of courage because it was very much a boy's club. They would kind of look you up and down and say, "Hi, honey, you here to get something for your boyfriend?" Now you walk into a guitar stroe and its full of teenage girls," she tells Rolling Stone.
The majority of her fans are women and she is almost considered a superhero for them. But when women yell out "Men are pigs!" at her shows, she knows why people stereotype her. She's attracted almost as many screaming girls as the Beatles, although she hates "that screaming thing."
Ani has made a living with touring and admits that her studio albums "suck the big one." Even so, she seems to be selling tons of albums like her peak, 1995's "Not a Pretty Girl", which sold 112,000 copies. She still refuses to sign with a major label cause they have nothing she wants. She's making $4.00 an album, while the usual superstars are only making $2.00 an album. "Who's got the better deal?" she asks.
Her fans have the better deal: she gives people a chance to have someone to relate to and she sings about real life. All her music is intensely real and she's done it all by herself.
If you want to send letters to Ani, here's the address:
Ani DiFranco
c/o Righteous Babe Records
P.O. Box 95 Elliot Station
Buffalo, NY 14205
What started out as something of a mild interest has expanded into something else...I first discovered vinyl records about a year ago when I joined the Pumpkins mailing list, Listessa, and found out all about the rare SP vinyl there was...so started my chase. I didn't have much luck finding SP stuff at first. Then I found a Disarm 12". Then I has a hugely lucky find of Pisces Iscariot 12"+bonus 7" on vinyl, and dirt cheap no less ($6 for Pisces on vinul, oh yes I was very pleased with that find : ) Thats the only super-rare SP vinyl I have now, although I have all their albums but MCIS on vinyl. Once I got all these cool vinyls, I wanted more. So now I've been collecting for almost a year, and in addition to the previously mentioned SP stuff, I've got Hole, Veruca Salt, Everclear, Sonic Youth, Sleater-Kinney...it goes on...unfortunately, unlike cd's which I almost always buy used (and therefore, cheap) vinyl is a different story. For someone used to buying a cd for almost never more than 8 or 9 bucks (and very often, a lot less), and only buying new cd's if it was a new release I couldn't wait for (like Veruca Salt's 2nd album, or James Iha's solo album) but when I found a Gish vinyl for $11, I didn't think twice. I haven't lost all self restraint...I found a Nirvana limited edition picture disk (a vinyl record with a picutre actually embedded in the record) for 40 bucks and I didn't get it. But believe me, I wanted that thing very, very bad. I recently decided I'm going to cut down on buying cd's and other stuff to save for a guitar...but we'll see how long that lasts, considering a friend of mine who works at a record store told me if I was looking for certain stuff, he might be able to order it cheap for me. So now, if I'm lucky, I might finally get a Mellon Collie 3-LP, and Veruca Salt's Eight Arms To Hold You on 12". And just last week, I found out how to walk to this great record store from school, and I've not got a Sleater-Kinney 10" EP, and Sonic Youth and James Iha 12" singles. So much for saving cash.
*No Longer An Enjoyable Outing: The Decline of the Alternative Music Scene in Australia* by Starla
It seemed so long ago when one would venture out-of-doors, face the natural light, and cringe at all the passing faces, just to see a favorite band. Eyes wide with excitement, you would travel to the desired destination, crumpled money or torn ticket in your pocked, and the journey would be filled with laughter. One aspect that made the journey fun was seeing all the different people, their weird and wacky ways, you felt special that you had something in common with them. But that is all in the past.
Things have changed. It could be that I've grown older, and have become less enthused in the active way of enjoying a band, but I just don't remember people being so stupid. Things have lost their appeal.
I noticed this when I went to Victoria's "Big Day Out" (a large music festival, similar to that of the Lollapalooza tour.) I remember it have a certain appeal that extraordinary people attended-all of whom had sense and an intelligent approach to seeing a live band. But the last "Big Day Out" turned out to be a major "Big Dickheads Day Out." I know that I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but these idiotic people were all basically the same, appearance wise and more importantly, attitude wise. I could spot them a mile away.
What first caught my eye was the colored hairspray, green may be one of my favorite colors, but I'm so sick of it I'm beginning to change my mind. If you happen to want your hair to be that color, then display some guts, bleach your hair and use proper dye! Hairspray of this kind is for wimps who are too chicken to show how gutsy they are. If you are going to do it, please do it with integrity. None of this half-hearted shit. (Not to mention that this crappy spray stains not only your scalp, face, any bare skin and light colored clothing when exposed to moisture, but it also stains other people who are nearby, and I don't think that people appreciate having their clothing stained-I know that I don't.)
Following this I noticed many other aspects to these scene destroyers. They all had one thing in common-clothing that is seen as "grungely cool," or what we call as "teeny-bopper" clothing. What I mean by this is clothes that were once on the runways in the early 1990's-the typical "Seattle scene" clothing, only with an even more try-hard approach, e.g. jeans that are cut with scissors to get the ripped look effect, etc. Better yet, the just-bought Nirvana t-shirts (I'm not putting Nirvana down-I really like their music,) midriff tops, crappy radio station t-shirts, surf clothing, etc. These people are most probably the ones to blame for ruining these kinds of events. Not that clothing means much but the attitude that goes with these clothes is appalling.
The majority of males that I saw with such clothing and their corresponding attitudes were beyond primitive. I felt like I was a cave women who was constantly attacked, especially in the mosh pit. On a number of occasions I was punched and hit in the upper regions, whilst my lower half was being kicked and trampled on. I was pushed to the ground-no thanks to the idiot standing on my feet and the ohters pushing from one side-the response I got was two people helping me up, out of a possible ten (so much for helping your neighbor). I know I wasn't the only one abused in this manner. I had to help people get out of the mosh, no thanks to many dickheads who thought it was cool to continue moshing when the music had stopped. Having to yell at people and physically make them move is annoying, and also not my job. If I wanted to be a security guiard and to do crowd control, then I would hvae applied for such a position. I used to have a saying "if you can't handle the mosh pit then stay out" but now I've decided that maybe I should change it to "if you can't mosh intelligently, then stay the fuck out."
It saddens me that people think that such events are for them only to enjoy, when its not like that at all. Events of this nature are not for 'me' but for everyone. If I'm decent enough to have some respect for the people around me then I expect to receive the same in return. I don't think that such an expectation is being selfish, I think that is a reasonable request. Wouldn't you expect that of me?
After some time of serious considering, I decided to venture out to find another basis for my report, to go along side with what I had already experienced. This time I traveled 1800 kilometers to Queensland's most treasured festival, that being "Livid."
I had a new perspective on this festival, I thought that maybe it was Victoria where the cocksuckers hung out, but boy I soon found out the truth. No matter where you go, travel distant lands, you are sure to still see them-inconsiderate macho, and petite insecure scenesters...they are everywhere.
I saw all that I had seen at the "Big Day Out" and more. There was the traditional green hairspray, drunken boys with their trademark V.B. (Victorian Bitter-beer, in other words) can in their hands, girls who were screaming at the mere sight of some good-looking, blond surfer 'dude' with his commercial stamp-a Nirvana t-shirt. But I saw more. The scantily clad girl in her bikini top and shorter than short shorts, flirting with surrounding boys while at the same time trying to keep herself covered as they discreetly tried to remove her top whilst in the mosh. Oh, but there was still more. The surfer dudes who brought their body boards to the mosh pit, in search of the perfect 'body' wave. This soon proved the typicality of everyone in this scene.
The "Big Day Out" and "Livid" were not the only festivals that showed that the alternative scene has declined into the aggressive, narcissistic creature that it is now. Other festivals that proved it were "Rock Above The Falls" and the "Offshore" festival. Concerts that also highlighted the fact were Bjork, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tool, Garbage, and Korn, to name a few. Also add numerous local gigs, for example, Tumbleweed, The Mavis's, and the Cosmic Psycho's. They only ones that come to mind that were acceptable are the "Summersault" festival, the Smashing Pumpkins concert (both of them), Marilyn Manson, and Fugazi.
We have become a group of individuals which, I feel, used to be so close in our connection with music, but have had members either thrown upon us, or they have merely changed, which has wreaked havoc on our society. Our admiration for all those who were similar has diminished. We have bcome selfish anc conceited, caring for nothing, even those around us. An era I held so dear has passed, like the turning of the page of an old deteriorating book, everything has crumbled. The fabric has become unwoven. The structure has simply become a heap of rubble. This may not have been perfect before but things have changed for teh worse and it will never be the same.
For all those who, after reading this, find themselves guilty of the violent manner displayed in mosh pits, please realize that you are doing harm to others, so grow up!!!
The guys at my school talk about their guitars
When I try to join in they act like I'm from Mars
Although I may not know quite as much as them
They should give me more of a chance before they begin to condemn
This is not another lonely lost-girl-with-a-guitar type of rhyme
I'm sick of being treated dumb and now it's past my time
To rebel against those men who think I don't know jack
And correct them on their mistakes and do it with a little tact
So that time when I rise above and become bass player extraordinaire
They'll come and try to collaborate with me, talk to me, if they dare
Yes, I need to learn more about equalizers and pedals
But my distortion will be my screaming, one of those women rebels
My bass will be part of my body, an extension of my arm
My boots will stomp all over their hands, I'll cause much alarm
People will talk about my power on stage
Cause thats the way I get it out, my anger and my rage
And for now I'll try to make myself known
I'll learn it all on my own
With little help from those guys who make me feel inferior
That way, someday they'll come to me and I'll be superior
And right now I'll teach myself about equalizers and pedals
And my distortion is my screaming, one of those women rebels