Women In Punk In Their Own Words Part 1

In Their Own Words. Part 1

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Suzi Quatro

Quatro recalls , for all you feminists out there, that her sex'n'leather image was all her own idea... I've always been against the women's movement as a unit... I'm all for women's rights , but not done as a group, 'cause that takes away from what they're trying to do. "She sees her own efforts to break the stereotyped image of female performers as useful: "That's the way you make progress, not by shouting and screaming and burning your bra, which now they're sorry they did because everybody's sagging..." Sounds 3/11/79

1978 Sat 10th January Rough Trade refuse to stock a record by Raped 'Pretty Little Paedophiles' describing it as "an insult to the women's movement."

Joan Jett - The Runaways

Girls got balls. They're just a little higher up, is all." Joan Jett 29/7/78

"The biggest show we played was opening for Rush. The show went ok, but Rush treated us like shit. They sneered at us because they had a real problem with girls playing rock'n'roll." Sandy West

Debbie Harry- Blondie

"Women are going to be the new Elvis's. That's the only place for rock 'n' roll to go. The only people who can express anything new in rock are girls and gays." 1981

Debbie Harry " I might not like it when a crowd shouts at me but I certainly thrive on it. If a band full of men is on stage and an audience of girls is screaming then everything is as it should be...but if its a girl on stage then suddenly everything is cheap because I'm a girl and they're not used to that. If it was the Bay City Rollers up there then everything would be cool."

On the Rip It To Shreds poster. " Listen I was furious when I saw that fuckin' ad ! I told them not to put out anymore - and they didn't !" NME 4/2/ 78

I think I'm going to have trouble because people tend to put the sexuality first. I hope they don't. That's what I am trying to fight. I want to be recognised as an artist. Kate Bush 25/3/78

Poly Styrene - X Ray Spex

Poly Styrene.." you know, I said that I wasn't a sex symbol and that if anybody tried to make me one I'd shave my head tomorrow." 13.5.87

"...it would be gratifying to se a woman with negligible sex appeal make it a s a star - especially one with a brace on her teeth." Phil McNeill NME 12/12/1977

"Predictably, poly Styrene has been the object of numerous vitriolic attacks by a threatened coterie of male writers....simply because they're the type who seethe at the sight of a girl on stage who declines to be a brainless Barbi-doll flashing her cami-knickers. Tony Parsons. Dayglo single review NME 2/3/1978

Gaye Advert- The Adverts

"I've been accused of copying the bassist of Talking Heads' cause I'm female. Just 'cause I'm female. " Gaye Sniffing Glue 7 1977

"People have since told me that I influenced them...I think punk spawned women in bands that were a lot more exciting than the boring female singers that came before." Punk 77 20/2/2001

"The media would concentrate on irrelevant things like clothes or be extra critical of my playing in the same way that some men are prejudiced against women drivers." Punk 77 20/2/2001

"The Roxy...I wasn't made to feel conscious of the fact that I was female there as I was by the rock press". Vacant - A Diary Of The Punk Years Nils & Ray Stevenson

"..The Adverts left me cold .Oh so bored Gaye Advert drags most songs down to a dirge with her plodding bass lines." Adrian Thrills NME 18/2/1978

Click here for Gaye Advert Interview

Arri "We're just not interested in questions about women's Liberation.. you either think chauvinism is shit or you don't. We think its shit."

Viv. "The idea that we are a gimmick is something that will go in time . The more women rock stars there are , the less we will be seen like that...We're not playing in a rock'n' roll band in a calculated way...it just comes naturally. I find it confusing there aren't more girls in rock bands."

Arri " They never try.. The Runaways tried but they're shit" 1988 Punk Rock Explosion

"We always get a few people who are going "get 'em off"...We don't get dead quiet audiences...good atmospheres." Punk Rock Virginia Boston

The Slits

" I love those visual come-ons that draw me to the stage, lusting for the Slits and loving being manipulated so easily. Musically they go for the white noise technique rather than a tune trip." Tony D Ripped and Torn fanzine.

" The Slits were the first band on...For the first song Arriana was wearing an old grey mac and every so often she opened it like she was a flasher...it just seemed to me she was just giving the boys a cheap thrill ( judging by the wolf whistles she received) I found it rather embarrassing. She took off the mac and underneath she wore a slaggy leather miniskirt with fishnet tights......They were going to put the Runaways to shame, but how can they when they are using nearly the same tactics" Live review by Sharon & Spike 'Punk' by Julie Davis

"The Slits came on and ravaged their way through a brilliant set. By the way Arianna has a super pair of legs." LA Silver. Viva La Resistance. Fanzine. Preston

Caroline Coon. Noone pretends they are making much more than a great noise...

Viv " I never liked any women in rock'n'roll...It wasn't until I met Chrissie Hynde that I saw myself as a guitarist...she was the first girl...who played the guitar without looking like Joni Mitchell. And it was great."

Shanne - The Nipple Erectors
	'there weren't that many female musicians around...it was tough i felt i had to be able to play harder and faster than a bloke to be accepted, taken seriously, it aint funny when ya have a couple of skinheads gobbing atcha for target practise in an empty hall in farnham,surrey and the long haired sound man smirking one bloke even cut off the guitar strings to stop me from playing, that was when i was first learning i enjoyed all the bands it seemed like there were new ones with familiar faces every night. My favourite female was Polly Styrene i used to go see x-ray spex at the worlds end, chelsea everytime .The others mostly seemed too catty and aloof for me.like 6th form prefects with safe carefully styled/coloured salon hair and fetish fashion items .' Punk 77 interview 2002 Click here for Shanne Interview

The Lous from Robin Banks Zigzag 79 December 77. The Lous were a French all girl band who supported the Clash on one of their tours. Here's a brief description of the atmosphere women could face onstage. "They made their British debut at Dunfermline...as I've already explained, there has been some adverse reaction to the band from British audiences ( mainly at Sheffield, where I saw them pelted with glasses and gob throughout their set)..."

Part 2