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Gem - Killjoys |
| "Kevin
wanted to make more of Gil's appearance on stage...he encouraged the
wearing of a basque...fish net stockings and other sexually alluring
clothing.." Keith Rimell 2001 |
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Siouxsie & The Banshees |
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Siouxsie "I don't want to appear as some kind of women's libber 'cos I'
not, but neither am I someone who lets herself be pushed around and
manipulated- I've got a mind of my own."
Severin " On her own Siouxsie wouldn't present so much of a threat but
because she's a girl in a band they get scared and don't want to know."
Zigzag October 1977
"I don't know how Siouxsie copes with playing to these
arseholes, screaming to see her tits, grabbing her legs and gobbing at her. I get
immense pleasure when she raps one of these wankers with a mike stand or kicks
someone in the head who's too amorous though they probably like it." Nils
Stevenson. Vacant p107
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Patti
Smith |
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".. A lot of Patti's
problems stem from youth and looks being conspicuous in their absence. ..her
declarations of intent have tended towards the mawkish...she really tries to be
some jerks idea of a totally feminine woman, right down to the virgin white
party dress...The only sleeve she was ever cute on was 'Horses' when she
..looked like the winner of the international "Dyke you'd like to take home
contest". Her attempts at femininity look like parodies, like drag without
the padding." Julie Burchill Wave review NME 5/579
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Penetration |
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Pauline Murray on Patti Smith
"I also admire her because she hasn't used sex to get where she is; she's
sexy but she hasn't blatantly used that the way Blondie has. She shouldn't have
to."
"I'm always aware that people see a girl singer as an obvious attraction
. Its up to me to show it isn't like that...I don't think I
flaunt myself for instance" Zigzag June 78
"When you (Pauline Murray) are endowed with a vocal talent physical attributes and hammy theatrics are
superfluous. Not for her the mean ice goddess
from Death Valley posing of Siouxsie, the fixed sultriness of Gaye Advert, nor
the move over Fiona Richmond I'm this years wet dream fantasy enacted by
Deborah Harry." Gavin Martin Live review 3/3/79.
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The
Modettes |
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"Sexuality in Rock'n'roll is one more area found to weighed down heavily by
its history and language. While none could or should deny the aspects of
sexual interest and thrill inherent in live music, the performance space
is problematically male-dominated." NME Ian Penman Aug 1979
Jane "We just go out as ourselves, we're all pretty vain girls."
Kate "There's a bit of a reaction against girls like the
Raincoats, who
try to cover it up...even though that's part of their lifestyle and they don't
really go out of their way to dress like that , its just a a way of saying: just
because I'm a girl, don't expect me to do anything..."
Jane "Women or girls
are individual; they can wear what they like."
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The
Raincoats |
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Ana:"
The music is probably different...its a good feel to explore and see what
women together can do - -musically that's new...there is probably some
tradition in the music because we've listened mostly to men's...Ithink its
good...to see what the whole thing is and maybe create another tradition
and also find out about ourselves." Fanzine Mental Children #1 1980.
Raincoats Gina Anna Vicky Zigzag May 1980
ZZ Do you really think women need to be pushed into getting up and playing on
stage ??
V. Of course . Women need all the encouragement they can get . I mean they
haven't had much in the past have they ?
G. And even going to gigs
A. It hasn't been men that encouraged women
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| Sue Pragvec. NME 16/6/79 "I have a chip on my shoulder.
People are always
telling me how to behave, because I behave badly. They say I shouldn't
fart or belch, so I fart and belch. They say I shouldn't swear, so I swear. I
upset people. I'm not a girl or a lady, I'm a woman." |
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Toyah
Wilcox |
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"..she declines to bare her breasts as at one point she implies. She even
lowers her knickers for a handy photographer who is as disinterested as
everyone else." Susan Fletcher Toyah Live Review NME 5/5/79 |
| Ludus. NME 17/2/1979.
There are a number of menstrual images in the songs. Arthur: "Simply,
Linder's writing the lyrics, and every 28 days she's gonna start bleeding."
Linder: "Yeah, it's really simple. I just think it's a resource you can
use." |
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"First on Girlschool ignored the incessant abuse and strutted the boards
stiffly reproducing a set of pedestrian heavy metal licks, boring everyone
to tears. Four girls, the bassist roaring like Patti Smith with a mouthful of
gravel, the two guitarists striking butch poses. The Slits were even worse when
I first saw them but Girlschool seem to have gone as far as they can
with the present format. No one needs a female Alice Cooper." Kim Davis NME
20/6/1978 Girlschool support Sham 69 at the Harlesden Roxy.
Enid. "The thing about heavy metal fans is they can't believe girls can
play their music."
Kelly " think they
are embarrassed to get into a band comprised
mainly of girls because the macho image is so strong."
Kim " But there are also some heavy metal fans who'll say , well,
Girlschool, there's no point in seeing them because they are all girls ." Zigzag July 1980
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Kelly
- Girlschool
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Plasmatics
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"You
know this is something that really makes me sick. All my idols in rock 'n'
roll have all been male. And me going out and being an overtly sexy female
and doing what I feel and what every male performer has done for
years, like straight eroticism...Our record company the only pictures they
are interested in are with my tits...I'm proud of my body, I work
out...but there's more much more to The Plasmatics than my body...My body
is just part of my whole attitude...Its that censorship thing, that male
thing that chauvinistic attitude. They have all these roles women are
supposed to play. Women are supposed to be barefoot pregnant and in the
kitchen. Women onstage are supposed to be almost asexual, a prude.
Its bullshit and it really infuriates me. In the front of our shows
there's always lots of girls...Girls like having a female out there doing
all this stuff...its about time they had someone to relate to who's not
afraid to be a woman stepping out and doing my thing and not being
inhibited." Wendy O'Williams Sounds 7/2 1981 |
So did punk change anything ?
| The
Iconoclasts were an all girl punk group from Liverpool. Here are
some comments from Zigzag April 1984 eight years after punk started.
"...round
here girls are automatically classed as slags if they're punks. We get
a lot of abuse, just because you wear a short skirt at some time or
other...you're going onstage and your audience are going to be mainly
male...and they're all going to be shouting things at you, taking
advantage of the fact you're girls 'coz there's no lads to stop them.
Also in a girl band you don't get taken seriously because you're
classed as a pair of tits onstage. You talk o promoters and they don't
take you seriously......when we played the 100 Club there was girls
sitting on the side of the stage...and that's what you've got to put
up with as well...Girls sitting there giving us filthy looks. We can't
understand that because if they haven't got the bottle to do it
themselves then why slag us down ?" |
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And from a Joan Jett
interview from 2002
The Bee: Overall, how many strides do you think have been made for
women in rock 'n' roll?
Jett: Very few. Very, very few. I still don't see any girls in rock
bands having hit records on the radio or getting any attention. It's very
frustrating to me and I don't get it. I know there's at least a few bands out
there that are attempting to play and tour, but beyond that, I don't know why
more girls aren't trying.
By Chris Macias -- Bee Pop Music Writer
(Published 6:47 a.m. PST Friday, May. 10, 2002)
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