When Feminism Rocks. Revolution. Grrrl-style.

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Pentru un consumator de mainstream (rock sau nu) pare sa existe putine modele feminine in muzica, artiste care sa insemne mai mult decat interprete ale unor melodii foarte populare, compuse si produse de alti muzicieni. In spatele unei industrii rock suprasaturate de ‘masculi feroce’ chiar exista multe femei care manuiesc instrumente muzicale, care isi compun propria muzica, artiste care aleg ca mod de exprimare aceasta arta… Doar ca ele nu sunt la fel de proeminente ca Britney Spears.

O parte dintre aceste muziciene sunt incluse in miscarea Riot Grrrl (RG).

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Riot Grrrl nu este doar o tendinta vestimentara[1] sau o ‘moda’ care sa dispara la scurt timp dupa ce a fost ‘lansata’, cum se intampla cu acest gen de fenomene. Riot Grrrl nu este doar un curent muzical, chiar daca muzica a jucat un rol foarte important in cadrul ei. Prin intermediul miscarii au fost discutate si rediscutate multe chestiuni politice si sociale legate de sexism, hartuire si abuz, homofobie si fat oppression[2], atat prin muzica, arta, cat si prin literatura, publicatii (zines[3]) si impartasirea unor experiente.
Contrar cu ceea ce unii sustin de la ‘media black out’-ul din toamna 1992, RG nu a disparut.[4]

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f-word mixtape no. 1

din zina The F-Word, spring 2006:

“don’t give a damn ’bout my reputation” mix tape playlist —
1. joan jett & the blackhearts“bad reputation”
bad reputation (1981)
2. eve’s plum“lipstuck”
cherry alive (1995)
3. kendall payne“supermodels”
jordan’s sister (1999)
4. dixie chicks“goodbye earl”
fly (1999)
5. patty griffin“sweet lorraine”
living with ghosts (1996)
6. the nields“this town is wrong”
if you lived here you’d be home now (2000)
7. anne heaton“black notebook”
black notebook (2003)
8. tori amos“silent all these years”
little earthquakes (1992)
9. rasputina“girls’ school”
frustration plantation (2004)
10. cree summer“curious white boy”
street faerie (1999)
11. le tigre“fake french”
feminist sweepstakes (2001)
12. x-ray spex“oh bondage, up yours!”
germ free adolescents (1978)
13. the distillers“seneca falls”
sing sing death house (2002)
14. bikini kill“rebel girl”
the cd version of the first two records (1992)
15. ani difranco“not a pretty girl”
not a pretty girl (1995)

and you’ll find yr place in the world, girl

the gossip, another best band ever:

standing in the way of control, 2005

  • “fire with fire”
    listen
    it ain’t the end of the world girl,
    you’ll find yr place in the world girl,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire.
    big or small,
    it makes no difference,
    what part of town,
    or what shape yr in,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire.

    oh oh oh,
    you gotta run run,
    we’re gonna find you,
    oh oh oh,
    you turn around,
    we’re right behind you,
    hey hey hey,
    then they’ll see,
    that the bigger we are,
    the harder they fall.

    no it ain’t the end of the world girl,
    you’ll find yr place in the world girl,
    all you gotta do is stand up,
    and fight fire with fire,
    in the end no one is innocent,
    big or small it makes no difference,
    get up, stand out and hold yr head up higher.

movement, 2003

  • “don’t (make waves)” (lyrics)

home alive compilation ii: flying sidekick, 2001

  • “i want it now”

fete tipice

apropos de mini-documentarul despre femei in punk numit “typical girls” [partea 1, partea 2, partea 3], doua piese clasice – si versurile:

  • the slits: “typical girls” (cut, 1979)

    Don’t create
    Don’t rebel
    Have intuition
    Can’t decide

    Typical girls get upset too quickly
    Typical girls can’t control themselves
    Typical girls are so confusing
    Typical girls – you can always tell
    Typical girls don’t think too clearly
    Typical girls are unpredictable
    Predictable

    Typical girls try to be
    Typical girls very well

    Typical girls are looking for something
    Typical girls fall under spells
    Typical girls buy magazines
    Typical girls feel like hell
    Typical girls worry about spots, fat, and natural smells
    Stinky fake smells

    Typical girls try to be
    Typical girls very well

    Don’t create
    Don’t rebel
    Have intution
    Don’t drive well

    Typical girls try to be
    Typical girls very well

    Can’t decide what clothes to wear
    Typical girls are sensitive
    Typical girls are emotional
    Typical girls are cruel and bewitching
    She’s a femme fatale
    Typical girls stand by their men
    Typical girls are really swell
    Typical girls learn how to act shocked
    Typical girls don’t rebel

    Who invented the typical girl?
    Who’s bringing out the new improved model?
    And there’s another marketing ploy
    Typical girl gets the typical boy

    The typical boy gets the typical girl
    The typical girl gets the typical boy

  • x-ray spex: “oh bondage (up yours)” (germ-free adolescents, 1978)

    Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard
    But i think
    Oh Bondage Up Yours!

    Bind me tie me
    Chain me to the wall I wanna be a slave
    To you all

    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more
    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more

    Chain-store chain-smoke
    I consume you all
    Chain-gang chain-mail
    I don’t think at all

    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more
    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more

    Thrash me crash me
    Beat me till I fall
    I wanna be a victim
    For you all

    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more
    Oh bondage up yours
    Oh bondage no more

[exista si typicalgirls, “an e-mail based music dialogue and discussion group for the discovery of (and appreciation for) the unknown legends in women’s punk/post-punk/underground music history. TG ideally focuses on pre-riot grrrl female innovators in music circa 1975-80s. Discussion includes, but is not limited to:
the Slits, the Raincoats, Y Pants, Ut, ESG, X-Ray Spex (Poly Styrene), Essential Logic (Lora Logic), Young Marble Giants (Alison Statton), Gudrun Gut, Ikue Mori (DNA), X (Exene Cervenka), Delta 5, Alice Bag, Girls at Our Best! (Judy Evans), Patti Smith, Lene Lovich, Laurie Anderson, The Adverts, Jane Aire and the Belvederes, Lydia Lunch, Siouxsie and the Banshees (Siouxsie Sioux), LiliPUT/Kleenex, Rezillos/Revillos (Faye Fife), Shop Assistants, Penetration (Pauline Murray), Diamanda Galas, Yoko Ono, The Runaways, Lemon Kittens (Danielle Dax), Mo-dettes, Bush Tetras, The Avengers (Penelope Houston), Passions (Barbara Gogan), Helen Wheels, Moe Tucker, Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics), Talking Heads (Tina Weymouth), Pretenders, Fastbacks, Martha and the Muffins, Dolly Mixture, Pearl Harbour, Phranc, Thalia Zedek (Come, Dangerous Birds, Uzi, Live Skull), Marine Girls, Palmolive, Catholic Girls, Toyah, Altered Images (Clare Grogan), Holly and the Italians, Rachel Sweet, Belle Stars, Snatch, Kirsty MacColl, The Motels, Romeo Void, Nina Hagen, the Au Pairs, Hazel O’Connor, Pauline Black (Selector), Marianne Faithfull, Girlschool, Debbie Harry, Poison Girls, Joolz, Vice Squad (Becki Bondage), Niagara Falls (Destroy All Monsters), Prag Vec,
and many, many other innovative female musicians“]

ladyfest romania 2007

declaratie de intentie, ladyfest romania (bucuresti) 2007:

festivalul “ladyfest” a luat fiinta in olympia, sua, in anul 2000, si s-a extins de atunci la nivel international. din colectivul ladyfest romania fac parte fete si femei care au pus in scena si au participat la primul ladyfest din tara noastra in 2005, la timisoara, sau care s-au alaturat grupului ulterior. suntem o echipa din ce in ce mai inchegata dedicata organizarii acestor fest-uri diy, grassroots si non-profit, feminist- si queer-friendly, cu un continut cat mai diversificat.

inainte de toate:
– suntem de parere ca exista un consens social care perpetueaza/reproduce relatiile interumane si institutiile responsabile de asimetria de putere dintre sexe si la care contribuie barbati, cat si femei;
– stim ca in societatea noastra violenta domestica, violenta sexuala, hartuirea sexuala, rasismul, homofobia, saracia, limitarea libertatii de reproducere si accesul neadecvat la servicii de sanatate sunt cateva din nedreptatile care ingradesc vietile femeilor in mod special.
suntem
— in mod vadit sustinatoare ale feminismului in versiunile cele mai diverse (asemeni lui bell hooks, vedem feminismul ca pe o “miscare [si a femeilor, si a barbatilor] pentru eradicarea sexismului, exploatarii sexiste si opresiunii”);
— un grup cel putin non-profit, non-institutional, non-ierarhic;
— nepasionate de jocuri cu suma zero, patriarhat si misoginism;
— de diferite varste, identitati sexuale si nesexuale, preocupari si ocupatii;
— critice la adresa institutiilor sociale existente pentru fete si baieti pentru ca nasc mai multe frustrari decat perceptii sanatoase despre sine;
nu
— facem atac la persoana si deci nu ne cerem scuze pentru opiniile onest formulate;
— suntem sexiste si nici heterosexiste;
— excludem pe nimeni.

ca si in 2005, prin festivalul nostru urmarim sa punem in evidenta expresia artistica si implicarea sociala a fetelor si femeilor si in acelasi timp sa impartasim idei prin muzica, “spoken word”, “performance”, film si video, expozitii, prezentari, ateliere, discutii. organizam un ladyfest deoarece vrem sa promovam fetele si femeile active, care produc arta si muzica dar nu numai, si deoarece suntem de parere ca fiecare dintre noi poate sa contribuie cu ceva important. ne dorim un festival original, divers si plin de viata, care sa prezinte publicului unele din cele mai inovatoare fete si femei din mediul artistic underground, sa ofere o perceptie despre femei alternativa celei existente in cultura dominanta si sa dea peste cap conceptele conventionale despre gen.

suntem ferm convinse ca activismul – actiunea directa cu un mesaj explicit – si implicarea pe baza convingerilor, in special pe principiul do it yourself (fa-o chiar tu), este un mecanism puternic de a ne face auzite si vazute si de a formula in public o alternativa la realitatea sociala ce privilegiaza doar pe unii.

in acest spirit, al doilea ladyfest din romania va avea loc la bucuresti intre 12 si 14 octombrie 2007, impreuna cu un mars “take back the night” de protest fata de violenta impotriva femeilor, pe baza urmatoarelor considerente:
* organizarea ladyfest nu se face in jurul unui nucleu organizatoric ierarhic-functional;
* organizarea ladyfest se vrea o incercare de punere in contact a cat mai multor persoane pentru care feminismul este un modus vivendi;
* organizarea ladyfest va insemna concertarea de idei si activitati intr-un mod non-ierarhic, deschis initiativei si in spiritul cooperarii;
* ladyfest se vrea celebrarea tuturor fetelor pentru care societatea nu ofera posibilitatea recunoasterii si canonizarii;
* ladyfest se vrea semnalarea unei prezente “feminine” care ramane putin vizibila in public;
* ladyfest se vrea negarea stereotipurilor si normelor societale atribuite fetelor, femeilor si feminitatii;
* ladyfest se vrea o actiune colectiva a celor care sunt ferm convinsi ca umanitatea ne uneste mai mult decat ne despart genul si sexul.

in ultima instanta, speram ca ladyfest romania va inspira femeile din toate colturile tarii sa devina active in comunitatile lor si sa ia initiativa de a crea spatii similare ce le vor permite sa-si etaleze creativitatea, sa fie vazute si auzite.

english version: Continue reading

keep on living

le tigre, “keep on livin'”

(video creat in colaborare cu paper tiger television)

You hide inside, so not okay
(keep on, keep on livin’)
What if you remember more today?
(keep on, keep on livin’)
The phone rings but there’s too much to say
(keep on, keep on livin’)
You tell them to go when you wish they would stay
(keep on, keep on livin’)

You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)

Disprportionate reactions just won’t fade
(keep on, keep on livin’)
Every dude you see puts you in a rage
(keep on, keep on livin’)
Or stupid shit keeps making you cry
(keep on, keep on livin’)
Your friends are worried you won’t tell them why
(keep on, keep on livin’)

You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on (keep on livin!)

Look up to the sky sky sky
Take back your own tonight
You’ll find more than you see
It’s time now now get ready
So you can taste that sweet sweet cake and
Feel the warm water in a lake (y’know)
What about the nice cool breeze and
Hear the buzzing of the bumble bees
Live past those neighborhood lives and
Go past that yard outside and
Push thru their greatest fears and
live past your memories tears cuz
You don’t need to scratch inside just please
Hold onto your pride
So don’t let them bring you down and
Don’t let them fuck you around cuz
Those are your arms that is your heart and
No no they can’t tear you apart cuz

This is your time this is your life and
This is your time this is your life and
This is your time this is your life and
This is your time this is your life and….

You gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
Gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
Gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
Gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
You gotta keep on(keep on livin!)
Gotta keep on(keep on livin!)