Watching PBS News Hour last night, I was surprised by a seven minute segment on Kathleen Hanna. You know the pattern. I went and looked...blah, blah, blah. I ran into a documentary about her that I didn't know existed. (Yeah, hashtag: #outoftheloop.) So, here's a link to the doc, the segment from the news and a link to the Linda Lindas' video that's mentioned in the news report. If you're not familiar with Hanna, there's a handful of songs from her first band Bikini Kill.
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Bikini Kill, reunion tour? It kinda is but it isn't. It doesn't feel like it. It seems like they've just been waiting for their songs to be needed again. You know as well as I do, shit like this is needed. The whole thing, including the DIY. Back in the day they were playing to hundreds. Now they're playing to thousands. Needed.
A whole lot has been written about them in the past few days. The first show was last night. Rather then regurgitate, here's a couple songs and the stuff I perused. If you don't know Bikini Kill, you should probably do some preliminary wiki type shit.
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There's been plenty said about Bikini Kill. Their role in the riot grrrl thing, being groundbreaking punk feminists and so on. I'm all for that, okay. Tonight though, I'm digging on the guitar. Played with zero flash and a good amount of distortion by Billy Karren. It's easy to forget that they were a good band even without their back story and, really, beyond the guitar. I like Kathleen Hanna's voice too. Sort of flat, like Poly Styrene's. The whole package, it's what we all came for. Me anyway. Basic loud stuff.
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A few years ago, I was walking down Haight (in SF) with a friend, when we happened upon a kid, a teenager really, who was at that age when one is discovering that a lot of black, and a general disheveled appearance, separates people in two groups; those who get it, and those who don't. Especially if you're sitting on the sidewalk, writing in a journal about your tortured existence and how nobody understands you. My friend and I started talking about our own "woe is me" journals, and how every kid at that age, who is just trying desperately to find their identity, has to have a journal. We laughed at our younger selves, because we were identifying with what the kid was going through. Though I don't know for a fact, I'd bet that Kathleen Hanna started out like that kid. And she's a great example of what happens when you keep that part of you alive.
She's got a varied CV, but it all involves her outspokenness, and self-empowerment, both as a woman and an individual. She's had a good run too. First with Bikini Kill, and the whole Riot Grrrl thing. Later going solo as Julie Ruin, which would morph into Le Tigre. All along the way, she's been a vocal feminist, often making a point to simplify the message. You can read about her at Wikipedia. Suffice it to say that, like that kid writing in their journal on the sidewalk, I've got a soft spot for her. After running into the recent video below, I finally relented on my reluctance to do a post about her (for lack of specific mp3s). Because you might be the people who do get it.
Storytelling and song, a winning combo: Hanna on 12/15/10
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