The Hunter Envoy
Vol. XLVII No. 17, March 10, 1992
Women Rock Your Worldby Stepanie Saddler
I considered it an honor and a challenge when I was asked to write an article for this special women's issue. Being an avid music fan and also a musician in an all-female band, I have many opinions and experiences to contribute. I am not a music industry expert, but I do know that it is dominated by the white male corporate oppressors who shape the music world. This all comes down to money and when it comes to women performers, what sells is sex. Let's face it, the music biz is just a microcosm of the real world.
Women are rated second in society and in the music industry. We are constantly bombarded with Madonna's glossy spread on every magazine, but is she the role model that most women want to emulate? Her main talent is being a businesswoman who sells herself like a commodity to the consumer. In essence, she gets paid to exploit herself, her femininity.
Remember the Go-Go's? This band played bubble gum pop rock at its most girl-next-doorish. They portrayed cute non-threatening and non-controversial images of women. They were so sweet, they probably gave little boys wet dreams. For women in the music industry it basically boils down to either being a sugar-glazed doughnut or a whore.
Let's turn to MTV, the vehicle for sexploitation. It seems to me that women musicians (except in rare cases) must be pre-packaged to sell their looks. Talent gets second rating, and is often not even a consideration. Next time you watch MTV, notice how women are portrayed. They are often depicted as being helpless or as hookers dancing in cages, playthings for some man.
All female bands have always been considered a novelty, but there are more female groups coming out now than ever before -- which may be an indication that the door is beginning to open for us.
However, there is another lingering question -- why are women who play rock, especially hard rock, looked at as inferior to men? I often hear men say "girl rock sucks." Why don't these guys check out bands like L7, a metal grunge band from L.A. -- and yes, guys, these gals can actually play their instruments and rock hard. And let's not forget New York's own Lunachicks who throw tampax at their audience.
Only when our society's attitudes about women change will a new perception of women trickle to the music biz.
by Thea Kacalanos
While women musicians are hardly a new phenomenon, it seems that this year they are not only more visible, but also branching into more types of music. Hard rock never did have its fair share of women, but there are many local bands who are working to change that.
The genre of heavy metal has always been so male oriented; watch any video and you'll know what I mean. There has yet to be a really popular female metal band. (Poison does not count, as feminine as they look.) There are still so few "girl bands" (and the distinction is important enough) that those in existence have to identify themselves as such by their band names.
I heard of one band that was called "Dickless," and some would say their name kind of sums it all up. But doesn't, though it is memorable because it identifies them as a female band (or males who have encountered a tragic accident). When men name their band, they tend to choose a name that conveys something about their sound -- whether they are thrash, punk, death metal or whatever. "Girl bands" are seen as a genre unto themselves, regardless of what style they play. Even different criteria are used for evaluating them: "They're good for a girl group" is a commonly heard phrase, as though there is a different standard for female talent.
Why are female groups seen as so different? For one thing, some of the song topics that are most commonly used in metal are not appropriate for women to sing. Let's face it, there are so many songs with innuendo that, no matter how cleverly (ahem) phrased, are basically saying "I have a really big dick and I know you want it." So after eliminating that topic, how about some of those other classic subjects: love, anger, boredom, or maybe even sex from a woman's point of view. Or even something no one's written about yet!
One thing that bothers me about some of the female groups on the scene is that they feel they have to write exclusively on women's topics. At least two New York bands do songs about maxi pads. It's original (albeit tasteless), which is a helluvalot more than I can say about most new bands.
When it comes to getting a record deal, it may be important to note that the business world is still male dominated -- though more women are moving up the ranks in record companies. This gender [im]balance in the workplace leads one to believe that the women who do make it in music do it by giving sexual favors to important people. [In original but edited out of published version: Personally, I have no way of knowing who did what with whom (and actually don't really care), but the more I learn about the music industry the more respect I have for anyone who achieves any degree of success. It is a tough and competitive business for all artists. Anyone who thinks that sleeping around is all that's needed to be successful is going to be tragically used.]
One of the main problems confronting women musicians is deciding what type of image they want to project. Judging from previous bands, the choice is either little-girl cute or slut from hell. With either of those images, it is doubtful that you can be taken seriously, assuming that's what you're aiming for.
I have noticed some women in metal bands make another choice: they seem to be imitating their favorite male musicians. Besides the fact that sheer imitation is never interesting in a band, it looks especially sad to be imitating something you can never be. [In original but edited out of published version: It may also be a problem that women are taught from an early age to be more restrained and demure than men -- this can make it difficult to really "thrash out" on stage, no matter how heavy the music.]
What would make a successful band? Men or women, and no matter what type of music, labels (and fans) [in published version: "musical labels, fans"] are looking for something new and exciting. Perhaps, with the increasing popularity of "crossover" bands, all types of musicians will now have a fair chance of making it. Hard rock should represent a rebelliousness and anger at the system; if it's only played by white men, what's the point? The more diverse the voices are, the more powerful music can become. [In original but edited out of published version: Be yourself and rock on.]
[Arts Ed. Note -- Stephanie Saddler and Thea Kacalanos are part of the all-CUNY band, The Shrieking Violets. Thea, the guitarist, graduated from Hunter last year. Saddler, the bassist, currently attends Hunter. Both are former WHCS dj's. Tina [Lewnes] graduated from Brooklyn College and is the new drummer.]
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