|
Feminist, fun and feisty
One's punk, one's pop, and both rap about women in rock.
By GINA VIVINETTO, Times Pop Music Critic
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 21, 2002
[Publicity photo]
Cyndi Lauper is recording final tracks for an upcoming album and also scoring music for a movie featuring her husband, actor David Thornton.
|
It's a who's who of fun, feminist rockers this weekend in the Tampa Bay area. The ladies bring sounds that are diverse, with outrageous live shows and messages of wit and wisdom -- girl style!
Team Pop got two of these ladies on the phone from New York.
Not just any two dames in rock, but the ultra-influential Cyndi Lauper, 48, best known for the gems Girls Just Want to Have Fun, She-Bop and True Colors, as well as her fabulous hairdos and thrift store-chic garb. Lauper, calling from a cab, is currently recording final tracks for an upcoming album and also scoring music for Private Property, a film featuring her hubby, actor David Thornton.
Also on the line: Kathleen Hanna, 33, the leader of the legendary early 1990s punk rock Riot Grrrl movement, known for its in-your-face feminism. Hanna first made waves in the blistering feminist punk band Bikini Kill and now sings and plays in Le Tigre, whose second album, Feminist Sweepstakes, is dazzling critics. Like Bikini Kill, the Casio-keyboard-fueled Le Tigre's message is feminist, but with this group, there are more glee-filled choruses such as, "Tomorrow we fight so let's have fun tonight!"
What did we talk about? You know how girls are: Hair, makeup, Britney Spears, Cindy Crawford, guys, whether or not She-Bop is about masturbation . . .
CYNDI ON THE BUFFNESS AND BEAUTY OF FEMALE ARTISTS: Oh, it's terrible. This pressure to be perfect. With the Money Changes Everything video, there was a huge backlash from the record label. People were saying, "But her makeup is running! Her face is all sweaty!" Of course I'm all sweaty -- I'm working my butt off! This is rock 'n' roll, honey. It's sweaty.
The industry got better for a while, but now we've slipped into glorifying the perfect body.
You know what happened? (Angry) Cindy Crawford infiltrated VH1. Then everyone had to look like a freakin' supermodel.
CYNDI ON THE WORD "CHICK," AS IN "CHICK ROCK": Years ago, if they used to call you a chick, you'd want to punch in them in the nose. Hey, I'm still nobody's chicken, man.
But maybe now I'd want to be. (laughs)
KATHLEEN ON ROCK THAT IS BOTH (A) FEMINIST, AND (B) FUN: When we wrote the first (self-titled debut) record, Johanna (Le Tigre band mate Johanna Fateman,) and I did have some despair about how the community we were from was just being so super critical of everything and not making new work. That's a hard place for a lot of artists to create from.
Our response was to make a beautiful gift. When we made the first record there was a lot of talk about joy and fun. It was really positive and really joyous.
Kathleen Hanna
|
KATHLEEN ON THOSE WHO WERE SCARED OF BIKINI KILL AND SONGS SUCH AS "WHITE BOY" AND "REJECT ALL AMERICAN": I always thought Bikini Kill had a good sense of humor, too. I think the stereotype about feminists having no sense of humor played into that whole mythology that we weren't a fun band and we weren't fun people and our music didn't have a lot of humor in it. If you go back and listen to it, I'm doing all these characters and I'm being sarcastic and mocking different forms of masculinity that are obnoxious. I don't know. It seems like a laugh riot to me.
CYNDI ON HER FAVORITE FASHIONABLE WOMEN IN ROCK: People used to complain to me all the time, "I can't even hear you sing because you're clothes are so loud." (Laughs)
I always wanted to be like Nico when she was in the Velvet Underground, or like Debbie Harry. She was a pre-Madonna -- Oh! Prima donna! Get it? -- woman who had an edge. I loved Blondie. She'd take a garbage bag and put tape on it and wear it like a dress. Of course, she was so beautiful, too.
KATHLEEN ON CRITICS WHO SAY TO HER, "HEY, RIOT GRRRL, GET OVER IT. FEMINIST PUNK WENT OUT WITH GRUNGE": I walk away from those people. They're blind. I'm lucky. I'm 33 now. I've learned how to use the delete button and get those people out of my life. It wasn't just a trend.
In Le Tigre, we don't see it as separate either. It's who we are as people. It's not like politics is just a button you wear or something you put on a T-shirt. It's intrinsic to who you are. How could you separate that from your work?
CYNDI ON NOT COMPETING FOR FANS WITH SAY, MADONNA: Different types of girls listen to me than the girls who like Madonna. The girls who like me or were influenced by me or whatever, those girls kick some butt.
Although Madonna is a really a bright woman and really gifted, the girls who like me are edgy in a different way.
CYNDI ON ARTISTS WHO OPERATE AS CELEBRITIES FIRST, MUSICIANS SECOND: I get frustrated. Everyone calls it (the music) a "product." It's not a product to me. Nowadays it's not even about the (expletive) music. That's all it has ever been about for me. I mean I dress up and stuff, but that's me anyway. Where's the substance? All anybody cares about is being famous. I just like writin' stories, writin' songs. I don't care about all these celebrities.
I don't go for all that razzmatazz. I ain't got a lot of famous friends.
KATHLEEN ON CYNDI: Le Tigre loves Cyndi Lauper. We want to catch her show, if we can.
[Publicity photo]
Kathleen Hanna, left, JD Samson and Johanna Fateman of Le Tigre.
|
CYNDI ON SWEATY YOUNG CHICK ROCK BANDS -- LIKE LE TIGRE! -- WHO CITE HER AS AN INFLUENCE: I like to see young women -- and older women -- rockin' out. I love that. I always loved that. When I first started, I was a background singer in a show band opening for Isis, a tough girl band, a glitter band like the New York Dolls -- not one of these girl gimmick bands, but a real band. They weren't all pretty and showing off their boobs and being half-naked. They were all gay, and they were real musicians.
I love bands like that. I love playing with the punk bands. And I love that they like what I do.
CYNDI ON "SHE-BOP: IS IT ABOUT MASTURBATION? (Laughs) Of course it is. It's about safe sex. You can't go wrong. What could happen?
I had a friend who was a songwriter, he called me up one night all lit up, with this new song, thinking it would be really cool for a girl to sing about this kind of thing. Guys are always singing about stuff like that. I thought it was a good idea. Funny thing is this guy now is a rep for Britney Spears (Laughs).
CYNDI ON THAT TWO-HEADED MONSTER: BRITNEY SPEARS AND CHRISTINA AGUILERA: At least Christina Aguilera can really sing. She doesn't need to wear all that slutty stuff. Now, Britney, she's just like, I don't know, a beach babe. A pretty girl. Where's the talent?
But, god bless 'em. They are both doing well, and I'm happy for them.
CYNDI ON THE LACK OF ROLE MODELS FOR YOUNG WOMEN: If you're a fat 13-year-old and let's face it, there are a lot of fat 13-year-olds, it's real tough to have girls like Britney as your role models. Who looks like that? It's just sick. Kids are manipulated by the media into being sexual. It feels like pedophilia.
But what do you expect when the fashion industry has 13-year-old girls dressed up in $1,000 gowns? Honey, a woman can try to look like that -- but it's like putting mutton in lamb's clothing. Everybody is out of wack with all this s--.
KATHLEEN ON FANS -- GAY AND STRAIGHT -- AND THE SCAREDY-CAT BOYS TOO AFRAID TO HIT ON THE LADIES OF LE TIGRE: We have a lot of gay male fans, and we're really happy about it. They come in all ages, which I think is really interesting.
Girls throw bras at us. It's kind of flattering. Girls hit on us a lot more than guys do. Especially on JD (Le Tigre bandmate and lesbian JD Samson).
I think the guys are afraid. The ones who hit on me and Johanna usually have like vomit on them. They're so wasted. (Laughs) The guys who hit on us at our shows are usually so stupid, you don't even know what they're saying; it sounds like the adults on Peanuts, all womp womp womp.
Girls having fun
 |
CHAT WITH GINA
Pop music critic Gina Vivinetto will host a Times Chat on Tuesday to talk about Wednesday’s Grammy Awards. Ask her what she thinks; tell her what you think. Log on at Times Chat for the 7 p.m. chat. If you cannot attend this live event, you can submit a question in advance by going to the main chat page. |
CYNDI LAUPER, 7 p.m. Saturday, Jannus Landing. Lauper changed everything when she bounced on the scene in 1984 with her colorful hair, thrift-store garb and the proclamation that, darn it, girls just wanted to have fun. Behind the kookiness is a talented woman, known for her songwriting and effervescent live performances. Jannus Landing is on Second Street between Central Avenue and First Avenue N in St. Petersburg. $25. (727) 896-2276. MELISSA FERRICK AND FRIENDS, featuring Edie Carey, Nini Camps and Ann O'Meara Heaton, 6 p.m. Sunday, Skipper's Smokehouse. The popular folk rocker and WMNF-FM 88.5 favorite is back in town and brings along some talented ladies who mesh blues, rock and folk. Skipper's is at 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $15-$18. (813) 977-6474.
LE TIGRE WITH THE BUTCHIES AND LAS DOS JESSICAS. 9 p.m. Monday, Orpheum Le Tigre, fronted by former Bikini Kill and Riot Grrrl leader Kathleen Hanna has a more accessible New Wave synth-pop sound but packs the same feminist wallop. Lesbo-core rockers the Butchies are lead by former Team Dresch guitarist and singer Kaia Wilson. The Orpheum is at 1902 Avenida Republica de Cuba, Ybor City. $10-$12. (813) 248-9500.
ECLECTIC FOLK AND ACOUSTIC SHOWCASE featuring SONiA, Fruit, The Be Good Tanyas, Chris Chandler and Anne Feeney, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Skipper's Smokehouse. SONia is a political, lesbian folk singer. Fruit, from Austrailia, is a trio of multi-instrumentalists. The Be Good Tanyas are three Canadaian ladies who sing traditional folk. 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $10-$13. (813) 977-6474 .
Back to Weekend
© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
|
