Yesterday I went to the independent bookstoreBluestockings for a reading ofLisa Darms'The Riot Grrrl Collection withJohanna Fateman, Ramdasha Bikceem and Molly Neuman.
While I was sitting in the audience I thought about my first encounter with the Riot Grrrl movement. I was thirteen years old when I first heard the songRebel Girl byBikini Kill. After hearing that song I knew I wanted more. It lead me to other bands like Bratmobile,Sleater-Kinney,The Gits, Heavens to Betsey,Le Tigre andTeam Dresch. Soon after I got into the zines associated with the movement. The music and the literature provided me with a different way of thinking about beauty and sexuality. It taught me that I didn't need to assimilate to somebody else's standards and that the punk rock idea that "you could do anything" didn't just apply to the boys.
Bikini Kill in 1991 By jonathancharles via flickrA little background about the Riot Grrrl movement:
The emergence of the Riot Grrrl movement began in the early 1990s, when a group of women in Olympia, Washington, held a meeting to discuss how to address sexism in the punk scene. The women decided theywanted to start a “girl riot” against a society they felt offered no validation of women’s experiences. And thus the Riot Grrrl movement was born.
The Riot Grrrl movement believed in girls actively engaging in cultural production, creating their own music and fanzines rather than following existing materials. The bands associated with Riot Grrrl used their music to express feminist and anti-racist viewpoints. Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy created songs with extremely personal lyrics that dealt with topics such as rape, incest and eating disorders.
By the late '90s, "girl power," a slogan that began in the pages of Riot Grrrl zines, started being appropriated by pop sensations like theSpice Girls. Some claim this to be the end of the movement. Others contend that it never ended and that bands like Pussy Riot are still carrying the torch today.
In honor of the Riot Grrrl movement and the conversation that is starting again thanks toLisa Darms'The Riot Grrrl Collection, I compiled a list of some books, films, CDs and articles from our collection that pertain to the movement. I hope you enjoy!
BooksGirls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus
Cinderella’s Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground by Maria Raha
Girl Power: The Nineties Revolution in Music by Marisa Meltzer
Rock ‘n’ Roll Camp for Girls: How to Start a Band, Write Songs, Record an Album, and Rock Out!
Riot Grrrl: Revolution Girl Style Now!
Gender in the Music Industry: Rock, Discourse and Girl Power by Marion Leonard
She’s A Rebel: The History of Women in Rock & Roll by Gillian G. Gaar
Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour
Pussy Whipped by Bikini Kill
The Hot Rock by Sleater-Kinney
Dig Me Out by Sleater-Kinney
Reject All American - Bikini Kill
Gato Negro - 7 Year Bitch
Personal Best - Team Dresch
You can access these articles and more throughAcademic Search Premier, available at all library locations or at home with your NYPL library card:
Grunge, Riot Grrrl and the Forgetting of Women in Popular Culture
Revolution Grrrl and Lady Style, Now!
Riot Grrrl: Revolutions From Within
See also: Jefferson Market's Marie C. Hansen interviews Stephanie Kuehnert inTwist n' Shhhout!: Highlighting Rock n' Roll at NYPL: Riot Grrrl.
Submitted by Anonymous on June 19, 2013 at 12:49 PM.
Kathleen Hanna's Mementos From Her Riot Grrrl Dayshttp://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/05/19/magazine/look-riotgrrrl.ht...
Roxyettes. NYPL Billy Rose Theatre Collection.
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