Clare Boucher of Grimes has a Rant

Clare Boucher of the electronic music project Grimes ranted some thoughts on her tumblr, many of which are thoughts that I've had myself. Her comments pinpoint what I think a lot of women musicians deal with -- condescension from male musicians, concerns about safety, objectification, etc.

"i dont want to be infantilized because i refuse to be sexualized  

i dont want to be molested at shows or on the street by people who perceive me as an object that exists for their personal satisfaction  

i dont want to live in a world where im gonna have to start employing body guards because this kind of behavior is so commonplace and accepted and I’m pissed that when I express concern over my own safety it’s often ignored until people see firsthand what happens and then they apologize for not taking me seriously after the fact… 

im tired of being considered vapid for liking pop music or caring about fashion as if these things inherently lack substance or as if the things i enjoy somehow make me a lesser person."

"I’m tired of men who aren’t professional or even accomplished musicians continually offering to ‘help me out’ (without being asked), as if i did this by accident and i’m gonna flounder without them.  or as if the fact that I’m a woman makes me incapable of using technology.  I have never seen this kind of thing happen to any of my male peers "

The last quote really resonates with me the most.  As a musician, I can say I've had this same exact experience, some guy saying he wants to "help" me with my music.  Unless  you're an established producer or something, then wtf are you talking about bros?  If a guy has respect for me as a musician, he'll suggest a collaboration ("let's work on something together"), not offer to "help" me.  If neither of us is established, then why wouldn't he see me as someone who could help him?  

I think part of it is simply that as a society we are trained to see men as the authority on these kinds of things.  I can't imagine ever approaching any of my male OR female musician friends and offering to "help them with their music," unless they were just learning and starting out.  And if they are, then I'm all about helping someone learn.

That's all I have for now.  Check out Grimes:

Dirty Girls in the schoolyard, 8th grade riot grrrls from 1996

Please watch this amazing time capsule of a film from 1996 by Michael Lucid.  It's about a group of 8th grade riot grrrls who were ostracized at their school.  He says "everyone in the schoolyard held strong opinions about these so-called "dirty girls."  Also, it has Liz Phair as the soundtrack.  That's reason enough to watch.

The Punk Singer hits SXSW!

The Punk Singer documentary is premiering at SXSW next week, and right now I'm wishing I was living in my back-up city, Austin, TX.  The documentary, which focuses on the musician, feminist, artist and singer Kathleen Hanna, of Bikini Kill, Le Tigre and riot grrrl fame, takes an intimate look at the woman, her life and her art.


Screenings are as follows: 
Sunday, March 10 @ 10:00PM - 
Vimeo Theater
Monday, March 11 @ 9:15PM - 
Alamo Ritz 2
Tuesday, March 12 @ 7:15PM - 
SXSatellite: Alamo Village
Wednesday, March 13 @ 7:00PM - 
Stateside Theater

http://schedule.sxsw.com/2013/events/event_FS13828

Click here for Austin Theater tickets.

"Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the punk band Bikini Kill and dance-punk trio Le Tigre, rose to national attention as the reluctant but never shy voice of the riot grrrl movement. She became one of the most famously outspoken feminist icons, a cultural lightning rod. Her critics wished she would just shut-up, and her fans hoped she never would. So in 2005, when Hanna stopped shouting, many wondered why. Through 20 years of archival footage and intimate interviews with Hanna, "The Punk Singer" takes viewers on a fascinating tour of contemporary music and offers a never-before-seen view into the life of this fearless leader."

There is no trailer for the film yet, just the kick starter fund-raising video.  But you can read an interview I did with the director Sini Anderson about a year ago.

Also, you can check out the song The Punk Singer by Kathleen Hanna from her Julie Ruin album: 

Why is everyone kissing Jennifer Lawrence's ass?

Today on Jezebel.com, there is an article that lists "11 Reasons why Jennifer Lawrence is your new BFF."  At the Oscars the other night, everyone was drooling all over her.  I'm not quite on board with this obsession over this actress.

There is something unhealthy about putting a young woman on a pedestal and proclaiming her to be perfection, a beacon of everything we should want to be.  It's a sure fire way to set her up just to knock her down, even if that's not the intention.  She's just an idealized crush.  

We don't do this to men, do we?  When was the last time you saw some young starlet man-boy drooled over like he's the most amazing person to ever walk the earth?  Men are not treated with these kind of extremes. (Ryan Gosling has been treated that way, but he's also smart, educated and mature...so maybe the idealization of him based in something more tangible than just being charming.)

People think Jennifer Lawrence is "down to earth" and relatable.  To me, she's just like that new popular girl in school who everyone is in love with, but they're ignoring the fucked up things she's said because it's cool to like her.

In response to this idea of perfection, I'd like to offer a reality check with 7 reasons why she is not perfect.  

Before I get started -- I'm not saying this to trash her.  I don't hate her or even dislike her.  I enjoyed Silver Linings Playbook and her performance in it.  She can be charming and witty.  She seems like an alright, typical kind of person, but turning a blind eye to her gaffs while bashing other actresses (see: Megan Fox) who may not have as "relatable" a personality, but have said similarly ignorant or offensive things is not fair.

So here we go...

1. She called herself "dykey" for being into sports.  Homophobic and sexist.  

2. She calls her cat Chaz Bono because she says "my cat is a woman but acts like a man". Chaz Bono was born with a female body, but has grown to realize he is a man.  Her statement mocks the whole issue of transgender identity, turning it, and Chaz Bono's existence, into a punchline.  

3. She also said her character Katniss in The Hunger Games was "a male hero with a vagina".  Um, okay, so a woman who is tough is really just being like a man?  Thanks but no thanks, I don't find that idea interesting or empowering.

4. She made bizarre, insensitive, and ignorant comments trivializing Jesse Eisenberg for his anxiety disorder -- another punchline coming from complete ignorance.

5. She also, in interviews, has perpetually put down other women who don't have the same curves as she does.  

6. She "can't stand" shy people.  She can hate who she wants, but I don't find this endearing.  I'm shy because I have PTSD, so I don't really appreciate this kind of insensitive attitude.

7. She makes light of animal cruelty.  "It's just a dumb squirrel." So we shouldn't care about animal cruelty if it's dumb or a squirrel?  Not impressed.

I hope this doesn't make me sound like a jerk.  I just can't stand seeing people buying into illusions and ignoring the full reality of something.  It's like the Emperor's New Clothes in a way...

It's great that she has healthy self-esteem and takes on interesting character roles.  Women, young and old alike, need positive role models, but treating her like she's perfect and ignoring her ignorant comments does a disservice to those who are the recipient of those offenses.

Tilda Swinton and David Bowie together as they should be in a Floria Sigismondi directed video

Brought to you by director Floria Sigismondi, which also features models Saskia de Brauw, Andrej Pejic and Saskia De Brauw.  Floria is also the director of the Runaways biopic on Joan Jett and Cherie Curie.

Seth MacFarlane: Your Creepy 2013 Oscar Host

Sometimes I get burnt out focusing on the negativity and sexism and discrimination in Hollywood and need to look away to find more positive and inspiring people and ideas to keep me motivated.  Sometimes my mind just needs a break from it all.  

I didn't watch the Oscar ceremony last night, only the hilarious commentary of Sherri Sheppard.  And after hearing that there was a not so woman-friendly host, I was reluctant to look.  But finally, I decided to peak at the criticism, and after looking through the "9 Sexist Things That Happened at the Oscars" on the Buzzfeed site I was nauseous.   (Why couldn't Sherri have hosted?)

From jokes that reduce women to their boobs (we're just here to be looked at, not make art), to making light of a real domestic violence relationship, to something bordering on pedophilia of a 9 year old girl, the whole theme of the hosting was a full on creepfest.  

Of the 9 offenses listed, these three were the worst to me:

1. We Saw Your Boobs song... 
In a chipper song and dance number of men, he lists out names of actresses who have been topless on screen.  If this was a passing one line joke, or if the line of dancers had been men AND women, then maybe it wouldn't have been so completely creepy.  Plus, some of the films he mentions were rape scenes, including one that was based on a real life story that involved a woman being murdered.  Hilarious...

3. There Was a "Joke" About Domestic Violence

MacFarlane said of Django Unchained: “Django is a movie where a woman is subjected to violence, or as we call it, a Chris Brown and Rihanna date movie.”

How can people make light of this?  I just do not understand.  This violent man beat his girlfriend and left her on the side of the road...and now it's a punchline?  Does he think this is an audience of sociopaths?  

9. MacFarlane Said It Was Fine That No One Could Understand Selma Hayek, Because All They Want to Do Is Look at Her

Sexist and racist...how hilarious!  I mean, an "exotic" woman with big tits is only good for being looked at right?  Gag.  I get it though...she's pretty and she has a curvy figure that many men like, but when you think of it in the context of the history of this country, and women's rights, it takes on a much more complex meaning than just a joke about a woman with big boobs.  It reinforces this idea that it's more important for a woman to look good than it is for her to have something meaningful to say.

Maybe if women weren't constantly being reminded that what they look like is the most important thing, we'd have more directors, writers, engineers, scientists, etc who are women. (I recently saw a TED talk by a 25 year old model who talks about something similar.)

Call me a humorless feminist all you want, but I know when something gives me the creeps it's for a reason.  And there is a reason why Tina Fey and Amy Poehler's hosting at the Golden Globes didn't creep me out, but instead made me laugh the entire time.

You should take a look at the rest.  The dieting one doesn't really seem too offensive, but most of them are like a platform for sociopathic humor.  It really makes me wonder how all of this shit got approved, and even more so, why did Naomi Watts and Charlize Theron agree to be in on it??

Pepper Davis, baseball legend and inspiration for the lead character in "A League of Their Own" has passed away

I fell in love with Geena Davis and A League of Their Own when it came out in the 90s.  I was very young, but the sisterhood, the stories, the characters, the games -- it all inspired me.  Geena Davis played the lead character, who was based off of Lavonne "Pepper" Paire-Davis, a baseball legend who played during the 1940's All American Girls Professional Baseball League.  

Unfortunately, Pepper Davis (4th in the front row) passed away on Sunday, according to her son,

"Paire-Davis died of natural causes in the Van Nuys section of Los Angeles on Saturday...She was 88. Paire-Davis was a model for the character played by Geena Davis in the 1992 hit "A League of Their Own," which also starred Rosie O'Donnell, Madonna and Tom Hanks as the crusty manager who shouted the famous line, 'there's no crying in baseball!'"

According to the article, Pepper played for 10 seasons as a catcher and shortstop and won five championships with her teams. She also wrote a book about her experiences in the league in a book called "Dirt in the Skirt." 

For those of you unfamiliar with the history of women in baseball, the "girls league" was created by Phillip K. Wrigley when World War II took so many men off to war and there was a concern that the baseball industry would be impacted. 

According to The Huffington Post,

The players wore skirts and the teams often had cutesy names, but the players maintained a genuine big league lifestyle, playing 120 games over four months. "We played every night of the week," Paire-Davis said, "doubleheaders on Sundays and holidays." 

Paire-Davis said, looking back from 1995, that she couldn't "honestly tell you I knew the history we were making back then." But, she said, "I can tell you we knew we were doing something special."

If you've never seen A League of Their Own, directed by Penny Marshall, watch this scene and then go order it on Netflix.  It's a classic. 

There are more quotes from Pepper at the original article: Source 1 and Source 2.