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women in rock......

mattbass6945

mattbass6945

Jul 26, 2011
1,899
1,387
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fort worth, texas
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#1
ok, so i was watching this special, "women who rock" on pbs. ok, so they hit on the joan jett, heart, cyndi lauper, etc....but, they skipped over so much!

mary ford
carl kaye
wendy o williams

i guess they only had so much time, but they included madonna?!?!? guess "rock" is a very broad spectrum. just had to vent....
 
#6
I saw part of that too. I didn't mind it so much. To me, it was mostly that it was so superficial, a lot of the time just playing a brief clip of music and naming the artist and then moving on. Also, there was very little critical evaluation of anyone - hardly any discussion of influences (other than to say that this or that artist was influential), no discussion of how messed up some of these women were. It was very much a kind of cheerleading exercise rather than a serious discussion of gender, or musical influences, or anything.

Still, some interesting insights. I was struck by a suggestion that a lot of the male "shouters" of 70s rock - Robert Plant, Steven Tyler- were basically imitating Janis Joplin (rather than following male singers like Jack Bruce or Jim Morrison).
 
#9
I agree even in her 50's Joan Jett is a great looking all out rock n' roll babe! There are plenty of good looking women musicians out there, I always have a thing for a good looking rocker chick :)
 
#10
JimK said:
She was such a good Rock guitarist...that people speculated that she was a guy...or a guy that had had a sex change.
Like she said- "...it was easier for people to think I was a transexual than a woman who could actually play Rock guitar"?
Click to expand...

Now that's messed up. I once read in Youtube a comment that said that the girls in L7 were just there posing and playbacking and that someone else (meaning, men) played the instruments behind the scenes (and on recordings). All that, just because they're an all-female rock band. He couldn't grasp that women could rock hard.
 
#13
klejst said:
I agree even in her 50's Joan Jett is a great looking all out rock n' roll babe! There are plenty of good looking women musicians out there, I always have a thing for a good looking rocker chick :)
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I agree, saw her in September with my guitarist and even met her backstage. She's still pretty bad-ass on stage but a total "Sweet Old Lady" behind the scenes, pretty awesome.

Back to topic, a google search for "Best women in Rock And Roll" reveals a lot to be desired about the media's understanding of Rock and Roll. Most of the lists include Madonna, Janet Jackson, and other unworthies in there. I'm not criticising their success in their genre, but those folks are not doing Rock and Roll. People know their faces, that's all.

I also understand that the list of women who have made major contributions to rock and roll throughout history is pretty small (and unknown) compared to heavyweights like Hendrix, Journey, Metallica, and so on. However, today's modern music scene is full of amazing ladies who deserve to be on that list FAR more than Madonna and Janet. Google Cristina Scabbia, Alyssa White-Gluz, Alexis Brown, or if you wanna go a bit further back try Karyn Crisis or even Shirley Manson (far more rock and roll than Madonna or Janet).

It's all about ratings brother; don't think too much of it as long as you know the truth.

Peace,
Greg
 
#14
klejst said:
Touche' :smug:
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He he, just saying. If playing an instrument rock-style makes even a geek/ blob look sexier, what doesn't it do to an already good looking gal? Besides, compared to most good looking girls I've met (i.e. boring, shallow), good looking rock chicks have one of the coolest jobs/ hobbies on the planet (IMO and YMMV), and that alone makes them a lot more interesting.

Again, just saying :D
 
#15
#17
JimK said:
How about April Lawton of Ramatam (a '70s "superband")?
Click to expand...

I have a Ramatam album.

How about some of these female rockers?

Alannah Myles
Grace Slick
Pat Benatar
Tantrum was a band that had 3 female singles and male musicians
Lita Ford
Sass Jordan
Lee Aaron
Darby Mills from The Headpins
Dale Krantz (later Dale Krantz-Rossington) from the Rossington Collins Band and now Lynyrd Skynyrd
Ruby Starr from Black Oak Arkansas
Joyce Kennedy from Mother's Finest
 
#19
RockerLula said:
Isn't it interesting that when there is an attractive woman playing rock, it is sometimes questioned whether or not she can really play. :P Frustrating for sure. Great thread here! I love Joan Jett and Lita Ford!
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Overall, it seems that traditionally-minded dudes still somewhat dominate in rock music, and most (if not all) apparently think that a rocker woman is an actual oxymoron. Good looking or not. Again, that's messed up.

I have yet to see a rocker girl perform live, to tell you the truth (I just haven't been out there enough to find them; I tend to find too many female singers but not instrumentalists). But when I do, I want to be blown away. By both her playing and her being a female rockin'! That has to be awesome to behold. And if, on top of that, she's good lookin'... well...
 
#20
Just recently saw Band of Skulls (Emma Richardson (bass, vocals)) and Wild Flag (all girls no bass though) a couple weeks ago. Some awesome girls plays some great music right now. Carrie Brownstein blew me away. Both bands are worth seeing if you get the chance (IMHO).
 

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