The Punk Singer Page #6

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...apart from her bandmates and

set apart from the girls in.

...riot grrrl and set apart from.

...other people in the punk scene,

while at the same time, her.

...music and her art was bringing

people together so much.

I think Kathleen struggled.

with the leadership

role at times.

She had a lot of responsibility

that came with that.

She definitely struggled with

this, the kind of implications.

...that that much fame

has for a person.

Can you... Louder.

I'm having trouble.

I didn't want to be the

leader or singled out.

And, I mean, I'm sure that

Gloria can commiserate with the.

...position of being, getting a.

...really negative attention

from the media.

It feels like you're kind of.

...getting kicked in the

face by both sides.

On the one hand, I was

working in the media.

On the other hand, I was trying

to avoid being singled out.

It wasn't always successful.

It's not always under your

control, but I think the.

...challenge is to figure out how

...to use it to convey

come message.

I'm not wiling to deal with

the mainstream anymore, when.

...they're constantly asking me

questions about sexual abuse...

...about if I've been a stripper,

if I haven't been a stripper...

...constantly just completely

sexist sh*t, where they're.

...trying to turn on the band that

I'm in or the projects I'm.

...involved with against other

women who I respect in the.

...community, coming up, you

know, saying, "so-and-so said.

...so-and-so about you" to get you.

...to slag off another woman

so that they can print...

"Kathleen Hanna doesn't

like PJ Harvey. "

You know, like, whatever, and

creating all these schisms.

...because it sells papers.

This is the thing that's.

...happened ever since the

beginning of time.

You ask a woman about another.

woman and try to get her to say.

...something bad, and then you make.

...the article all

about a catfight.

Lollapalooza news, meanwhile...

Courtney love, one of the tour's.

...headliners this year, with her

band hole, was officially.

...charged with fourth-degree

assault this week for, as she.

...acknowledged in a recent online.

...rant, punching out bikini kill.

...singer Kathleen Hanna backstage

at a lollapalooza show on.

July 4th, an incident first.

...reported also online by

Thurston Moore of the.

...bill-topping sonic youth.

We did lollapalooza.

Kathleen was there, and she was.

...standing on the stage, watching.

...us, and Courtney love basically.

...just punched her in the face.

And that was the

beginning of our tour.

I mean, there's the whole.

...lollapalooza punching

Courtney love thing.

No, Courtney love punched her.

See, I don't... I... I

can't trust the Internet.

That's the whole thing that

pissed me off is that later...

...people were like, "they fought!

There was this rivalry,

and they fought. "

It's like, "dude, I was standing

there watching a band, and.

Courtney walked up

and attacked me. "

I think people don't realize.

...that Kathleen and Courtney

didn't know each other.

It's a real bummer

to be assaulted.

It sucks. It's not cool.

It's a real bummer if you're a.

...feminist, and you're assaulted.

...by another woman, because it's

just kind of heartbreaking...

...especially a woman who you're.

...kind of hoping you guys could

be some kind of allies.

I think a lot of people who

ar close to Kathleen have.

worried about her safety

for a variety of reasons.

You know, she's experienced

violence towards her in really.

...aggressive ways that nobody

should have to experience.

Hatred for bikini kill

and specifically Kathleen.

She would get letters from.

...guys that were like,

"you need to die. "

They just wanted to,

like, stamp her out.

And I don't know why.

I remember things like that.

would happen, and it would

feel totally shitty.

And I was just like, I had kids.

writing me, saying, like, you.

...know, "I was gonna kill myself...

...and I got your record,

and you saved my life. "

And all I could say back is,

like, "you saved my life, too...

...because I couldn't get through.

...all of the... Not criticism, but.

...all the hate that

got thrown my way. "

I made a record called

"Julie ruin" that was a solo.

...record, and I made it kind of to.

...escape what had happened to me.

And so I made it under

an assumed name.

In bikini kill, I was singing to.

...an elusive a**hole male that was.

...f***ing the world over, and I

was allowing other women

to watch me do that.

And I really wanted to start.

...directly singing to other women.

For Kathleen's music to grow

...in directions toward electronic.

...music completely

makes sense to me.

When you've disconnected from

your community or lost your.

...community, it's amazing if you.

...can seize the means of

technology yourself.

I went to visit Kathleen, and

we went to some music shop.

They had a drumatics

drum machine.

Kathleen bought this drum

machine for 40 bucks.

Then, she recorded, like, the

whole f***ing "Julie ruin" record.

That record is a

f***ing masterpiece.

It was this whole, new

side of Kathleen Hanna.

It's like you know someone.

They're your friend but had

never opened up their scrapbook.

...and showed you what really

made them who they are.

That's what "Julie ruin" started.

...to do for those of us who are

interested in Kathleen Hanna.

I felt like a lot of my

graphic sensibility came out in.

...it because using samples,

it's very cut-and-paste.

Making it fancy for me was

always being in my room by.

...myself and cutting stuff and

having this really specific.

...relationship to my materials.

...that was not mediated

by anybody else.

She was figuring

everything out for herself.

It sounded lo-fi and on.

...purpose lo-fi and

just really smart.

Sounds like you could hear a.

...human being's fingers

all over it.

It sounds like bedroom culture.

It sounds like something a

girl made in her bedroom.

A girl's bedroom sometimes can.

...be this space of

real creativity.

The problem is that these.

...bedrooms are all cut

off from each other.

So, how do you take that bedroom.

...that you're cut off from all the.

...other girls who are secretly in

their bedroom writing secret.

...things or making secret songs?

I wanted the "Julie ruin" record.

...to sound like a girl from her

bedroom made this record but.

...then didn't just throw it away...

...or it wasn't just in her diary.

But she took it out and

shared it with people.

... How many times

I made you cry

you can tell anyone

anything you want

but if you're gonna talk about

how I deserve what you did...

...you can look now

'cause I'm gone

To me, the "Julie ruin"

...record is what really changed.

Kathleen, in terms of her,

like, she was in a band.

She was in this band bikini

kill, and they did all.

...this f***ing stuff.

And she made this record.

"Julie ruin," and she's,

like, now a musician.

F*** it.

"Julie ruin" was kind of the.

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