Bikini Kill

Sound Familiar?

“Rebel Girl”

Who Are They?

The frontrunners of the riot grrrl scene and symbols of third wave feminism.

Kathleen Hanna was introduced to feminism early on after her mother took her to a rally in Washington D.C. to see Gloria Steinem. Her interest grew when her mom checked out a copy of Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique from the library. But the Hanna women had to keep their involvement with the women’s rights movement a secret from Kathleen’s father, who disapproved of such ideas (Kathleen’s parents later divorced).

Once Kathleen went off to college to study photography, she began working as a stripper to support herself. While at school, she worked with a fellow photography student to set up an exhibit that dealt with sexism and AIDS. The school administrators didn’t dig it, so they shut it down, which prompted Kathleen to create her own feminist art gallery with friends Heidi Arbogast and Tammy Rae Carland. The three eventually formed a band called Amy Carter.

In addition to fronting Amy Carter, Kathleen began doing spoken word performances that addressed sexism and violence against women. She later abandoned spoken word in favor of music. After touring with her new band Viva Knievel for a bit, Kathleen met punk zinester Tobi Vail. Kathleen and Tobi, along with guitarist Billy Karen and bassist Kathi Wilcox, formed Bikini Kill in 1990.

(Fun fact: Bikini Kill was originally the name of a band fronted by fellow riot grrrl musician Lois Maffeo. The name was inspired by the 1967 B-movie The Million Eyes of Sumuru. Tobi adopted the name for the band once Lois settled on a different name.)

Bikini Kill independently released a demo cassette called Revolution Girl Style Now! in 1991, followed by a self-titled EP in 1992 (released via the indie label Kill Rock Stars and produced by Minor Threat/Fugazi front man Ian MacKaye).

The band released its debut album, Pussy Whipped, in 1993 and began touring the UK with fellow riot grrrl rockers Huggy Bear.

(Fun fact: Bikini Kill’s most/only popular song, “Rebel Girl,” was produced by Joan Jett.)

By 1994, the riot grrrl movement was getting some intense media exposure, which was both a good and bad thing. On one hand, Bikini Kill’s message was being broadcast to a much wider audience. But on the other hand, that same message was being subverted by the Spice Girls and co-opted by the female artists of Lilith Fair. Kathleen called for a “media blackout” amongst riot grrrls on the basis that the movement was being misrepresented.

Bikini Kill released its final album, Reject All American, in 1996 and broke up a year later.

Where Are They Now?

Still broken up, but all members are still active in music and politics.

Once Bikini Kill called it quits, Kathleen, Tobi, Kathi and Billy all went their separate ways, all of which involved music.

Tobi played with Spider and the Webs and The Old Haunts, among other bands. Kathi joined the Casual Dots and Billy played in Ghost Mom. But it was Kathleen who found the most success.

After adopting the pseudonym Julie Ruin, Kathleen released a solo album in 1997. The project expanded past the album, resulting in a brand new band called Le Tigre.

Le Tigre mixed the politics of riot grrrl music with electronic and lo-fi beats, which was a pretty interesting combo. The band released three albums: Le Tigre in 1999, Feminist Sweepstakes in 2001 and This Island in 2004. This Island was the only album released on a major label.

In 2007, Le Tigre went on a hiatus and each member went on to pursue other things.

(Fun fact: Le Tigre most recently worked with Christina Aguilera on her album Bionic. The band co-wrote and produced the song “My Girls.”)

After her adventures with Le Tigre, Kathleen volunteered as a band coach for The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls, taught an art class at NYU’s grad school and married Adam Horovitz, a.k.a. Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys.

In 2010, Kathleen announced that she would be turning her solo act Julie Ruin into an actual band, The Julie Ruin, with former Bikini Kill bandmate Kathi Wilcox.

But Why Bikini Kill?

The band isn’t getting back together anytime soon, but there’s a new documentary out about Kathleen called The Punk Singer. Plus, there’s always hope for some new Le Tigre material.

What Does Sam Think?

I didn’t get into riot grrrl music until I got to college (the only exception being Hole, but I’ve always considered them more of a grunge band). I took a women’s and gender studies class my freshman year and we spent a few classes talking about third wave feminism and the riot grrrl movement. I was instantly intrigued.

I had heard of Bikini Kill through my obsession with Nirvana (since Kathleen came up with the name for “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by writing “Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit” on Kurt Cobain’s wall). That was back when I started listening to bands that I knew were huge influences for Nirvana because I was a weird kid and part of me wanted to be a female version of Kurt Cobain.

So I listened to “Rebel Girl” and loved it, but didn’t really delve into Bikini Kill’s discography until later on. When I finally gave the rest of their songs a chance, I fell in love. Everything was so brutal and angry and just true. And Kathleen has a voice that makes any guy’s dick crawl back up inside him (and I mean that as a compliment).

So yes, Bikini Kill is a feminist band with feminist lyrics and politics, but that really shouldn’t scare anyone away. I could write a whole rant about how silly it that feminism is considered a “bad word,” but I’ll save that for another time. Bikini Kill songs deal with real issues and real anger at those issues, including violence against women and sexuality.

My favorite Bikini Kill song, "I Like Fucking," is about, you guessed it, sex. But it dares to ask the question, “Why shouldn’t I be able to enjoy sex?” It’s empowering, as are most BK songs. The line, “I believe in the radical possibilities of pleasure, babe” really sticks with me.

Bikini Kill is raw, like most punk bands before them. This is music that lives in the moment and has something to say. I really wish every girl could listen to riot grrrl bands like this and feel empowered, but I know they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. Even if you don’t like the music, you have to appreciate the message.

And even though Kathleen Hanna can be a bit of hypocrite sometimes, I still like what she does (but maybe not everything she says outside of her music).

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the ‘90s.

Hole

Sound Familiar?

“Violet,” “Doll Parts,” “Celebrity Skin”

Who Are They?

An often-overlooked grunge band with a tenacious cherry bomb of a frontwoman.

Hole formed in 1989 after guitarist Eric Erlandson responded to an advertisement in the punk rock fanzine Flipside. The ad simply said, “I want to start a band. My influences are Big Black, Sonic Youth, and Fleetwood Mac.” The inquirer? Some chick called Courtney Love.

The band’s first rehearsals basically consisted of Courtney, Eric, and original bassist Lisa Roberts playing something noisy while Courtney and Lisa started screaming their poetry for two or three hours. That is how magic happens, people.

Once they picked up a drummer and a third guitarist, Hole started playing shows in nightclubs and seedy bars in Los Angeles. After a couple lineup changes, the band released their debut album, Pretty On the Inside, in 1991. Courtney wanted desperately for Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon to produce the album, so she sent Kim a letter, a Hello Kitty barrette, and copies of Hole’s early singles. Kim agreed, probably because of the Hello Kitty barrette. Who wouldn’t say yes to that?

Pretty On the Inside received high praise from underground critics, especially in the UK where Hole did an extensive tour with Daisy Chainsaw and Mudhoney. Spin loved it, ranking it in their “20 Best Albums of the Year” list.

In later years, Courtney panned the album and referred to it as unlistenable. Whatever you say, Courtney.

During the Pretty On the Inside tour, Courtney became romantically involved with Kurt Cobain. The two would eventually become the notorious grunge power couple we all know today, finally getting married in February 1992.

Once Kurt and Courtney welcomed daughter Frances Bean into the world later that year, Courtney wanted to change up Hole’s sound. She wanted to transition from the gritty punk rock style to a more melodic, pop-influenced rock format. Bassist Jill Emery and drummer Caroline Rue didn’t want any part of a poppy version of Hole, so they split.

Frustrated and desperate for a stable lineup, Courtney ran another ad, this time more specific. It read, “[I want] someone who can play ok, and stand in front of 30,000 people, take off her shirt and have ‘fuck you’ written on her tits. If you’re not afraid of me and you’re not afraid to fucking say it, send a letter. No more pussies, no more fake girls, I want a whore from hell" (taken from Dirty Blonde: The Diaries of Courtney Love).

Drummer Patty Schemel and bassist Kristen Pfaff signed on in late 1992, and work on the new album began in 1993.

Meanwhile, our grunge power couple was riding a downward spiral into heroin addiction. Kurt and Courtney both checked into rehab in 1994, but Kurt checked out shortly after arriving there. He was found dead in his Seattle home in April 1994 of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

Hole’s second full-length album, Live Through This, was released just four days after Kurt’s death. Amidst the hysteria surrounding Kurt’s passing, Live Through This became a critical success. Singles “Violet,” “Doll Parts,” and “Miss World” exploded on MTV and alternative rock radio. Just goes to show that changing up your sound a bit can work wonders.

The Live Through This tour came to a halt early on when Kristen Pfaff died of an apparent heroin overdose. Hole pulled out of Lollapalooza that year and disappeared from the media spotlight, only to return in September 1994 with new bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.

Following the tour, Courtney scored a lead role in the 1996 film The People vs. Larry Flynt and Hole was put on the backburner.

The band’s third studio album, 1998’s Celebrity Skin, adopted a more pop-oriented sound. It received unanimously positive reviews while Courtney received nothing but hate. Acclaim for both Live Through This and Celebrity Skin was undercut by rumors that Kurt actually wrote both albums. The band collectively denied the allegations.

In 1999, Melissa Auf der Maur quit Hole to become the touring bassist for Smashing Pumpkins. Patty Schemel bowed out before the release of Celebrity Skin, and her replacement, Samantha Maloney, left with Melissa. Eric and Courtney officially disbanded Hole in 2002.

Where Are They Now?

Living on through Courtney Love.

After the split, everyone took on different projects. Courtney released a solo album in 2004 called America’s Sweetheart, Eric worked as a producer and session musician, and Melissa embarked on her own solo career.

In 2009, Courtney announced the reunion of Hole…without informing any of the original members.

Apparently she decided to release her second solo album, 2010’s Nobody’s Daughter, under the name Hole. Eric and Melissa were surprised by Courtney’s announcement, considering the fact that neither one of them had been invited to contribute to the record. Eric revealed that contractually no Hole reunion could take place without his involvement, so Nobody’s Daughter was technically a Courtney Love solo record.

Nobody’s Daughter received mixed reviews, with most critics concluding that Courtney is only as good as her collaborators.

But Why Hole?

Eric, Melissa, and Patty recently announced that they will reunite as Hole for a special show in Hudson, NY on April 8. Unfortunately, Courtney refused to take part. Instead, she’ll be working with the new “Hole” lineup on a new studio album.

What Does Sam Think?

Rant: This section will not be about Courtney Love’s relationship with Kurt Cobain. If you want to read about Nirvana, head on over to my entry on Nirvana. Hole is a completely different band and should be treated as such. And Courtney is so much more than Kurt Cobain’s widow. End rant.

So I obviously dig the grunge scene in the ‘90s. Hole was the perfect mix of down and dirty grunginess and pro-feminist riot grrrl edginess. Pretty On the Inside is a perfect example of this mesh. It’s this visceral, in-your-face monster of a record that definitely leaves an impression.

But the band didn’t stick to that sound. Professionally, that would a good option. If they had chosen to churn out another Pretty On the Inside, we wouldn’t have Live Through This, which is honestly one of the best albums of the ‘90s.

Live Through This is made of blood, sweat, and tears. While it’s not as aggressive as its predecessor, it still has that raw intensity of a woman scorned. It also has a softer side, one that puts Courtney into a vulnerable position. Look at “Doll Parts.” The lyrics are so incredibly personal. When you add in Kurt’s death, that song just becomes heart wrenching.

Celebrity Skin took the pop aesthetic a little too far for me, though. Yeah, the title track is great, but without all the snarling and distortion, it just lacks depth. And don’t even get me started on Nobody’s Daughter.

Okay, get me started. Nobody’s Daughter isn’t a terrible album ("Skinny Little Bitch" is a pretty rad track). It’s decent, but it kind of sounds like a different band. Oh, wait. It is a different band. It’s Courtney Love and some other guys. That’s not really Hole, just like whatever Billy Corgan is doing right now isn’t really Smashing Pumpkins.

I think the world would be a better place if Hole’s original lineup got back together to record an album, or at least go on tour. I mean, Courtney really hasn’t ruled that out yet. There’s still hope for angry young women everywhere.

-- Sam Boyer, reporting from the '90s.