Okay, that was wierd. Logged into WordPress to find it had been hacked or something. My side of things was all right (and the blog looked fine), but anytime I wanted to look at stats or the reader, I ended up at some sort of spam blog.
Which is now gone. Huh.
Changed my password. Hopefully, all will be well. (Also, hopefully, I’ll remember the new password…)
So, music! It’s Monday! The radio station I listen to in the mornings played the Runaways today in honor of women’s history month. This was exciting to me. No one ever plays the Runaways on the radio, except for me, when I was a dj (or so it seems). I called the station to thank them and request more rockin’ women. The dj (who is also their music director) complained that he didn’t know that many, and when I rattled off several, admitted he’d only heard of one name. That would be the band I’m picking for Monday Morning Music today.
Bikini Kill was a punk band from the 1990s that was greatly influenced by Joan Jett and the Runaways, among others. It’s also considered one of the founders of the riot grrrl movement. To quote from their website:
Bikini Kill believed that if all girls started bands the world would change. They actively encouraged women and girls to start bands as a means of cultural resistance. Bikini Kill was inspired by seeing Babes in Toyland play live and attempted to incite female participation and build feminist community via the punk scene. They used touring as a way to create an underground network between girls who played music, put on shows and made fanzines. This independent media making and informal network created a forum for multiple female voices to be heard.
“Rebel Girl” is one of their songs I’m particularly fond of. It’s about the girls we grew up with who didn’t fit in, who stood out, who stood up. I especially love the juxtaposition of the song with the Maoist ballet that makes up the video. It’s just so strange. I hope you like it, too.
M. Fenn 