Extended Blog: The Contemporary Voice in Female Rock n' Roll

The contemporary female voice in rock n’ roll is one that speaks of liberation, confidence, anger, feeling, and frustration.

The contemporary female voice echoes characteristics of second and third wave feminism.

Women with second wave feministic voices object to being dominated by a patriarchy that seeks to keep them in submission. These feminists advocate for power by playing with social constructs like sexuality, and the ‘woman’s place’ through their music.

The post-modern mode of third wave feminism also informs the contemporary female voice, especially in recent times. In our society many social constructs have been undermined, like body, gender, sexuality etc. Female artists in this category readopt the lip-stick, high-heals, and cleavage exposing necklines that feminism initially identified with male oppression.  

These grrrls are strong and empowered, shunning victimization, and defining feminine beauty for themselves as subjects, not as objects of a sexist patriarchy. There is a rhetoric of reappropriation—like wearing the bright red lipstick, using derogatory words like “slut” and “bitch” in order to undermine sexist culture and deprive it of verbal weapons.

I think the media, social networking, and basically the internet—which is disembodied—gives users the opportunity to cross gender boundaries, and the idea of gender and sexuality has become more blurred and unclear. There is a sort of celebration of ambiguity and a deviation from the tradition “us-them”. They construct themselves through performance, rather than sticking to fixed structures and power relations.

I think this is true of most contemporary female artists. Some, however, such as Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus {though perhaps she is breaking out of this} are stuck under a patriarchal power and their voice is not entirely their own. They flaunt third wave feminist ideals like baring and being proud of the body, sexualizing their image, but not for the right reasons. They are being actively objectified, but I don’t see it as being empowering as I do with other artists like Lady Gaga, or Beyonce.  

Women still sing of love, vulnerability, and emotion--but in a take charge kind of way. They stay true to what it means to be a women--putting all of that frustration, emotion, love, and nurture into their craft. Whether showing their bodies, or not.

Thematic Collection 5: Porn Sells

Porn products have been reintroduced to society as artifacts of pop culture, the lines between the two blurring so that now what we consider mainstream, pop culture looks a lot like soft-core porn…including advertisements.  

We are desensitizing men and boys by teaching them that degrading women is “normal” and accepted, women and girls are brainwashed through conditioning to believe that they are nothing more than sex objects.

Supply and demand; porn is a commodity, and it sells well. It is a product in high demand, it sells pretty much whatever you want it to—it is the perfect marketing tool, and that’s how it is being used.

It sells products; perfume and stars, burgers and cars. And it has become a part of normal society. It is exploitation, not glorification of the female form. It cultivates a sexism and racism that keeps our society from moving forward.

The sad thing is, and I include myself in this, that we don’t really notice it much anymore. We find these adverts funny, perhaps a little shocking, but nothing out of the ordinary. That we have been socialized to not be bothered by these images is unnerving.  

Thematic Collection 4: Indie Music: Wizard Rock

I touched on this briefly in my post about Indie music, but I wanted to delve further into this ultra-indie, wyrd genre of Wrock.

I think “Indie” can be defined as being built around a counter-culture, and the music as artifacts of this community. Wizard Rock embraces a “do it yourself” style, and the bands self-produce their recordings, distributing them online through youtube or myspace.

The culture that this music comes from is the Harry Potter Series. This is a genre where the subject matter is solely hailed from Harry Potter which goes against mainstream bands that have songs that reference many different things.

The indie genre, as being in revolt to mainstream culture, has become convoluted and a part of a mainstream culture; cancelling itself out. But I don’t believe true indie is dead. I think it perhaps needs a new name, though. Harry Potter is very popular within mainstream culture, but this extent of fanaticism is still about under the counter.

When performing live, wizard rock bands often cosplay, or costume play—a sort of role playing of one of the characters from the series. The bands usually show up at fan conventions, bookstores and libraries—and of course, house parties.

There is a documentary on Wrock called, We Are Wizards. You can watch it on Hulu or Netflix for free. Here's the trailer:

Thematic Collection 3: Black Women in Rock

In class when we looked at riot grrrl and the feminist punk scene, it was pretty much a consistent affair, with a lack of racial diversity. The movement was relatively homogeneous, so this glossing over isn’t that big of a deal to me personally, but I thought it would be interesting to look at some black women who might fall (even if a little loosely) under this genre.

First up, Grace Jones.

Of the women I’ve included in this post, Grace Jones is the probably the most iconic. She has been recording since 1977, released ten studio albums and is a successful actress. Jones adopted the New Wave music style, and tailored a very strong visual presence and androgynous look, with square-cut hair and angled sharp clothes. Ironically her “flat top” hairstyle which she wore in her concerts in the ‘70s, became popular among black men in the ‘80s. Jones is known for her unique look as much as she is for her music, with her elaborate costumes during concert performances and music videos.

I saw X-Ray Spex on the documentary “Punk in London” that I watched with my dad. Poly Styrene, the lead singer, is pretty wonderful; her vocal style is unique to the punk scene, and her hair bows and bright outfits gave X-Ray Spex’s overall reputation as one of the more inventive bands of the mid- to late-‘70s punk era. As a feminist punk she was already nonconventional, but as a braces-wearing, mixed race lead singer, she was even more so. The band was a little pre-riot grrrl movement, and the band’s music focuses more on anti-consumerism and anti-racism.

Fefe Dobson is definitely more commercial than the previous musicians, but she battled with the same kind of racial bias when she broke into the pop punk world previously dominated by female artists like Avril Lavigne. Fefe was constantly stereotyped as a contemporary R&B singer because of her race, despite her interest in rock music, and thrashy punk sound.

Beyonce Knowles, I know this doesn’t fit, but let’s just agree that this cover is awesome.

Thematic Collection 2: White-Washing

We touched briefly on the idea of “white-washing” in class when we read the article by Bell Hooks, “Madonna: Plantation Mistress or Soul Sister?” “Blonde ambition” or “white-washing” is a desire, envy, or appeal for white culture that black female artists may have and appropriate into their image.

These women perform this way to assimilate and be accepted. This reflects the assimilation and acceptance black women must suffer in society.

They are the accessible black female figure; still black for all intents and purposes, but not too black as to cause discomfort. Sure they might sing R&B, they might rap, because those aspects of black culture are cool, hip. These women have just enough swag to claim the responsibility of empowering other black women, and enough whiteness and “class” as to be acceptable and appealing to the masses.

This might not even be the artists conscious choice, magazines or managers might “lighten them up” to make them more culturally “beautiful” and acceptable. 

Hindustan Times article about Indian Actress Aishwarya Rai's intent to Sue Elle for alleged white-washing

Or, conversely, to shoot female models in such a way as to darken the skin of African women to further exoticize them. 

Aside from the more obvious reasons behind this play into acceptance, there is a more subtle one in the media arena. Black bodies are constantly portrayed as negatively sexual, as corrupted, wild, feral and impure. 

Thematic Collection 1: The Star as Commodity

We’ve talked a lot in class of the idea of the artist/performer/star as product. It stands to reason though; an entertainers purpose is to entertain. Consumers create a demand, and the industry creates the product—a commodity that buyers need—the product informs consumers what is in, hip, now and cool by creating “the next big thing.”

The product in the music industry is no longer the physical records, or albums, or songs that sell; it the brand of the star. Byproducts may include dolls, lunchboxes, decals—whatever. Artists create themselves as artifacts of a packaged brand in order to sell themselves. Celebrity doesn't just sell themselves or their music, it is also used to sell items completely unrelated to them; phones, proactive cremes, headphones.

The interviews, the music video (product placement), social networking sites—all are venues through which an artist can push her brand.

Staying consistent to the brand is fairly important; Britney Spears, for example, revolts against her All-American girl-next-door, sexually available yet unattainable, fun and flirty image when she first has kids, gains weight, gets a little crazy and eventually shaves her head. And America rejects her, and exiles her.

Britney had to reclaim her old image, and make a “come-back”; the consumer would have it no other way.

The product the artist portrays is in demand, and smart artists play into that. In Lady Gaga’s case, she sells a sort of lifestyle of liberation. 

Many artists create a "look" that goes along with their branding. Nicki Minaj's brand is strong, empowered, black female rapper. A "Crazy Bitch" who does whatever she wants. Nicki Minaj is a marketing guru; she's a bankable brand that has influenced trends through her music, fashion, make-up and hair.

Pop Goes The Porn Culture from Pornland, by Gail Dines

Porn as celebration. As integral part of mainstream pop culture by design. Porn industry reconstructing porn as fun, edgy, chic, sexy, and hot. The cleaner the industry became—stripping away the “dirt”—the more it seeped into pop culture and our collective unconscious.

Porn products are reintroduced as artifacts of pop culture, the lines between the two blurring so that now what we consider mainstream, pop culture looks a lot like soft-core porn…including advertisements. 

Girks Gone Wild

Joe Francis sells drunk, naked girls. The franchise is sex, but Francis cleverly crafted the Girls Gone Wild product as hot, sexy fun that pushes the envelope. The show has become a recognizable part of American mainstream pop culture.

The Image that Francis has created for Girls Gone Wild is one of young college kids having some good ‘innocent’ fun, and that is why it is a socially accepted brand.

It is specifically women that Francis is selling; hardcore porn includes intercourse, erect penises and ejaculate; because Girls Gone Wild features “real” young women engaging in sexual activity, it is considered soft-core porn.

The ‘realness’ of the girls is crucial and Francis’ main selling point: the idea that the Girls Gone Wild footage is real and uncut, gives the impression that everyday women are sexually available, that “all women are sluts.”

There is a exhibitionist/voyeuristic relationship that takes place between the girls being filmed and the consumers.  The metaphorical “first time”; of being filmed having sex, taking the good “girl next door” and making her “just another slut in porn.”

Manipulation is not difficult as these girls are brainwashed by society to see themselves as sex objects.

The male cameraman telling the women what to do is terribly disconcerting. He has all the power.

Jenna Jameson

The first real porn star in both porn culture and mainstream culture; she is considered to be iconic. She claims to be in control of her own life, and a living testament to how women can make a successful career in the porn industry. Jameson’s story puts the focus on her success, thereby cleanse up porn, and making her the face of an industry, rather than the men who actually own and control it.

In truth, Jameson was hurt by the industry, and her life wasn’t as glamorous as the media makes it. She does admit to feeling degraded, but also claims that she was empowered in her role as “Sex Queen.”

Vivid Entertainment

The largest and most successful porn studio in the world. Steve Hirsch, the man behind the studio wants to make porn mainstream, and his endeavor has been somewhat successful. Vivid Entertainment exploits women in hardcore pornographic videos, becoming more rough every day. The films are penis-centered; the job of the woman is to pleasure the man. ugh.

Queries:

Do you feel desensitized in our culture? Are you as shocked as your parents are when you see racy material?

How has the music industry affected this “bridging” or blurring of the lines? Do you think female performers are treated much like the young women in the porn industry?

 Black women are the lowest level of the porn industry {thank God}, do you think this is because of the idea that the black body is "dirty", and the opposite of innocent? 

Song Analysis 5 Tom Waits: Bad as Me

Tom Waits is 61 years old, and just released his 17^th studio album, “Bad as Me”. He is a smart, guttural, meticulous, sometimes vulnerable, bleak and comical artist. He has created a sound that matches his voice and lyrics, creating weird back-water characters of America, mad junk artsy experiments. He has created in himself a myth and a marvel.

Tom Waits has a voice that sounds like a seedy bar: it’s all smooth whisky and cigarettes, barking and hollering. Bad as Me is a sexy nasty track; Waits literally screams, “You’re the same kind of bad as me”, letting everything in his dirty soul loose, singing not just from the gut, but the lower intestines.

Full of attitude and wit, he sounds like a maniac as he compares two lovers: "You’re the head on the spear/ You’re the nail on the cross/ You’re the fly in my beer/ You’re the key that got lost/... I’m the blood on the floor/ The thunder and the roar/... You're the same kind of bad as me". It's an ode to a perfectly torrid love affair.

The song is a bluesy song that is raw and unnerving. The repetition of the chorus creates an almost sinister suffocating atmosphere.

The dragging, clattering blues beat, stabbing guitars, woozy saloon piano and bleating horns add to the unhinged characteristic of the narrator. The sound itself plays accomplice to the gritty unfolding in the song, Waits compares himself to his lover; creating vivid imagery with a mixture of old-timey and surreal.

Waits accuses his lover, putting her in her place opposite him, the same as him; not above him. They are cut from the same cloth. 

You're the head on the spear
You're the nail on the cross
You're the fly in my beer
You're the key that got lost

You're the letter from Jesus
On the bathroom wall
You're Mother Superior
With only a bra

You're the same, you're the same, you're the same 
Kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me

I'm the hat on the bed
I'm the coffee instead
I'm the fish or cut bait
I'm the detective of late
I'm the blood on the floor
The thunder and the roar
I'm the boat that won't sink
I just won't sleep a wink 

You're the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me.
You're the same kinda bad as me.

No good you say?
Ha ha
Well that's good enough for me

You're the the wreathe that caught fire
You're the pitch of the choir
You'd bite down on the sheet
But your teeth have been wired
You skid in the rain
You're trying to shift
You're grinding the gears 
You're trying to shift

And you're the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me
She's the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me

They told me you were no good
But I know you'll take care of all my needs
You're the same kinda bad as me

I'm the mattress in the back
I'm the old gunnysack
I'm the one with the gun
Most likely to run
I'm the car in the weeds
If you cut me I'll bleed

You're the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me

Same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me
You're the same kinda bad as me

Uno, dos, tres, cuatro

Song Analysis 4 Mirel Wagner: No Death

This morning I listened to Mirel Wagner, a young singer-songwriter from Finland, but adopted from Ethiopia. She sort of sounds like a mixture of Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, and Billie Holiday. The song, the music video, her performance; everything is stripped down. In the music video Wagner portrays a woman that is ugly and beautiful, fragile and strong, restrained and bare. “No Death” is a dark lullaby with a simple bluesy old-school arrangement, and it is heavy and raw as heavy metal can’t be.

It is refreshing to know that there is a young Finnish woman who can write convincing folksy-blues songs about subjects like hanging on to a dead lover and kissing her rotten tongue, because death can’t tear them apart. Just…wow. She has a prescence, even if a bit haunting, and her whispered delivery lifts her songs to a whole other level.

Even though the song is rugged and sad, it has a cathartic healing quality. I couldn’t stop listening to it over, and over; fascinated by the conflicting woman in the video. A real woman, vulnerable, but determined and tough.

I don’t know if Mirel is gay, but her lover in the song is a woman, and the character of death is a man; who she outwits, who she outruns. She clings to her lover, even death cannot separate them.

Lyrics: 

my baby has a swollen face
long stiff limbs
them eyes are black pits
of a place where I've been
her hair is long
still smells like mud
she answered to my kiss
with a rotten tongue
no death can
tear us apart
her body is cold
well its gonna get colder
but my love will ignite
what was left to smoulder
I move my hips
in her I am home
I'll keep on loving
till the marrow dries from her bones
no death
can tear us apart
all day
I stay by her side
but death has a claim
and a right to my bride
I shut the doors
pull the curtains and hide
I heard something moving
somewhere outside
no death can
tear us apart
but death comes a sneaking in
trough the keyholes
he's clever and he knows
what's beneath the floorboards
death comes to feast
like a greedy hungry beast
he wants it all
and here he crawls
and here he crawls
and here he crawls...

Song Analysis 3 David Bowie: Changes

David Bowie’s “Changes” is a song I’m sure we’ve all heard. In many ways the lyrics reflect elements of Bowie’s personal life; he was known for constantly reinventing himself by altering his personality, his physical appearance, and the style of his music. He is androgeny; he is mystery and he is confusion all rolled into one star.

“Changes” is an anthem of this perpetual Bowie evolution. Bowie takes on the roll of the outsider, looking back on a life and trying to understand it. The narrator is ultimately unable to understand, as he is older, wisened, adult. “Changes” praises the virtue of accepting that change is an inevitable part of life. As an adult, he labels youth as the target of scorn of older generations because they don’t understand.

The protagonist must face the inevitable changes in his life, embrace the strange, fascinating puberty-like stages; they are a part of living.

Lyrics:

I still don't know what I was waiting for

And my time was running wild

A million dead-end streets

Every time I thought I'd got it made

It seemed the taste was not so sweet

So I turned myself to face me

But I've never caught a glimpse

Of how the others must see the faker

I'm much too fast to take that test

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Don't want to be a richer man

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Just gonna have to be a different man

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I watch the ripples change their size

But never leave the stream

Of warm impermanence and

So the days float through my eyes

But still the days seem the same

And these children that you spit on

As they try to change their worlds

Are immune to your consultations

They're quite aware of what they're going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Don't tell t hem to grow up and out of it

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Where's your shame

You've left us up to our necks in it

Time may change me

But you can't trace time

Strange fascination, fascinating me

Changes are taking the pace I'm going through

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Oh, look out you rock 'n rollers

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes

(Turn and face the strain)

Ch-ch-Changes

Pretty soon you're gonna get a little older

Time may change me

But I can't trace time

I said that time may change me

But I can't trace time

Song Analysis 2 Childish Gambino: Outside

The autobiographical song is a critical part of hip-hop. Most hip-hop artists sprinkle autobiographical elements throughout their work.

Some songs take a full-on memoir quality, like Childish Gambino’s “Outside.”

Within the hip-hop context most of these songs confirm the artists’ cred—that he’s from the street, and he has fought through hell to prove his ballsy character.

Sure, a lot of hip-hop artists are succeeding without talking about being from the ghetto, but the central conversation in hip-hop is life in the hood, and what becomes of those who rhyme their way out of it…among a lot of songs about bitches and hoes.

Slowly, but surely it is becoming less and less of a prerequisite that rappers be from the hood, and Gambino is a part of a class-ultraconscious hip-hop movement. Gambino is unapologetic about being or sounding untraditionally Black; he undermines the stigma that he should sound Black, even though he is from the hood.

The song “Outside” is a memoir of Gambino’s childhood, and it deals with class conflict he has faced in his life. Childish raps about how when he was young and poor he felt comfortable enough to dream, to be content. He talks about racial norms, being exoticized, fitting in, and in the end about his relationship with his cousin.

My favourite part:

 “And I just wanna fit in, but nobody was helping me out/They talking hood shit and I ain't know what that was about/Cause hood shit and Black shit is super different.”

There’s a difference between race and class. Blackness is not dictated by the hood and the hood is not dictated by Blackness. 

Lyrics:

[verse 1]i used to dream every night, now i don't dream at allhopin' that it's cause i'm livin' everything i wantused to wake up in a bed between my mom and auntplaying with this land before time toy from pizza hutmy dad works nightsputting on a stone facehe's saving up so we can get our own placein the projects, man that sounds fancy to methey called me fat nose, my mom say you handsome to memrs. glover ma'am, your son is so advancedbut he's acting up in class and keeps peeing in his pantsand i just wanna fit in, but nobody was helping me outthey talking hood shit and i ain't know what that was aboutcause hood shit and black shit is super differentso i'm talking hood shit and cool it now like new editionmom and dad wouldn't listenthey left the bronx so i wouldn't be thatall their friends in ny deal crackit's weird, you think that they'd be proud of himbut when you leave the hood they think that you look down on 'emtruth is we still struggle on a different plane7 dollars an hour, with vouchers, it's all the samefacebook messaging hopin' that could patch up shitbut all they get now is, "can your son read this script?"
[hook]there's a world we can visit if we go outsideoutside, outsidewe can follow the roadthere's a world we can visit if we go outsideoutside, outsideno one goesthere's a world we can visit if we go outsideoutside, outsidewe can follow the roadthere's a world we can visit if we go outsideoutside, outsideno one knows

[verse 2]yeahdad lost his jobmama worked at mrs. winner'sgun pulled in her faceshe still made dinner"donald watch the meterso they don't turn the lights off"workin' two jobs so i can get into that white schooland i hate it therethey all make fun of my clothes and wanna touch my hairand my uncle on that stuff that got my grandma shookdrug dealers roughed him up and stole his address bookhe's supposed to pay 'em backhe owe 'em money but his bank account is zeroso my momma made us sleep with phillips heads under the pillowlike that would do somethin'but she's got six kids, she's gotta do somethin'she don't want me in a lifestyle like my cousinand he mad cause his father ain't aroundhe lookin' at me now, like"why you so fuckin lucky?i had a father toobut he ain't around so i'mma take it out on you"we used to say "i love you"now we only think that shitit feels weird that you're the person i took sink baths withstreet took you overi want my cousin backthe world sayin' what you are because you're young and blackdon't believe 'emyou're still that kid that kept the older boys from teasin'for some reason
[hook]
[outro]can you hear me now?can you hear me now?oh, help us lordoh, baby baby baby