No……. thank you

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:20:01 +0000

I bought my first Bikini Kill Cd’s in 2003 when I was a 17 year old high school student. Prior to this I was listening to the pop-punk/ alternative music of the day. It seemed there were fun bands like Blink 182, or politically conscious bands like Anti-Flag… but as a gay youth I thought, “Where is the punk band with a gay message?” I listened to “CD version” and “The Singles”… They blew my mind! Finally, music with a message I could relate to and that reflected how I felt. Finding Bikini Kill meant validation in a fucked up environment. You guys helped me get through high school and sort of lead me to other great music. Thank you.

Housewife, stripper, school girl, feminist, whatever

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:18:28 +0000

Right now, I am taking a break from writing a paper on youth at-risk for my counseling masters program. I think that all young females are “at-risk,” we are vaginally marginalized by society at birth, and when we hit adolescents we cease to be taken seriously as humans and many men only see us in terms of dick recepticles who should devote our lives to their ego and comfort. I think we as women buy into that – or are trained into falling for that. (Read Peggy Orensteins book School Girls, 1994. Gives good insight) I want it to be different for my daughter. I want her to be as feminine as she wants, to find value and power in that and to define what being a women means on her terms. I want that for all women. Bikini Kill has been a voice and a force for all women.
I remember at 18 when my best friend introduced me to Bikini Kill (he is one of those rare spectacularly attractive heterosexual men who truly likes women and appreciates them), he gave me the Bikini Kill- the first two albums cd and told me he knew I would love it. He was right. It was a revolution/revelation in a clear jewel case. I read the essay on the inside cover, over and over. It was a riot indeed. I think for the first time I felt how all of women were connected, and the way we seperated and bashed on each other was the problem. Housewife, stripper, school girl, feminist, whatever…we were all the same, living our lives out under the same rules we had no say in. ”Don’t you talk out of line. Don’t go speaking out of your turn. Gotta listen to what the Man says…” no more! It felt so good to be double dared, to scream it out loud – we don’t need you! To have a choice, to have a voice, to belong to a sisterhood. It still feels good. The freedom to embrace all your girl awesomeness however you define that and be unapologetic about it feels so damn good. Last year some of my female students and I were talking about bands we like, and I told them how Bikini Kill changed my whole perspective when I was their age. Some of those girls went out and bought Bikini Kill cd’s and then told me how it blew their minds. Yeah, it does that! I still get in my car, put in a Bikini Kill cd – sing right out loud, and feel all that raw awesomeness of being a female that I felt at 18.
Thank you for the voice, and the music to this soundtrack of change, strength, and power.
Brandeis

I told you I was a Dork!!!

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:15:35 +0000

I love an oldold piece by Kathleen Hanna about Dork vs. Cool. Having been a natural born dork and an occasional cool wannabe, it really helped me embrace and love my dorkiness when my beautiful daughter introduced me to Kathleen’s words when she was in college. I have fantasized about starting a D.O.R.K.S. initiative for years: Do One Real Kindness Secretly as often as possible, at least once a day. This would be a great workplace morale builder. Maybe we could change our culture. I don’t knowwhat’s been stopping me. Maybe its time to get this party started. See I told you I was a Dork!!!

Sounds like you already are contributing!!!

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:14:13 +0000

When I was in elementary school one of my first CD’s was Spice Girls. I used to play with the Spice Girl Barbies.

When I was in High School I had a couple of friends that introduced me to riot grrl, mainly Le Tigre. We’d drive in my friend’s new car and she say “it’s girl power time!”

I didn’t start listening to Bikini Kill seriously until last year, which is crazy to me because I resonate so much with it now. so many songs, including Kathleen Hanna’s spoken word, have given me chills. I bought All American Reject from a local record store in my hometown for less than 5 bucks. It was used. I’d listen to it regularly and it get me pumped and I’d workout and dance around in my room/living room.

On October 30th, 2010 I met the members of Broken Water and Morgan and the Organ Donors. I saw they play live at a house show. I bonded with James M., Sara Pete and Kanako. I mostly stayed in touch with Sara and visited OLY in January 2011.

I helped book a show for Hysterics this summer in San Luis Obispo, where I met those two OLY bands. I still live in SLO county but was traveling when they came to town and I was bummed that I missed it.

I’m mostly a writer, but I jammed with James a couple nights when I was in OLY. Mostly just screaming stuff. He wanted me to meet Tobi and Billy but Tobi was out of town and Billy, well didn’t answer when James decided to throw rocks at his window one night.

Kathleen Hanna’s zine, April Fool’s Day, has helped me stick to being sober. It’s going to be a year next month since I first quit drinking and it’s been a few weeks now since I quit smoking.

Bikini Kill has helped me realize how important it is to express your anger, that it is essential to freeing your creativity. I have a context now. Riot grrl is something that I truly believe in deep down. It helps me get through my daily struggles as a conditioned female.

Also by being activists about sexual abuse and speaking out about it it’s helped me heal tremendously. Reading stories about Kathleen Hanna talking about being date raped all the time, helped me realize “I’ve been date raped too.” That reality has been paramount in my healing process. To have a band, a group of activists, care so much about the world and other people to make such a big difference through their music is totally inspiring to me. I’m just really grateful for all the hard work you have all done.

I hope that I could do something to help contribute to the road you all have already paved.

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:12:23 +0000

So, we did a live tribute to “The CD Version of the First Two Albums” in Long Beach, 01/21/12. It’s funny how learning the songs makes you appreciate them in an entirely different way. Anyways, thanks for making such great music.

I just wanted the thrill.

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:10:39 +0000

To confess,
I have been to a lot of shows. Many. Being olden, I don’t want to even admit my first. My first shows that have had an impact on me were the Cramps, GBH, Wasted youth, Ramones, Buzzcocks, Circle Jerks and so on.
These shows are still a part of me. I ended up in China Town/ Los Angeles, and was lucky enough to see Bikini Kill play at Madam Wongs Cafe. The music was so fucking good. I knew Bikini Kill was one of my favorite bands, but hearing you live just added to the cool factor. That was one of the best shows I have ever gone to. The creep factor was way high for me, being a guy , and old, but I didn’t care. It was like that. I just wanted the thrill.

Love from Lu

theadventureclub — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 23:09:36 +0000

    So I was 13 going on 14 years old (now 28). I grew up with two older sisters who influenced/introduced to Punk Rock music. I got my hands on my first Bikini Kill album “Reject All American”. I will never forget the way I felt when I listened to this album.
I never discovered Riot grrrl music before.
  It changed my life from then on. Well, how cliche but I say “it changed my life” because it opened a HUGE door to my life. Something that had true meaning- for once in my life I could realte to. Finally, I felt “understood”. I can’t think of ANY other band that has done that for me; put such a strong impact on my life. So this time… I was introducing MY older sisters to Riot grrl music. I got to pass that gift along.
   I can’t thank Bikini Kill enough for making me feel Special, for getting me through High school in such a male dominated Punk Rock scene. I felt relieved that I could be strong and listen to myself- My own voice-. That’s truly The most special gift to me.
Most importantly, The biggest thank you forever : Introducing/inspiring me to Feminism for the rest of my life. I Thank ALL of you tremendously.

You’re like totally one of us grrls

theadventureclub — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:59:21 +0000

It’s Summer, 1991. I hitch a hundred miles and sneak onto two ferry boats in order to be in Oly on a Saturday night. It’s Revolution Summer Grrl Style Now and I can’t stand to miss a single show. I have to get into town, find out where the venue is, and find a place to change before the show. I borrowed, without permission, a dress from a girlfriend. It’s three bucks at the door for grrls, five bucks for boys, and three for boys in dresses. I’m never asked for more than three. After the show, some grrls and I go back to someone’s apartment and we lie on the floor and talk and laugh all night. When the sun comes up we go out to a greasy spoon off of Sleater-Kinney Blvd. Over breakfast we continue talking about feminism and resistance. The grrls are super smart and hella insightful. I start writing some of the awesome stuff the grrls are saying on a paper placemat. “so I can remember” I tell them “I want to make a zine and include some of this stuff.” Then I ask them if they think that it’s OK for me to make a zine. Like a Riot Grrl zine, you know. They say of course it’s OK and that it’s a great idea. One of the grrls doesn’t get where I’m coming from and she asks me why wouldn’t it be OK. I look down, I’m embarrassed when I say “Cuz I’m a boy”. The grrls tell me that just because I’m a boy that doesn’t mean that I can’t be a riot grrl. And one of the grrls adds “Fuck yeah, Zero. You’re like totally one of us grrls”.

PS: I’m no longer a boy. Now I’m a woman and a riot grrl.

PPS: Thanks, BK

“Fuck any kinda power, that means girl power, too!”

theadventureclub — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 19:46:00 +0000

In 1993/94, I had the good fortune of seeing Bikini Kill play one of the most memorable shows I’ll ever see. It was at this huge, all ages venue in Hollywood that had all these bouncers, something we weren’t used to then. FYP opened, Spitboy followed, we all danced, no big deal. When Bikini Kill came on, though, things strangely and suddenly shifted. A certain faction of crust punks started screaming sexist slurs one after the other at the band, song after song. Frankly, I was shocked. I considered myself an anarchist at the time, and to see so many kids covered in anarchist-style patches toting boring, stupid epithets just made no sense. The show wore on and things got more hostile: “Fuck any kinda power, that means girl power, too!” These same people, by and large boys, eventually started pushing girls around in the audience. At this point, Kathleen stopped the show and attempted to address things, but the opposing voices got louder, more belligerent. What happened next, though, I will never forget.
Kathleen started asking for one of these kids to approach the stage and speak into the microphone, since they wanted to be heard so badly. There were raised fists and shouts of “bitch, whore,” etc, but no one wanted to actually step up. Finally, Kathleen singled one boy out, saying, “You! You! Come up here. What are you afraid of… a girl?” The boy’s friends then pushed him to the front while Kathleen held the microphone out to him. When he went to speak into it…THUD! she hit him in the head with it.
The whole place pretty much went nuts. A bunch of crust punks rushed the stage, but a host of bouncers seemingly came out of nowhere to hold them back. Just then,“1- 2- 3- 4!” the band starts back up (oh how I wish I could remember what song). Meanwhile, Kathleen starts pulling girls out of the crowd, one by one, on to the stage, to safety. Bikini finished their set that night with 20 – 30 girls dancing on stage with them. Magical.
This stands out in memory to me not just as a successful display of female power, but also as an example of when small, innocuous acts of force can be used skillfully to turn an unacceptable situation on its head.
For what it’s worth, here’s a (horrid) zine page I made about the event.

I started the first queer/straight alliance at my high school

theadventureclub — Wed, 25 May 2011 23:05:42 +0000

Back in high school, I was overcoming alcoholism, getting myself to come out the closet, and healing from my brother passing away on 9/11. I had this english teacher named Chin-a, who is an amazing womyn of color and was in the riot grrrl scene back in college. While fighting off some of my battles, Chin-a made me a Bikini Kill mix CD. After listening, I felt unstoppable. At 17, I came out of the closet and my parents kicked me out the house various times. I was raised in Brooklyn, so after the arguments, I packed up my bag, stepped out of the door to feel a hard punch of wind from the cold winters’ night. With my head up high, I walked to the subway to ride the trains all night long. I wasn’t scared though, in my headphones I had “For Tammie Rae” on repeat, it reminded me of my brother, my best friend. In my heart, I knew it was badass to be Chicana, androgynous, queer, and wanted to change the world around me. I started the first queer/straight alliance at my high school, and my parents sent me away to gay rehab. I proudly wore my Bikini Kill t-shirt the whole time, and knew I had to keep on going. So, I went off to college at Evergreen, and started a Chicana queer punk band with my best friend. On our first show we played at my friend’s living room in Olympia, on our setlist we covered: “Feels Blind”. I was on vocals, and cried throughout the song + playing the drums at the same time. It was so liberating, and audience felt it too. But then, my dearest band member started her other band “Weird TV” and I left to Oaxaca, MX, focusing on organizing work with LGBTQ communities. Bikini Kill encouraged me to organize, and helped me become a stronger queer womyn of color. Thank you for being part of my revolution. Que la lucha sigue! In solidarity.

Lupe