| Most
of the women interviewed agree that women’s
music came out of the era of social protest in the late 1960s
and early 70s, when women did not have a lot of opportunities
in music. These musical pioneers were speaking out against
the status quo of “cock rock” that trivialized
women’s experience and asserted that women were only
groupies or sex objects and unable to handle making popular
music. There was even a taboo against teaching women music,
especially the drums.
And
at the same time that bands were not letting female musicians
in, the music industry was keeping women out through blatant
sexism. Women that tried to produce their own shows were running
into homophobia from managers of performance spaces and even
printers--this was pre-Kinkos, so flyers and posters for events
had to be printed, but if they had the word lesbian in the,
the printers wouldn’t accept the work.
Anyone under the age of forty living in a
large urban or musical hotbed area like Austin, Texas or Olympia,
Washington may have a hard time wrapping their head around
the idea that women once had a hard time finding other women
to fill out their band (although even today, a good dyke bass
player is hard to find). Radical Harmonies explores
what it meant for these early female musicians to play with
other female musicians for the first time, to realize they
were no longer alone in the world--as lesbians or musicians--and
this part of the film is very moving.
The
documentary also includes a perspective on various women’s
music festivals around the country, including the story of
Camp Sister Spirit, a lesbian retreat in the South that has
been terrorized by local dog-murdering homophobes.
Radical
Harmonies doesn’t shy away from some of
the controversies surrounding representation in women’s
music, focusing chiefly on the transition from a white, middle-class-
dominated genre to the active inclusion of people of varied
cultural and financial backgrounds and physical abilities.
Mosbacher also illuminates the reason behind the ubiquitous
presence of ASL interpreters at lesbian events; the presence
of these interpreters/performers was an innovation from women’s
music events that is now a part of public events from political
speeches to cultural celebrations.
What
isn’t discussed is the divisive dispute about the inclusion
of transsexuals at women-only events. It would have been great
to see balanced insight on this issue from inside the microcosm
of music festivals, since many queer women’s communities
are currently grappling with this issue.
But
this omission aside, I cannot recommend this documentary
highly enough. Not only does it include footage of performers
too numerous to list here--from Ronnie Gilbert and Gwen Avery
to Ani DiFranco and The Butchies--it also features behind
the scene superstars like Judy Dlugacz and Ginny Berson of
Olivia Records (which has evolved into Olivia), and the much
sought-after sound engineer Myrna Johnston.
As
someone who isn’t keen on the folksy, crunchy nature
of lots of women’s music, I came away from this documentary
with a new appreciation for the groundbreaking work of these
musical pioneers. These courageous women launched an industry
that embraced and nurtured women not only as performers, but
as techs, sound engineers, production managers, and promoters.
The
tendency of queer history to focus disproportionately on gay
men makes Radical Harmonies an important contribution
in its own right, as well.
Get
Radical Harmonies on DVD
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