I posted a video of me talking about Pussy Riot but apparently it didn’t work on some computers so please read Tobi Vail’s awesome article about them here.

Me and my friend Andre (amazing engineer) mixed these 7 songs from Le Tigre’s 2004-2005  World Tour and as a band we are really excited to release something besides our dvd that portrays our live sound. Now you can feel like you’re in the front row of our show while you’re in your car, vacuming or waiting for the Subway. Three out of the 7 songs got labeled EXPLICIT by itunes!!! Kind of funny that Hot Topic is labeled explicit cuz we sing about feminists having to go through a lot of “bullshit”. Hahaha.  I am sorta proud to be labeled explicit….So Thanks Itunes! Anyways you can download the songs from the links below or  search for “Le Tigre Live!” in your country.

mexico

usa

uk

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What? You don’t like tiny polar bears with hearts sewn on their stomachs and 6 month old Russell Stover’s ? Well neither do I!!!! Thankfully there is an Anti Valentine’s Day show happening tonight. And guess what? They are gonna have a fucking FRUMPIES cover band!!!! There will also be bands covering songs by Babes in Toyland, Mika Miko, and X!!! Sounds like a blast.

I recently did an interview for Collapse Board that made me think a lot about the difference between public and private, and what the line between the two means to me. Back in olden tymes, when I was a stripper, it was important that the character I was at work, and the customers I had, STAYED in the club, and that when I walked out, at 3am, my “real” life began.

In my life as a singer it’s always been kind of the opposite, I’ve WANTED  to be accessible to the people who come see me perform or listen to my music. Most people use this accessibility as an opportunity to connect in a meaningful way, though some use it as an invitation to be vicious, or demand that I meet their outrageous expectations. In the end though, the love and generosity this permeability has allowed me to experience has proved totally worth it. But for sure I am always searching for that perfect balance between being accessible as a performer and having “me time”.

For awhile I was doing interviews one after the other for days and even weeks at a stretch and found myself saying the same boring shit over and over. One of the reasons I was especially guarded was because I was living with someone who is kind of famous, and was super nervous if anyone ever asked me about our relationship. It just felt wrong to talk about it and like a line I didn’t want to cross.

And then something happened. I realized other performers were sharing intimate details about their lives on twitter and using their blogs to talk about things that were important to them. I also realized that there were times when I wanted to shout from the highest mountain how proud I am of my (now) husband, and it started feeling weird acting like we were strangers when I was asked about him.

So I got my shit together and started a website and a blog and have been uneasily trying to figure out my  relationship to this kind of thing ever since. And while I haven’t reached any overarching conclusions, I have decided that since I would rather read an interview with someone who is being honest, I should probably try to be more honest in interviews myself. Even when it makes me look like a fucking dork or gets me into trouble.

Thanks to Bianca for making my most recent one so enjoyable that I  just wanted to blab on and on, and of course, felt perfectly fine mentioning my wonderful partner in crime.

This is a picture of me with two of my favorite artists of all time Neal Medlyn and Carmine Covelli (who I also play in a band with) . Many people have been asking us when our damn record will finally come out…which, don’t get me wrong, is awesome and flattering, but all I can say is we are not in the business of rushing things and realize that in the end, taking breaks from the band to do things like Carmine performing in Neal’s amazing show Wicked Clown Love (as a singing DJ/wrestler), Kenny continuing his busy schedule performing with fellow downtown luminaries like Taylor Mac,  Sara teaching at her very own guitar and drum school, Kathi working on some extra secret bizness , and you know, me sitting on the couch watching People’s Court and blogging…this may sound like we are slow pokes but in reality it is all adding to the excitement we have about what The Julie Ruin will soon be releasing. We’ve been working hard in our home studio everyday, in between People’s Court episodes of course, and things are definitely moving ahead.   On a sidenote, NYC and Brooklyn is having a total renaissance and some of the best art and performance is happening here, now….I am so honored to be surrounded by such amazing energy. Thanks to Murray for snapping this pic!

Seen at Strawberry’s by our on the scene reporter JD Samson

Thanks to Everett True for bringing this to my attention.

More info here as well.

As mentioned in a previous post I was fortunate enough to design  the sets for Neal Medlyn’s latest opus Wicked Clown Love, What I didn’t mention is that this officially means that I also collaborated with one of my all time favorite visual artists, Larry Krone who not only designed the costumes but is also IN the show.  I am equally honored that the true juggalo family blogged about the event and seem as excited as I am about the show.  This is just ONE of the many costumes Larry made for the show. Prepare to lose your minds people.

                            I am thrilled to have worked with Neal Medlyn on his latest show.

Esme Barrera was murdered in the early morning hours of New Years Day. She was a counselor at Austin’s Rock Camp for Girls, loved music and had a huge amount of devoted friends. I didn’t know her personally but was brought to tears by the many loving descriptions of her and wanted to let people know that her family has set up a blog to help them with funeral expenses if you would like to contribute. I can not imagine what they are going through. This is just absolutely heartbreaking. UPDATE

That happen to be made by women

Seeing Fugazi was life changing for me. The bleak landscape I was trodding through (BF- before fugazi) suddenly turned into color, and dare I say it, they made me feel hopeful.  Guy Picciotto is hands down the best front man since Freddie Mercury and when I watched him perform it always felt like destiny brought him to that particular stage on that particular night. He always struck me as a character from a twisted fairytale more than just some guy who happened into a band..not so much larger than life, more like a person who was born to be onstage. And Ian MacKaye is not only a great songwriter but also funny as shit. The guy has a  kind of impossible charm and also the ability to say what he means so precisely in one one phrase . It can’t be easy to be the canvas every American punk boy projects himself onto. Suffice it to say I love this band. They are putting up an archive of all their concerts soon. Thank god for punk rock archivists!!!

It’s been a year and a half since the legendary Crown Heights gay bar Starlite Lounge closed it’s doors, but the former owners—and two young documentarians—are doing all they can to make sure those doors don’t stay closed for good.

CHECK OUT THEIR TRAILER

‘The Dardy Family Home Movies by Stephen Sondheim’ by Erin Markey is one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. In my life.  If you are in SF it plays between December 1st and 11th and you can see it for yourself. You may remember Erin from her Britney Spears song that I posted awhile back and here she is performing at Our Hit Parade:

Gone but NEVER forgotten. Freddie Mercury September 5th 1946 – November 24th 1991

Attention all indie film makers, the Sara Jacobsen Grant is once again available and ready for you to apply for! Deadline is Dec 31st.

This is a trailer for a film this grant supported!

Lecture at The Jacksonville Public Library in Jacksonville Florida at 12pm.

I’ve been way too busy to blog lately. I still really want to write about my amazing trip to Atlanta last week…I met a bunch of artists, did a Q and A, went to a women’s college (cue Facts of Life music here) and DJ’ed at a museum. It was an insane weekend and I got a lot of fucking attention. Seriously, it was like ME ME ME me me me. Thank god I eventually came home where my dog promptly reminded me that I am seriously not a big deal at all. Squirrells are big deals. Snacks are big deals. Mr. Carrot (her stuffed animal) is a big deal, and truly, Mr. Carrot is the real celebrity in her life. You should see how she freaks out when he enters the room!!! ANYWAYS, today I am going to Jacksonville in preparation for a zine conference at the public library so if you are in Jacksonville tomorrow……see ya there!   Also a PBS special called Women Who Rock is gonna be on tv tonight, I did an interview for it, not sure if I made the cut, but these things are always pretty entertaining to watch. I think I’m actually more of a woman who “shuffles” than “rocks” so hopefully I will have a massive role in the ‘Women who Shuffle’ series that is scheduled to play  in my alternate reality sometime next year.

Lecture at Ramapo College in Mahwah, NJ at 7pm.

Our Hit Parade is a once a month show at Joe’s Pub in NYC that my bandmate, Kenny Mellman hosts (along with Neal Medlyn and Bridget Everett). The basic premise is that people perform cover versions of current hits. You never know who will walk out next. This performance is by my friend Peter Yanowitz and Tenzin, who I first met when he was still in a stroller! Who knew he had THIS voice. I ruined my mascara watching this one, so be careful.

I will be DJ’ing tonight in Atlanta!

more info here

I will be spinning records at The High Museum in Atlanta this evening!!!

And in Brooklyn protesters stop the state from auctioning off people’s properties WITH SONG!

This is one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. This is what being good neighbors is all about.

thanks to Kristen for this!

you will be missed.

When I was 19 years old I found a stack of Heresies in the back of a used bookstore. I remember hiding them under a chair and going to get a coffee and coming back, I didn’t have enough money to buy them all so I sat there for 4 hours reading and left with my two favorites. I had proof, in my book bag, real proof. Thank you arty feminist intellectuals for doing something that I’m sure was incredibly difficult, to say the least. Nothing I have ever done in my life would’ve been possible without you.

My favorite genius in the Paris Review

Feminist Ryan Gosling

Friday,October 7th. 7pm at The New Museum.

Drawing inspiration from two disparate sources—Sara Marcus’s book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution and the Barbara Streisand movie Funny Girl (a musical comedy about a Follies star who leaves her husband after he nearly sabotages her entire career)  “Funny Girls to the Front,” showcases a line-up of female artists who make music funny on their own terms. These irrepressible entertainers employ original music in provocative and hilarious ways as an integral part of their performance practices, confronting assumptions and redefining the boundaries of their chosen disciplines (comedy, cabaret, performance art, and contemporary dance) in the process.

Featuring:

Carolyn Castiglia
Bridget Everett
Erin Markey
Larissa Velez-Jackson
Becky Yamamoto

Hosted by Adira Amram and the Experience

Thanks to Jean and Kenny for this!!!

When Sini Anderson first approached me about making a documentary about me, I was unsure. It didn’t seem like a good time. I was on my way to meet her to tell her I couldn’t do it when I realized I was about to make one of the stupidest decisions of my life. I mean, how lucky am I that the RIGHT person showed up asking to document my life?

I know she’s the right person, because I know that even if I come off as over dramatic or cocky or even a total jerk, it, for sure, won’t be boring. Every time I get freaked out I think about the documentary about Valentino called The Last Emperor, and in it he comes off as a total primadonna, but, he’s honest and he let himself be seen, truly seen, and that made him loveable and compelling. Sini has made me want to “be seen” in a way I never felt comfortable with before, and that’s a pretty special talent.

Sini has made this movie for nothing. She has no trust fund she’s milking, no backers with checkbooks. The crew have shown up knowing they weren’t getting paid, slept on couches, borrowed lighting kits and one of them has been lugging a mountain worth of equipment by herself on a plane for an entire year. The editor, who I am sure is working into the night as I type this, has refused to quit even though he hasn’t seen a dime. Thing is, the whole thing is shot now and without funding the whole project is going to be shut down.

I’ve only seen the 5 minutes that just got put up, some of which is pretty embarrassing (spoiler alert:I cry and my chin quavers) but it is shot beautifully and I’m excited to see how it comes out. I hope if your interested in documentary film making or my work or both, you’ll check it out and maybe throw them a few bucks. It’s not my movie, I’m just in it, but I’ve seen how hard it’s been for them to keep going with no funding and I truly believe that it will be great, even if I look like a corny old lady in a captain’s hat!

People are fed up with the rich 1% controlling everything and not having to pay their fare share while everyone else is forced to walk around begging for jobs that don’t exist. Last night this group, along with many others marched through NYC in response to the wrongful execution of Troy Davis.  It’s raining now and they are all camped out on WallStreet getting wet! Seriously these people are LIVING on Wallstreet. I hope Michael Moore shows up, I hear Roseanne did.

I’m in my office answering my mail, the same way I have for over twenty years. I get less mail now than I did in the 90′s, but much of it is the same. Feminists send me their art, some I like, some I don’t but I’m so glad to feel included either way. I am pretty fucking lucky that I get these constant reminders that my work has mattered, in moments, to girls in Kansas and boys in Wisconsin. Beyond looking back type articles. Beyond having my lunchbox in a traveling exhibit of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My work has meant something to certain people in certain moments and they often take the time to tell me that and for that I am eternally grateful.

Some of the letters are upsetting because they remind me that women and girls are still being raped, harrassed,and chronically belittled. Kids are still afraid to tell their friends and family that they’re gay. Lesbian teens are still being told that “it’s just a phase they’ll grow out of” and that they’re “just pretending to be gay because it’s cool.” It makes me nuts knowing it’s been twenty years of this same thing. I’ve been privy to so many private revelations, from 20 somethings and teenagers  in trouble, or ones who just want me to read their zines.And some who fucking care so much about what me and my friends did, oh so long ago, that they still want to be a part of it, or feel like they can talk to me, immediately like a friend.

Answering my mail today has put the modicum of renewed interest in all things RG into perspective for me. It’s about connection.  It’s about the moment when you realize that you maybe the only person who gets that something is wrong in your classroom but you aren’t the only person in the world who gets it. I didn’t realize that till I was 19 and today I got a letter from a girl who figured it out when she was 12. And if the press stuff leads people towards these connections then I’m happy as hell.

Much love to all the people who have taken the time to write me over the past twenty years. You have gotten me through my bad times and given me the strength in to keep trying.

Just watched Lady Gaga’s performance on the VMA’s and was excited by how awkward it was. The only thing I like more than awkward is awkward with heart, which reminded me, as we took off the tape from our windows after the “hurricane”, about the best awkward moment ever. Thank you Kanye. You had me at “I hate the way they portray us in the media…” but I sure am glad you kept going. You gave voice to what so many people were thinking. It was so frustrating watching newscaster after newscaster ignore the obvious. I’m so glad this hurricane didn’t have the same disastrous results.

I haven’t been blogging much because I’ve been busy in the studio making this album thing happen. Writing last minute lyrics, gargling with salt water. We did some overdubs the other day and were lucky enough to work with the one and only Alfredo Ortiz. The percussion tracks he added made me dance like crazy. Yes The Julie Ruin will have bongos on a couple tracks!!!! One of the funnest things about recording is inviting talented friends in and hearing them improve your songs. Trumpet is happening on Monday!!!!

I’ve been walking around forever mumbling “capitalism sucks” under my breath but my friend Greg is actually doing something about it! He has found a way to build a business that employs people in an ethical way while offering the community he lives in something they actually need rather than Tazmanian Devil keychains.

I’ve known Greg Allen for over 15 years, we ran a recording workshop at Hetrick Martin (also known as ‘The gay highschool’) back when I first moved to NYC. Since then he has continued to work with NYC’s best, brightest but also least enfranchised youth. He’s seen them age out of NY’s scant programs at 24, often with no work experience and no hope of finding jobs. Not content to sit at home getting depressed about it, Greg decided to start a business to employ them, one they will eventually own themselves.

Greg originally thought of starting a worker’s owned bakery in Harlem where he lives, but after talking to more than 200 of his neighbors, he learned what people really need is a community grocery store that offers fresh produce. So he wrote a business plan, crunched some numbers and created a kickstarter to get the ball rolling.

I think his plan is really radical because it’s about creating a business based on people’s needs rather than a desire for profits. The kids who start the store will eventually own and run it themselves. Thus providing an evolving chain of ethical employment for young people who have been struggling for a long time. In the coming months I hope to get even more involved with his project because I really believe in it. It may not be as glamourous as touring or doing photo shoots, but it is way more important.

If you can even spare $1 for this project it would be a huge huge help. As you know Kickstarter only funds projects that meet their fund raising goals and Greg’s has a long way to go. I know 6000 people read this blog everyday and if everyone gave a dollar we’ll have raised $6000!!!!

I am officially crossing my fingers now!!! Believe me I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t an amazing opportunity to be involved in something great. This is about bringing fresh produce to a neighborhood that has none AND creating jobs for people who have no experience or options.

Erin Markey is a fucking genius. For this event she is teaming up with downtown superstars Kenny Mellman and Cole Escola. There is only one more show on August 4th at Dixon Place. I’ve never seen anything that she and Cole wrote together so I am totally excited. This is the kind of thing I will probably brag to people about having seen in ten years.

I am in love with this song.

Here’s a great interview with Ramdasha Bikceem of Designer Imposter fame..

I just heard that Amy Winehouse died.

Come on now, they write songs about fucking leotards! They also wrote this gem that asserts the singers love for a basement. Awesome! To top it all off the bass player wrote this great fucking article which basically says everything I’ve ever wanted to say about most music writers (just replace the mention of my old band, Bikini Kill with Xray Spex, and if I was a better writer I maybe could’ve written it myself).

Anyways, thanks for making my morning a little sunnier Tacocat!!!  I fucking love songs about cats too!!!

This film is showing Wed, July 16th in Brooklyn if you’re around!

I am over the moon about this .

This play will be performed in NYC this August. I really like off off off Broadway low budget plays. How weird is it if I go???? I am guessing that NO ONE will recognize me or pay any attention to me at all and I will just be sitting there silently watching a fictional account of this totally awful thing that happened to me. In my world,  I was assaulted by a stranger and it was a super depressing experience. In the popular imagination there is no emotion attached to it, it is just a punchline to some weird joke about feminists in the 90′s. Maybe it will be the best play in the entire world? I have no idea.        How good of a sport am I really? Will I start crying and run out? Will I even go?  Stay tuned to find out.

This is me at 17. Two years before this was taken I had reddish brown feathered hair and was secretly still playing with Barbies. One year before I had a bob and looked like a 16 year old soccer mom (I was going for preppy but soccer mom is what actually happened). I’ve been thinking about being a teenager a lot lately because I recently did an interview with Izzy from Care Bears on Fire for my friend Matt Wolf’s Teenager blog. Also because I am teaching a lyric writing workshop on Monday at the Brooklyn Rock Camp for Girls. I remember being nervous as a teen, numbed out and self hating, but it was also such a great time for experimentation and figuring out what my aestetic was, what kind of music I REALLY liked vs.what was cool. I went thru a truly embarrassing Jim Morrison faze and I HATE what the Doors sound like.  I think it was more about his pasty drug ridden body. A year before that all my fantasies were fueled by a huge black and white poster of Mikael Baryshnikov in tights. WTF???? Weird to look back and not have any memory of where you were coming from. Anyways, it gives me so much joy to know that these teenage girls are making music together. I mean seriously, I couldn’t even imagine being in a band when I was in highschool.

Finally our movie comes to the Bay Area! It will be screening at The Uptown on Thursday July 7th. Doors are at 8pm, movie starts at 9pm.

Johanna Fateman and I will be answering questions after our new movie WHO TOOK THE BOMP plays at The Ace Hotel in NYC

at 7 PM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSQ-anJu1Zc&feature=related

If you were really my bestfriend this is what we’d be doing right now.

LOOKING AT MUSIC 3.0

The Museum of Modern Art, NYC

Feb 16-May 30th, 2011

Looking at Music 3.0, was the third in a series of exhibitions exploring the influence of music on contemporary art practices. It featured music by my band Le Tigre and zines I worked on in the early 90′s. I also made a poster for the exhibition.

A reporter asked me recently if I am “Having a bit of a Renaissance?” I immediately pictured myself wearing a wench outfit eating a turkey leg.  Seriously though, WHO TOOK THE BOMP,  was just released last week and a bunch of interviews I did have been showing up. I’ve also been doing Q and A’s at theatres and recording with my new band so I guess I am kind of having a renaissance.

It’s been amazing to sing with a live band again, which is something I haven’t done for over ten years!  I also haven’t been this “hands on” about a record since the first Le Tigre album in 99 and I forgot what it feels like to hear what I want in my head and then set out to make it happen. Having my bandmate’s encouragement is a big help of course- who else would indulge my bizarre love of an unusually loud snare?

The most remarkable part of writing this record thus far has been just letting the songs be what they want and not imposing my overarching “ideas” onto them. I’m not trying to force the songs to be validating or informative. I’m just a person writing songs, and while there will always be craft involved, it is really fun to not overly control things.

I went to see this Young Jean Lee show awhile back. I could seriously write ten pages about all the stuff it brought up for me but the thing that made me absolutely nuts was the Q and A afterwards. Question after question revolved around stuff like “Why was it so funny? Shouldn’t it be more serious? Shouldn’t it be less serious? Shouldn’t it be even more diverse than it already was? Shouldn’t it explain feminism to men better? Shouldn’t it teach people how to be feminists themselves?”

And then a woman got up, and said something to the effect of “Why is that one feminist performance is expected to encompass EVERYTHING for EVERYONE? Do we really think it should simultaneously entertain, inform, instruct, educate and validate everyone? Why do we have this expectation of feminist artists and not all artists? Can’t we just see this as one work by one person?”

A few months later I went to see this music project by Young Jean Lee that was all about death. It was personal and funny and left me feeling totally inspired to make the work I want to make. I don’t mean to sound like a big baby “Oh no I’ve been trapped by being most known as a feminist artist”, cuz to be honest, I am thrilled to be a part of a feminist art legacy and feel way more liberated by that legacy than bogged down by it.

It is just that, for this one record, I want to let go of my obsessive need to factor in “the audience” so much during the writing process. Part of the reason I do this is because I don’t want to turn into a selfish creepy rockstar singing about the shit that happens in my own life as if everyone should stop what they are doing and listen to my personal bizwax. I guess I’m looking for a middle ground though, where I can stop being such a control freak and be a little more vulnerable and trust that my ideas will show through.

Thanks to Carmine Covelli for the studio pic!!!!

Feminist artist extraordinaire Lynn Hershman is presenting her new feature length movie !Women Art Revolution in NYC the week of June 1st. I’ll be introducing the film at the 8pm June 1st showing. Through intimate interviews, art, and rarely seen archival film and video footage, !Women Art Revolution reveals how the Feminist Art Movement fused free speech and politics into an art that radically transformed the art and culture of our times. Music is by Carrie Brownstein. I can’t wait.

Nothing is funner than watching a great movie under the stars in New York City and on Monday, May 23rd, at 7pm in Chelsea, behind a big building on a huge screen this new group is playing the awesome movie Strange Powers for free!!!. It’s a documentary about Stephin Merritt and his band the Magnetic Fields and it is really good (even if you don’t know anything about the band.) I remember playing a show after the Magnetic Fields in DC one time and watching how devoted their fans were and being really freaked out by it. It was like this whole other weird subculture I knew nothing about. The movie shows how the songs come into existence, and the sweet tension between Stephin and his amazing bandmate/manager (yeah, I know it’s crazy) Claudia Gonson, who seriously has the voice of an angel. I didn’t know shit about this band besides seeing half a show that one time and I left the screening wanting to know more and having a total art crush on Stephin.

Anyways if your in NY and looking for a fun thing to do, it’s free and bound to be a blast.

Fuck Mothers day. I want you back.

TONIGHT Thursday, May 5, there is gonna be a party in conjunction with the exhibition I am in called Looking at Music 3.0 at MOMA. The exhibit features several zines I worked on (and even better ones by Johanna Fateman). To make this event even more exciting, my hot date, The King Adrock will be DJing from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. I’ll also be signing posters with my friend Cey, since we both made a poster for the show. Which will hopefully be a little less awkward than it sounds. Cey is the genius who created the RUN DMC logo and also the Beastie Boys logo. Drinking, dancing, zines, posters, all in an uptown setting, what’s not to love?

So a super amazing video of this kid Jeffrey singing started being emailed around. (I posted it on my blog I loved it so much.) And then some genius’ at OUR HIT PARADE contacted him, (Trapper!!!) and……I think this was his debut live performance…I can’t even imagine what it would be like to sing my first show at Joe’s Pub in NYC and be this good, right out of the gate. This kid is fucking star.

Check out Carmine Covelli from The Julie Ruin on drums.

I have always felt  confused when people compared my singing style to Poly Styrene’s. Sure, I projected my voice (ala musical theatre) and she projected too, but I knew I would never be as good as her. She had one of the best, most original voices ever.

This morning I woke up to the news that Poly passed away of breast cancer and I feel at a total loss. She was only 53 years old and was looking forward to getting better so she could play her new record live.

Poly lit the way for me as a female singer who wanted to sing about ideas. She taught me, by example, that fame was less the goal than something to back away from when it started to invade your core. Her lyrics influenced EVERYONE I KNOW WHO MAKES MUSIC .

Tonight I will light a candle for Poly and thank the universe for sharing her with us. I don’t give a shit if this is corny. I need someway to say goodbye and thank you. My heart goes out to those who knew and loved her. As a fan I am devastated, I can’t imagine how hard this must be for her family and friends.

On May 1st OUT OF THE VINYL DEEPS, a collection of feminist author, Ellen Willis‘ rock criticism will be released. It is like someone unearthed the holy grail of music writing and is a totally great read. I will be participating in a discussion about Willis’ work this Saturday, April 30th at noon at 40 Washington Square South. The event is free but you have to RSVP.

thanks to Nadia for sending this my way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vO5Zydsb-w&feature=player_embedded#at=59

Joan Jett on Oprah singing with Miley Cyrus. Check out Oprah mouthing the words to Cherry Bomb. Just when you thought it wasn’t possible for Joan Jett to get hotter she goes on Oprah and does that crooked smile thing for the whole world to see. Collective swoon.

I went to see Wild Flag about a month ago at The Radio City Music Hall and it was fucking awesome. I haven’t been so excited about a band in forever and I am also really loving Carrie Brownstein’s new comedy show ‘Portlandia’. As I was leaving I started thinking. I am kind of a fan of her career.

I guess it’s because she doesn’t seem like someone who bows down to other people’s ideas of what she SHOULD be doing. She’s an artist and a writer and she gets her work out into the world and, to be simple about it: my life is more enjoyable with her voice in it.  She has a Career with a capitol “C” and she doesn’t seem at all embarrassed by it. And to me, that’s an achievement.

As someone who came of age as a feminist artist in the 90′s the idea that I even had a career was repugnant to me. I made art to be a part of a community and a larger conversation, not to make a name for myself. Right?  I am super humble and altruistic and don’t need things like money or health insurance and can just give away all my labor for free. Right?

A  tall girl wearing stretch pants and a big tee shirt walked up to me after a lecture last week and said, “I wish I was a teenager in the 90′s”. I responded with, “No, really, you don’t.”  Part of my cringe reaction was because I would hate for a new generation of artists to get stuck in the ‘Martyr Artist vs. Fucker Businessman’ binary like I did. Especially since this particular rut seems to disproportionately affect progressive people. I guess seeing our dreams of liberation turn into dollar signs made us uber sensitive to the fact that we could, at some point, end up participating in the same old necrophilic drama. This fear left many of us walking around creepily denying we had any ambition at all.

This is not to say that if you want to put out records on a small indie label instead of a corporate one you are participating in self erasure. (As someone who tried both I can say with clarity indie labels are way better.) Likewise, if you WANT to be a local artist, rather than an international one, or to put out fanzines instead of books or blogs, those are great choices.  I am a firm believer in alternative systems of distribution, all ages venues, and grassroots organizing of all kinds. My beef is with the moments when I chose not to investigate ALL my options because to even do that felt like a betrayal.

I’m sure this sounds like I’m stuck in the past, reviving stupid old arguments about “the man” and “selling out” and being “DIY” that no one even cares about anymore. The problem is despite my best efforts, I still care. As embarrassing as it is to admit , I’ve spent the past 20 years trying to find my way out of the “us vs. them” maze I stumbled into in the 90′s and I sure as hell don’t want this maze (or the over arching identity politics one) to become a part of the 90′s revival that is now underfoot. It’s bad enough that stretch pants and black jeans are back!

I guess what I am trying to say is that weirdo geniuses sharing what they do with the world is not a bad thing and there really are a zillion ways to do that. There are a lot of complicated, interesting places between purity and disconnected capitalism and if we don’t explore these places, and report back what we find, these two poles will just keep reinforcing each other into oblivion. At least that’s what I was thinking as I cracked up while watching the Feminist Bookstore sketch on Portlandia.

There will be a special screening of ‘WHO TOOK THE BOMP: Le Tigre on Tour‘ at The Museum of Modern Art on Monday, April 4th at 7pm. The theatre is big and you can buy tickets at MOMA that day (they are free online if you’re already a MOMA member). There will be a Q and A afterwards featuring, myself, Johanna Fateman, the director Kerthy Fix, and cinematographer Carmine Covelli.

Working on this project has given me a new respect for what filmmakers, producers and yes, even, documentary subjects go through to bring an idea from footage to completion. There were a lot of crazy hoops we had to jump through to get this thing done and this screening feels like more than just a screening to me. It’s more like a celebration, not just of the movie, but of all the friends we made along the way.

I really hope you can be there to celebrate with us. I am so excited to see everyone and to hang out in The Museum of Modern Art. What?!? How did this happen? It’s fucking awesome.

The Le Tigre Concert film is finally finished. It will premiere at The SXSW Festival tonight at 6:15.

more info here

I will be reading the introduction I wrote for Karen Finley’s new book tonight at Barnes & Noble Union Square from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM

Karen Finley has been one of the three artistic guides in my life. I’ve only spoken to her briefly twice because I always feel like I will start crying in her presence. She is the reason I was able to continue playing music in Bikini Kill when things got rough. Karen Finley gives a shit so much that on stage she doesn’t at all. The first time I saw her it was like watching Patti Smith turn into Evil Knievel and then stunt cycle all around the room. I am introducing her at a reading for her new book on Wednesday. So, if you want to see me pathetically holding back tears and/or ignoring her because I am super nervous and trying to act cool, you should definitely come. Actually you should come because if you do you will get to hear Karen Finley read from her book for free and that means NYC is still fucking awesome, so don’t miss this!

We’ve been working on this movie for a long time now and finally it’s finished. It’s called Who Took the Bomp and will be released by Oscilloscope Laboratories on June 7th,2011, but is now available for pre order. The basic premise is that our friend (and lighting director) Carmine Covelli filmed us while we on tour back in 2004-2005. If you want to see it check out our list of screenings here.

More info here

This art show called Looking at Music: 3.0 is up at MOMA today that features several zines I made a long time ago and also music by Le Tigre.

more info here

I am going to be on a panel in NYC with Damali Abrams, Lorraine O’Grady, and Shizu Saldamando!!!!

The event is meant to explore the ties between feminist art and popular music and is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. It is happening at Soho 20 in Chelsea, 547 West 27th Street, Suite 301, NYC on Sunday February 13th from 1pm to 3pm

I am totally thrilled to be in the company of such amazing artists. Thanks to Kat Greifen and Maria Elena Buszek for organizing this.

SHAKEDOWN is a feature-length video documentary about women’s work, and how work forms identity. Its also a history of Los Angeles’ black lesbian nightclub scene, and its genesis. It’s a history told in opposition to other histories of black performance art.

If everyone chipped in ten bucks we could make sure this movie gets finished!

I love this song, it’s like yaz meets billy idol.

Finally a full episode!!! This is Carrie Brownstein of Sleater Kinney and Wild Flag’s comedy show with Fred Armisen (SNL/Trenchmouth). I think they are really fucking funny.

I will be participating in a panel discussion about Riot Grrrl type stuff in Philly on Feb 8th. Sara Marcus will also be on hand to read from her book and get the discussion going! The event is free but you have to RSVP in advance.

She is also a drummer, a manager, and an amazing chef. She’s organizing a panel for SXSW calledA Steady Diet of Nothing about touring musicians and health. If you’ll be in Austin then mark your calendar!!!

Johanna Fateman wrote a super interesting review of A Strange Stirring: The Feminine Mystique and American Women at the Dawn of the 1960s by Stephanie Coontz on bookforum. And, as if this that wasn’t enough, she also painted this amazing picture of Betty Friedan. You go girl.

I’ve been reading this book everywhere, the subway, the bath tub, before I fall asleep, whenever I have a spare minute. I’m trying to make it last as long possible because there are these sentences in it that are so utterly perfect and alive and even though they’re not sad they still make me feel like crying. Kristin Hersh is such a good writer and has a way of putting things that is not precious at all but completely endearing.

If you’ve been reading my blog you probably have figured out I AM A HUGE NEAL MEDLYN FAN. Rarely do I meet an artist who so touches the nether regions of my brain, seriously, he opens new pathways up and I leave his shows feeling like I just did a lot of yoga. And he is funny. And he is a good writer. Anyways, I saw his show, Brave New Girl, when it opened and it was fucking incredible and I am so happy you and yours will have a chance to see it.

Brave New Girl is the second installment of his two-part Britney Spears/Hannah Montana opus. This pop-culture spectacle conflates Medlyn’s personal feelings and stories, and the overlapping identities and Twitter accounts of Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, and Miley Stewart. With snow, shaved armpits, hopes, dreams, diaries, 5 a.m. alone time, live music, theater, dance, and chickens, Medlyn creates a concert performance like none you’ve ever been to before.

FRIDAY JANUARY 7th

And here’s Neal covering the song DYNOMITE…..and telling a story too

Has been becoming a part of a new group of friends. We are all convinced that Jay Z and Beyonce are Satanists! Anyways, it is way more important to me than stuff like war, global warming, child sex slavery etc…and my holiday gift to you is sharing this vital information. This mission has been taking up a lot of my time, you know putting up fliers around my neighborhood and also going door to door warning people about the Jay Z/Beyonce threat. So that’s why I haven’t been blogging so much. Please watch this video so you can spread the word.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWmiec1031o&feature=related

Bridget Everett was voted the #1 Cabaret Act in NYC!!! And she deserves it. If you live in NYC or will be visiting please type her name in the search engine and see if she has a show playing. You will not be disappointed and could have your life changed. I recently performed at a cabaret show that Bridget hosts with Neal Medlyn and Kenny Mellman because the three of them are so fucking inspirational that they made me want to start doing stuff again. A big holiday to hug to everyone at Our Hit Parade!!!!

Here’s Erin Markey doing baby by Justin Beiber at Our Hit Parade.