I've also noticed that some of the women I've spoken with are reticent when it comes to their accomplishments. Sometimes they don't recognize that they were pioneers and even when they are aware of their contributions they don't want to appear boastful. This is in sharp contrast to the men I've known, who are always happy to take credit (good for you, guys.) Maybe because these women were breaking new ground, they view their accomplishments as sub-standard. They were not. Part of the punk ethic was that no prior experience was required; in fact, too much experience could be detrimental. The passage of time and the lack of external validation has led some to believe that their contributions were somehow unimportant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those of us who were there need to set the record straight, because our story is being written by people who weren't there. We need to validate ourselves. At a time when Paris Hilton is considered a role model by young girls (and believe it or not, she is), society could benefit by learning a bit more about what it meant to be a young woman in the punk scene, working in a traditionally male-dominated arena, breaking the rules, making mistakes and accepting responsibility for both the good and the bad that came from it.
In the spirit of immodesty, I'd like to invite those of you who might be interested to take a peek at the new Razorcake, in which I am interviewed at length.
There's also a short review of the re-release of The Bags' "Survive" single. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you'll see that many of the same subjects are touched upon in the interview. You can pick Razorcake up at your local newsstand if you're interested.
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