Wednesday, February 01, 2006

Women In L.A. Punk Part XVIII - Allison Anders

Allison Anders' films are often marked by her great love of music and her interest in a woman's struggle to find and assert her identity, whether she's telling the story of small-town teenagers in 1992's Gas, Food, Lodging, East L.A. homegirls in Mi Vida Loca, or an aspiring singer-songwriter in Grace of My Heart.

Even though Allison admits that she did not really feel like she was part of the early L.A. punk scene, she belongs in this series of interviews because she was in fact there at the time and because her films champion the same gritty, DIY attitude and assertive female voices that you'll find in all of the other archived interviews.

Allison doesn't mention it in her interview, but she also founded the Don't Knock The Rock Film and Music Festival, an annual event which takes place in Hollywood and is now entering its 4th year. Look for more news on this event by summertime. It usually features some great, rarely seen rock footage and live performances.Oh and just for the record, prior to this interview, I had no idea that I had the distinction of being the one to pop Allison's punk rock cherry.

That makes me proud. Click on the Women In L.A. Punk thumbnail to read her interview.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

congrats Allison on a great interview!

Alice, please don't stop doing these...

Anonymous said...

Bravo-- Brilliant.
But would not expect anything less from either of you.

Anonymous said...

I knew Allison when we were kids and all that I am reading sounds like a really good story, we probably lost touch in about 1970 although I was able to speak to her just a couple of years ago. I am amazed at how two people who knew each other and sometimes hung out have such a different memory of how things were. All I can say is good for her I'm glad she's finally found her place.Allsion you thanked me for being there for you but did it really come from the heart.