From 1975, here's Nazareth with "Love Hurts."
Enjoy!
Song Of The Day: Labretta Suede & The Motel 6, "Mean Mouthed Mama"
From 2013, here's Labretta Suede & The Motel 6 with "Mean Mouthed Mama."
Enjoy1
Enjoy1
Kathi Wilcox: The Culture Brats Interview
During the late eighties and early nineties, you probably noticed the early rumblings of DIY culture fused with practical feminism that eventually turned into what would come to be known as Riot grrrl. Back then, any number of bands took credit for or claimed association with the movement but after the smoke had cleared, there wasn't much doubt left about who was left standing in the shelled-out remains of the initial explosion: the seminal Bikini Kill.
They were the first across a dangerous musical threshold and lay down on a few punk landmines so that other women could follow suit and walk through a little less frightened. Over the years, band members and friends collaborated, stayed active, played under different monikers, and lived their lives fully and artistically.
Recently, longtime friends and Bikini Kill bandmates Kathi Wilcox and Kathleen Hanna reformed the once experimental The Julie Ruin (a side project that originated with Hanna some years ago), recorded the soon-to-be-released album Run Fast, and got ready to go on a national tour. We spoke with Kathi recently about things past and a future that looks more than rosy.
Hey Kathi, how are you today?
Good how are you?
We are here in Washington DC, and you all were on NPR this morning!
Yeah, I know! They put it up last night. We just got finished watching the VMAs and I was just checking online and Kenny from my band was like, "Oh my god, they put it up early." Because we knew they were going to put it up but they went and did it early. Yeah, super exciting.
So you guys have the new full length release planned for September 3rd, Run Fast, and the first ever national tour with The Julie Ruin with a stop here in DC at our beloved Black Cat on September 7th. There are a lot of people really looking forward to this, longtime Bikini Kill fans . I've heard the single and the album and while the old songs you did in Bikini Kill still really hold up after all this time, the new material is fresh and packs a great punch. It's great. Did you think the impact of the older stuff would remain so fresh in the minds of the people who were around for Bikini Kill and that the new material would keep attracting so many new young fans?
I have to tell you that I'm totally surprised. We have only played two full-length shows so far and it has been a lot of young people, but more surprisingly it's just when I do interviews or when I go out and people come up and they say, you know, not that they're necessarily Julie Ruin fans but that they're Bikini Kill fans and they're fourteen and they're kind of like "We just found out about it." Kathleen keeps saying this in interviews but I'm experiencing the same thing. It's like they age through it and there's always a new generation of people that find out about it. And I don't know if it's Rock Camp For Girls or maybe it just fills a void that girls kind of need or something, but I am surprised. Also, I'm happy. I'm happy that girls are finding it and feeling it and relating to it that strongly. And while I'm happy, I'm also kind of bummed because maybe that means things haven't changed very much in this other way, that girls are still experiencing all the same stuff that we were when we were girls, so that might be one reason that they are relating to it.
First Look: Dallas Buyers Club
This looks amazing! But I have a soft spot for Matthew McConaughey. What do you think?
Your Guide to Becoming a Docuphile: Two Docs About Two Fascinating Families
Each column, I recommend lesser-known documentaries that I stumble across or are suggested to me, tweet me your suggestions @robinhardwick. This week, I look at two HBO documentaries that deal with the endurance of familial bonds.
My Flesh And Blood (2003)
My Flesh And Blood chronicles a year in the life of the Tom family. Susan Tom is the adoptive mother of thirteen children with serious mental and/or physical disabilities. My cynical self expected Susan Tom to consider herself a martyr and a savior. Sure, it's admirable, but is it possible? Is she really helping these children?
Absolutely. Susan provides a loving home for these children, but she is also stern when she needs to be and sets boundaries when needed. She shares her hardships, fears, and self-perceived failures in her quest to mother, which makes her relatable and not on a pedestal. The film only features a few of the children, who are fascinating and of course, heartbreaking. Faith was burned in a fire as a baby and suffers disfigurement that will affect her for the rest of her life. Xenia was born without legs, and appears to be very well adjusted and comfortable with her body, excelling socially in her junior high and is able to joke about her condition. Albert has a rare skin condition that gives him severe infections and loss of limbs. Finally, Joe has cystic fibrosis and is not expected to live much longer, along with severe HDHD and behavioral problems.
What I admire the most about this documentary is not a parade of illnesses and abnormalities. It's about Susan Tom dealing with whatever issues come along with parenting these children, which is anything from invasive hospital visits to typical parenting woes. What the camera shows is a well-behaved, although rambunctious group of kids, mostly due to Susan's patience. Even more surprising is that several of the children still have contact and relationships with their birth parents, which Susan encourages.
The most intriguing character is Susan's biological daughter Margaret, who at birth had brain illness but has since thrived without any recurring issues. Margaret acts as the second caretaker of the family, sacrificing a normal teenager's life for the care of her family. Now attending a nearby college, her situation begins to weigh on her and she suffers a near breakdown. Susan, despite being the caretaker of so many troubled kids, doesn't comfort her in the way you'd expect.
The documentary only covers a very short time, and even though this is an uplifting documentary, the viewer can't help but wonder what the future holds; several of her children are likely to die young, and several will need constant care for the rest of their lives. I've done extensive searches for what has become of the members of the Tom family, and other than an appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, there is little information about their fate. Maybe it is better not knowing.
There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (2011)
Diane Schuler, loving mother, aunt, and respected community member, drove for two miles in the wrong direction on a freeway, colliding with a vehicle, killing her two children, three nieces, the three passengers of the other car, and herself. The children in the vehicle managed to call their parents, claiming that Aunt Diane was not acting like herself. I remember hearing about this story on the news and being haunted by what really happened in that car. The toxicology report indicated she was three times the legal alcohol blood level and had been smoking marijuana. Her husband adamantly denies that Diane used any substances; he maintains til this day that a mystery sudden illness caused the crash.
The filmmaker of There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane offered to cover the costs of hiring an investigator and retesting the blood samples if they could film a documentary about her family. Diane's husband and sister in law agreed to go forward; Diane's sister and the mother of the three girls who were killed declined to appear.
I vacillated between thinking that this family was in complete denial of Diane's problem, to thinking there was no way in hell she was drinking, and that something else had gone wrong. How well do you really know someone, even being married to them for nine years? Diane's friends and family are interviewed, painting a picture of Diane that was ideal yet not complete. The frustration of not being able to know the truth, coupled with watching the surviving family struggle with their grief makes this not suitable for a light viewing. Even after watching I still don't know what I truly believe.
My Flesh And Blood (2003)My Flesh And Blood chronicles a year in the life of the Tom family. Susan Tom is the adoptive mother of thirteen children with serious mental and/or physical disabilities. My cynical self expected Susan Tom to consider herself a martyr and a savior. Sure, it's admirable, but is it possible? Is she really helping these children?
Absolutely. Susan provides a loving home for these children, but she is also stern when she needs to be and sets boundaries when needed. She shares her hardships, fears, and self-perceived failures in her quest to mother, which makes her relatable and not on a pedestal. The film only features a few of the children, who are fascinating and of course, heartbreaking. Faith was burned in a fire as a baby and suffers disfigurement that will affect her for the rest of her life. Xenia was born without legs, and appears to be very well adjusted and comfortable with her body, excelling socially in her junior high and is able to joke about her condition. Albert has a rare skin condition that gives him severe infections and loss of limbs. Finally, Joe has cystic fibrosis and is not expected to live much longer, along with severe HDHD and behavioral problems.
What I admire the most about this documentary is not a parade of illnesses and abnormalities. It's about Susan Tom dealing with whatever issues come along with parenting these children, which is anything from invasive hospital visits to typical parenting woes. What the camera shows is a well-behaved, although rambunctious group of kids, mostly due to Susan's patience. Even more surprising is that several of the children still have contact and relationships with their birth parents, which Susan encourages.
The most intriguing character is Susan's biological daughter Margaret, who at birth had brain illness but has since thrived without any recurring issues. Margaret acts as the second caretaker of the family, sacrificing a normal teenager's life for the care of her family. Now attending a nearby college, her situation begins to weigh on her and she suffers a near breakdown. Susan, despite being the caretaker of so many troubled kids, doesn't comfort her in the way you'd expect.
The documentary only covers a very short time, and even though this is an uplifting documentary, the viewer can't help but wonder what the future holds; several of her children are likely to die young, and several will need constant care for the rest of their lives. I've done extensive searches for what has become of the members of the Tom family, and other than an appearance on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, there is little information about their fate. Maybe it is better not knowing.
There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane (2011)Diane Schuler, loving mother, aunt, and respected community member, drove for two miles in the wrong direction on a freeway, colliding with a vehicle, killing her two children, three nieces, the three passengers of the other car, and herself. The children in the vehicle managed to call their parents, claiming that Aunt Diane was not acting like herself. I remember hearing about this story on the news and being haunted by what really happened in that car. The toxicology report indicated she was three times the legal alcohol blood level and had been smoking marijuana. Her husband adamantly denies that Diane used any substances; he maintains til this day that a mystery sudden illness caused the crash.
The filmmaker of There's Something Wrong With Aunt Diane offered to cover the costs of hiring an investigator and retesting the blood samples if they could film a documentary about her family. Diane's husband and sister in law agreed to go forward; Diane's sister and the mother of the three girls who were killed declined to appear.
I vacillated between thinking that this family was in complete denial of Diane's problem, to thinking there was no way in hell she was drinking, and that something else had gone wrong. How well do you really know someone, even being married to them for nine years? Diane's friends and family are interviewed, painting a picture of Diane that was ideal yet not complete. The frustration of not being able to know the truth, coupled with watching the surviving family struggle with their grief makes this not suitable for a light viewing. Even after watching I still don't know what I truly believe.
First Listen: Eminem, "Berzerk"
I was hanging out with someone the other day and an Eminem song came over the speakers. "What happened to Eminem?" was the immediate question.
Apparently, he's been busy working on this kickass jam:
Apparently, he's been busy working on this kickass jam:
Song Of The Day: Fleetwood Mac, "The Chain"
From 1977, here's Fleetwood Mac with "The Chain."
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Gag Me With A Tweet: Roddy Piper, Corey Feldman, Boy George, And More
Here's the latest Gag Me With A Tweet, our weekly look at some of the best tweets from some of our favorite '80s musicians, actors, and celebrities!
Had a coke with Jim Brown and Darly Starwberry! I can see why they were H.O.Fers! Good men!
— Rowdy Roddy Piper (@R_Roddy_Piper) August 24, 2013
I HAVEN'T DONE COCAINE OR ANY OTHER HARD DRUG N OVER 20 YEARS! I DON'T DO METH, AND IM NOT A JUNKIE! SO STOP TRYING 2 CHANGE THE TRUTH!
— Corey Feldman (@Corey_Feldman) August 24, 2013
Get rid of nasty drug dealers and have legal dealers in suits. Like when Thatcher turned trade unionists into fat cats. Genius!
— Boy George (@BoyGeorge) August 24, 2013
My WH pals. pic.twitter.com/MWSKc2jeXV
— Rob Lowe (@RobLowe) August 24, 2013
Thanks @realJonLovitz for having me on the show. My sides hurt from laughing so hard. pic.twitter.com/hLdD5HCPSd
— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) August 24, 2013
Just for fun I visited my old MySpace page. Yeah, it’s still there, but now there's a bunch of kids skateboarding in the swimming pool.
— Al Yankovic (@alyankovic) August 21, 2013
He or she that dies with most toys...leaves them to his or her family who either sell them for half their worth or run them into the ground!
— Dee Snider (@deesnider) August 21, 2013
Ok, I'm back. What did I miss?
— Molly Ringwald (@MollyRingwald) August 21, 2013
Today just got fucking incredible!!!!!!!
— T O M M Y L E E (@MrTommyLand) August 21, 2013
PS: If the occasional F-bomb offends you, you should probably un-fucking follow me immediately.
— Richard Marx (@richardmarx) August 20, 2013
It usually does take me a little while to get back into the swim of things upon returning home from hol.
— Simon Le Bon (@SimonJCLeBON) August 20, 2013
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