They brought me this list of essential female rock artists of the 90s, and suddenly I'm like "what is WRONG with me that I don't already have this on my playlist?" Hole, the Breeders, and Veruca Salt are bands that I liked in passing but never investigated past their radio hits, which I think was a big mistake. I coulda been a punk rock star in high school! Ehhh... I never could have been a punk rock star in high school. I wanted to be a much better daughter than that! More on that below.
My spouse is cool so he brought the Tori Amos and Hole into the relationship, and I brought some Patti Smith ("Horses," "Twelve"). So we're not totally without. Which is good, because I can't be going crazy on iTunes.
Patti rocks completely and forever.
It's so funny. I think I spent a pretty happy, content teenage youth without much impetus to rebel or get angry. I didn't feel oppressed by the man, didn't feel like raging against the machine.
Imma go out on a limb here and say that I think for most people, the righteous anger that bands like Green Day and rappers like Mos Def write about actually starts to make sense as we get older, like in our 30s and beyond. Suddenly I'm like "YEAH! Those punks speak for me!" as much as I'm all "Barbara Lee Speaks For Me" (I love Barbara Lee, for the record). It never appealed to me when I was in high school, even though I was all human rights consciousness raised and everything, and pretty aware of politics. As much as one can be in high school. But I think now, at this point, post law school in DC, post so much crap, it's so much more visceral, the injustices and corruption, and that feeling needs a place to go.
So bring on the punk. My playlist needs a refresher. A LOUD one.
