Rock Goddesses

Where are all the rock Goddesses ?

Please do not get offended by the use of the term Goddesses my sisters. It is not meant to be derogatory in any shape or form. Really. But it is a term that is commonly accepted and is easier to use than, suitably empowered musically inclined females, I think you will agree.

Back to the point.

It seems to me that considering women are 52% of the global population that you would expect more of them to venture into music. I realise that in the pop genre there are a lot of women, but this isn't really about pop. This is about the more interesting side of rock, alternative and metal.

Maybe though it is just that they are not making a lot of the best music. As I think about it, it seems that there are more women involved in this scene than you might think.

For example, here is Angela from Arch Enemy,

I think you will agree she is a suitably empowered musically inclined female. I guess though that for a woman to be taken seriously in alternative, metal, indie, she has to be that much further out there than the men. This seems to have been the case from the beginning. Women have fallen into two or three main categories. You get the Folkies, like Carole King, Joni Mitchel, Gillian Welsch, the Pop Chanteuse, think everyone from Diana Ross to Olivia Newton-John to Maddona, Britney, Rhihanna, or the totally insane Rock Chick like Janis Joplin, Joan Jett, Courtney Love, Hayley Williams (Paramore) , Amy Winehouse.

Paramore are my example on this, they make pretty alright music.

That clip has had 40 million hits on you tube. Which is amazing. It says it is from one of the Twilight films and I guess that has added to the popularity. But it is only alright. It is not particularly ground breaking, even that interesting really. It is better than mediocre, but not much. Now , whilst you would have to class Hayley as a rock goddess, she is not as insane as the majority of her sisters. A topless shot on twitter is hardly the stuff of rock excess legend.

A woman who I think possibly leads that bunch is Courtney Love. Has there been a more dangerous woman in music? I am as a rule reasonably difficult to intimidate I like to think, however I am intimidated by Ms Love. her band Hole made some good music.

I do not wish to be uncharitable to Courtney, because having your husband commit suicide must be a life altering moment to say the very least. She is however as far out there as I think it is possible to be. It is not just the drugs, but the outbursts , the stories you hear about the way she attacks people etc. This is of course all done through the media and I doubt very much it has given me a full picture of what I have no doubt is a very intelligent person.

That said, Hole are a good band, not a great band. Even amongst their peers, their music is good, but not great. It is extremely hard for them to be classed in as much esteem as bands like Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Soundgarden etc.

Even the mighty Janis. Few would argue with the rating of her voice as being one of the most outstanding. However , whilst the music is good, even touching greatness at times. It consistently falls short of the highest level. Why is this? If you (try admittedly) to take it from a feminist perspective, you could make a good argument for the music industry being traditionally a male based industry. As such pushing women to become that much more of a show than it being about their music. This is fine when you look at Alternative and Indie, metal etc. It however falls pretty flat when you look at the Pop and Folky scene though. Women are coming to dominate pop frankly. Not that it is a bad thing in anyway.

When you look at the way some bands were and are marketed because of their females leads you start to think that there is some strength to the feminst idea of holding women down. Debbie Harry from Blondie was a rock goddess. No doubt. Blondie made some brilliant music. However the way it is presented it was selling the Debbie Harry image first and the music as a secondary concern. Again though, were Blondie the best proponent of their scene? Perhaps not.

Maybe there is hope though. I have recently come into liking Florence and the Machine.

What the hell is that video all about?? I like the song a lot though. It scrapes into alternative doesn't it.

So I guess this is a request, send me your ideas about great music alternative music made by women. Because it has passed me by.