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Kathleen Hanna

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Kathleen Hanna
Kathleen Hanna performing with Bikini Kill, 1996
Kathleen Hanna performing with Bikini Kill, 1996
Background information
Also known asJulie Ruin
Born (1968-11-12) November 12, 1968 (age 55)
Portland, Oregon, United States
OriginCalverton, Maryland
GenresPunk rock, riot grrrl, indie rock, electroclash
Occupation(s)Musician, activist, writer
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, sampler, drums, drum machine
Years active1990–present

Kathleen Hanna (born November 12, 1968)[1] is an American musician, feminist activist, and punk zine writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer of Bikini Kill, before fronting Le Tigre in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, Hanna released a solo album under the name Julie Ruin and since 2010 has been working on a project called the Julie Ruin.

A documentary film about Hanna was made by Sini Anderson in 2010–2013. The film, The Punk Singer, premiered at SXSW in March 2013.

She is married to Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys.

Life and career

1968–88: Early life

Born in Portland, Oregon, Hanna moved with her family to Calverton, Maryland in 1971. As Hanna's father changed occupations, the family moved several more times. Hanna's parents divorced while she was in high school.

Hanna first became interested in feminism around the age of nine, after her mother took her to a rally in Washington D.C. where feminist icon Gloria Steinem spoke.

Though several years would pass before she became an outspoken feminist, with Hanna eventually referring to herself as a radical feminist,[2] the event left an impression on her. In a 2000 interview with BUST magazine, Hanna recalled:

My mom was a housewife, and wasn't somebody that people would think of as a feminist, and when Ms. magazine came out we were incredibly inspired by it. I used to cut pictures out of it and make posters that said "Girls can do anything", and stuff like that, and my mom was inspired to work at a basement of a church doing anti-domestic violence work. Then she took me to the Solidarity Day thing, and it was the first time I had ever been in a big crowd of women yelling, and it really made me want to do it forever.[3]

In the 2006 documentary, Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl, Hanna elaborates on the effect feminism had on her in childhood, recalling that her interest grew when her mother checked out a copy of Betty Friedan's "The Feminine Mystique" from the library. Yet Hanna and her mother's involvement in the women's rights movement had to be done quietly in the years before her parents' divorce, due to her father's disapproval.[4] Hanna has also appeared in the documentary Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker? Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl is titled after a Bikini Kill song.[5]

Hanna attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington in the late 1980s. During this time she began working as a stripper to support herself.[6][7][8] Working with fellow Evergreen student and photographer Aaron Baush-Greene, she set up a photo exhibit featuring the pair's photography, which dealt, respectively, with sexism and AIDS. However, the school administrators took the photos down before they got the chance to be viewed, an act of censorship that prompted what Hanna refers to as her "first foray into activism"—the creation of an independent feminist art gallery called Reko Muse with friends Heidi Arbogast and Tammy Rae Carland. The three women then formed a band called Amy Carter, which put on shows before the art exhibitions.[9]

Hanna also began doing spoken word performances that addressed sexism and violence against women, issues with which she became concerned after volunteering for a domestic violence organization over the next two years. Eventually she abandoned spoken word in favor of music, being inspired by one of her favorite writers, countercultural icon Kathy Acker. Hanna recalled,

Acker asked me why writing was important to me, and I said, 'Because I felt like I'd never been listened to and I had a lot to say,' and she said, 'Then why are you doing spoken word—no one goes to spoken word shows! You should get in a band.'[10]

1989–99: Bikini Kill

Hanna later started another band called Viva Knievel that toured the United States for two months before disbanding. Upon returning to Olympia, Hanna began collaborating with fellow Evergreen student and punk zinester Tobi Vail after seeing a performance of The Go Team (a band made up of Vail, Billy Karren, and Calvin Johnson) and recognizing Vail as the mastermind behind the fanzine Jigsaw, which Hanna greatly admired and loved.

Bikini Kill soon became part of the seminal Olympia, Washington music scene of the early 1990s, which was characterized by political awareness, a strong artistic do-it-yourself ethic, and an emphasis on local collaboration and support.

The band's first release for the Kill Rock Stars label was a self-titled EP produced by Ian MacKaye of Fugazi. Bikini Kill then toured the UK, recording a split LP with UK band Huggy Bear. This tour was filmed and the band was interviewed by Lucy Thane for her documentary, It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK. Upon returning to the U.S., the band began working with Joan Jett, who produced their single, "New Radio/Rebel Girl". After the release of this record, Hanna began co-writing some songs with Jett for her new album.

At the same time Hanna produced several solo pieces for the Kill Rock Stars "Wordcore" series of recordings, including the 7" single "Rockstar" and the song "I Wish I Was Him" (a song written by Ben Lee and originally recorded by his band Noise Addict about alternative rock heartthrob Evan Dando[11]) on the KRS compilation Rock Stars Kill.

In 1994, Hanna appeared in the Sonic Youth video for "Bull in the Heather".

The first two Bikini Kill EPs were released on CD as the appropriately and very literally-titled The C.D. Version of the First Two Records in 1993.[12] The band released two more full-length albums, Pussy Whipped in 1994 and Reject All American in 1996, and in 1998, Kill Rock Stars released Bikini Kill: The Singles, a collection of the group's seven inch and compilation tracks. Bikini Kill broke up on friendly terms around April 1998.

In 1991, the band spent a summer in Washington, D.C., where Hanna began collaborating with Allison Wolfe, Molly Neuman and Jen Smith from the band Bratmobile on the zine Riot grrrl, which became a call to action for increased feminist activity and female involvement in the punk rock scene.[13]

In a 2000 interview with Index Magazine, Hanna related:

We wanted to start a magazine, and Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman from the band Bratmobile had started a little fanzine called riot grrrl and we were writing little things for it. I'd always wanted to start a big magazine with really cool, smart writing in it, and I wanted to see if the other punk girls in D.C. that I was meeting were interested in that. So I called a meeting and found a space for it, and it just turned into this sort of consciousness-raising thing. I realized really quickly that a magazine wasn't the way to go. People wanted to be having shows, and teaching each other how to play music, and writing fanzines, so that started happening. It got some press attention, and girls in other places would be like "I wanna do that. I wanna start one of those."

Hanna also earlier stated:

Because we don't wanna assimilate to someone else's (boy) standards of what is or isn't.[14]

In Portland, Oregon, Hanna began working with friend and zine editor Johanna Fateman on a live show for Julie Ruin. The collaboration resulted in the two briefly forming a band called The Troublemakers, named after a G. B. Jones film,[15] which ended when Fateman relocated to New York City to attend art school.

2000–present: Le Tigre, The Julie Ruin

Hanna joined Fateman on the East Coast, and with the addition of filmmaker Sadie Benning, they started another band called Le Tigre (French for The Tiger). This band continued to pursue a more electronic style of music similar to the sampler-driven sound Hanna had begun to explore with Julie Ruin.The band recorded for the Mr. Lady Records label, its first recording being the self-titled Le Tigre, which included the singles "Hot Topic" and "Deceptacon." After the first record, Sadie Benning left the band to be replaced by JD Samson for the follow-up CD Feminist Sweepstakes. When Mr. Lady Records closed down, the group switched labels to Universal Records for the 2004 release of This Island.

Le Tigre is currently on hiatus. Hanna left the band in 2005 due to personal health issues. She was later diagnosed with late stage Lyme disease.[16] According to the Le Tigre website, during her time off from the band Hanna has been volunteering as a band coach for the Willie Mae Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. She also taught an art class at NYU's grad school in the Fall 2007 semester and attended interior design classes.[17]

In 2010, Hanna announced she was rebuilding her 1997 act Julie Ruin, turning it into a full band called "The Julie Ruin" with Kenny Mellman and Kathi Wilcox, and that they would be creating a new record. On December 11 at the Knitting Factory in New York City, The Julie Ruin played their first show, mostly consisting of covers. In June 2013 the band released its first single, "Oh Come On". An album, Run Fast was released in September 2013 with the band going on tour.[18][19]

From 2010 to 2013, director Sini Anderson worked on a documentary on Kathleen Hanna titled "The Punk Singer", documenting her works from Bikini Kill to The Julie Ruin. It premiered at SXSW in 2013.

  • Although she did so unintentionally, Hanna came up with the name for Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough single, "Smells Like Teen Spirit", when she wrote "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Kurt Cobain's wall. At the time, Kurt was unaware that Kathleen was referring to a deodorant marketed specifically to young women, and thought that the phrase would anchor the song's theme.[20][21]
  • The NOFX song "Kill Rock Stars," from the album So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes, is written about Hanna, referencing her by name: "Kill the rockstars? How ironic, Kathleen. You've been crowned the newest queen." The song's title is a reference to riot grrrl record label Kill Rock Stars. In response, Hanna wrote "Deceptacon", included on Le Tigre's first album. "Your lyrics are dumb like a linoleum floor, I'll walk on it, I'll walk all over you" (referring to a NOFX song called "Linoleum").

Personal life

In interviews, Hanna has been frank and willing to openly discuss her decision to have an abortion when she was younger, saying in one particular interview: "It was one of the first things I did on my own; I worked at McDonald's, raised the money and did it. I'm really, really passionate about pro-choice, because I wouldn't be here talking to you right now if I'd had a kid at 15." Hanna has expressed her belief that talking about her abortion will encourage other women to openly discuss the topic as well, helping to decrease the social stigma that often accompanies such discussion and also helping to sustain political momentum and further progress with regard to the pro-choice movement.[22]

In the film, Hanna reveals how she suffered from Lyme disease for six years before it was correctly diagnosed.[23]

Discography

Bikini Kill

Albums

Singles

  • Wordcore Volume 1 7" single on Kill Rock Stars
  • New Radio/Rebel Girl 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1993)
  • The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation Single on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
  • I Like Fucking/I Hate Danger 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1995)

Compilations

  • "Feels Blind" on Kill Rock Stars LP/CD (1991)
  • "Candy" on Throw: The Yoyo Studio Compilation on Yoyo Records (1991)
  • "Daddy's Lil' Girl" on Give Me Back LP, Ebullition Records (1991)
  • "Suck My Left One" on There's A Dyke In The Pit, Outpunk Records (1992)
  • Bikini Kill: The Singles (1998)

Julie Ruin

The Julie Ruin

Le Tigre

Full-Length albums

Singles and EPs

  • Hot Topic (1999)
  • From the Desk of Mr. Lady EP (2001)
  • Remix (2003)
  • Standing in the Way of Control 12" split EP with The Gossip on Kill Rock Stars
  • This Island Remixes Volume 1 EP, Chicks on Speed Records
  • This Island Remixes Volume 2EP, Chicks on Speed Records

Miscellaneous

Viva Knievel

  • Boy Poison, 7", Ultrasound Records, 1990

Suture

  • Decomposition, 7", Kill Rock Stars, 1991[24]
  • Suture!, LP, Kill Rock Stars, 1992

The Fakes

  • Real Fiction, LP, Kill Rock Stars

Solo & guest appearances

  • Rock Star / Mean (Wordcore Volume 1) as Kathleen Hanna and Slim Moon, Kill Rock Stars[25]
  • Rock Stars Kill, includes Hanna's "I Wish I Was Him", Various Artists, Kill Rock Stars, 1994
  • Sinner, Joan Jett, contributes to the songs "Five", "Watersign", "Baby Blue" and "Tube Talkin" (2007)
  • Ball-Hog or Tugboat? LP/CD "Heartbeat" - Mike Watt
  • Home Alive, The Art of Self Defense, Epic, 1996, includes "Go Home", written and performed with Joan Jett and Evil Stig
  • Realistes, Comet Gain, Hanna featured on the track "Ripped-Up Suit"
  • Play Pretty for Baby, The Nation of Ulysses, includes backing vocals by Hanna
  • American Idiot, Green Day, the song "Letterbomb" begins with vocals by Hanna as Whatsername
  • "60 second wipe out" Atari Teenage Riot Hanna featured on lead vocals on the song 'No Success' 1999
  • Featuring..., Internal External, LP, K Records
  • "Playgroup" Playgroup Hanna featured on lead vocals on the song 'Bring It On' 2001
  • "Wordy Rappinghood" Chicks on Speed features Hanna on vocals 2003
  • "Kiss on the lips" from the album 'Naked' from Joan Jett is a duet with Hanna 2004
  • "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo" Junior Senior Hanna featured on the song 'Dance, Chance, Romance' 2007

Bibliography

Fanzines

  • My life with Evan Dando: Popstar
  • The Kathleen Hanna newsletter
  • Le Tigre zine/tour program

References

  1. ^ "Kathleen Hanna talks at the 2011 Planned Parenthood Stand Up For Women's Health Rally "19 in 1989"". Youtube.com. March 1, 2011. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  2. ^ Goodman, Lizzy (April 22, 2013). "Kim Gordon Sonic Youth Interview - Kim Gordon on Thurston Moore Divorce". ELLE. Retrieved February 2, 2014.
  3. ^ Hex, Celina (interviewer) (Winter 2000). "Fierce, Funny, Feminists: Gloria Steinem and Kathleen Hanna talk shop, and prove that grrrls – and womyn - rule". Bust. Retrieved June 27, 2012. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  4. ^ "Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl", 2006, Kerri Koch
  5. ^ "www.ackerfilm.com". www.ackerfilm.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.[dead link]
  6. ^ Hanna, Kathleen (August 14, 2013). "Getting in on the Action". Kathleenhanna.com. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  7. ^ Muller, Marissa G. (August 26, 2013). "Punk Legend Kathleen Hanna Stops Running With The Julie Ruin's 'Run Fast'". MTV Hive. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  8. ^ Punk Rock-Feminist Pioneer Kathleen Hanna on Her SXSW Doc and More
  9. ^ "MY HERSTORY by Kathleen Hanna". Letigreworld.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  10. ^ Frey, Hillary (December 23, 2002). "Kathleen Hanna's Fire". The Nation. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  11. ^ Robbins, Ira; Wolk, Douglas (1997), The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock, New York: Fireside, ISBN 0-684-81437-4
  12. ^ Buckley, Peter (November 20, 2003). The Rough Guide to Rock (3rd revised ed.). Rough Guides. pp. 93–94. ISBN 1-84353-105-4.
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ Du Noyer, Paul (2003). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Music (1st ed.). Fulham, London: Flame Tree Publishing. p. 113. ISBN 1-904041-96-5.
  15. ^ Weeks, Laurie (2000). "Kathleen Hanna, 2000". Index Magazine. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  16. ^ Punk Singer Kathleen Hanna Reveals Her Struggle With Lyme Disease
  17. ^ "Le Tigre news website". Letigreworld.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  18. ^ Marcus, Sara (December 15, 2010). "Hanna and Her Sisters". Artforum.com. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  19. ^ "hey girlfriiieeennnddd…". Skirts and Tights. December 12, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  20. ^ Azerrad, Michael. Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Doubleday, 1994. ISBN 0-385-47199-8, pp. 211–212
  21. ^ "A performance at Joes Pub in NYC, where Hanna tells the story of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"". Youtube.com. December 15, 2010. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  22. ^ Barcella, Laura (September 20, 2004). "The A-word". Salon. Retrieved June 27, 2012.
  23. ^ Valby, Karen (March 12, 2013). "Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna reveals illness, reconfirms awesomeness in 'The Punk Singer'". Entertainment Weekly.
  24. ^ http://www.45cat.com/record/de1dis765
  25. ^ "Rockstar". Salon. October 5, 2000.

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