In honor of World Book Day 2019, Fog To Smog recommends that you check out Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution by Sara Marcus.
This non-fiction book chronicles the inception and rise of punk rock’s feminist Riot Grrrl movement in the 1990’s. In a male-dominated industry that tended to put them down, punk girls used the fellowship of Riot Grrrl to rise up and make room for themselves in the scene. While highlighting well known bands including (but certainly not limited to) Bikini Kill, Bratmobile, and Heavens to Betsy, Sara Marcus tells the story of how the movement spread across the nation and analyzes its impact on punk culture.
The title hails from the legendary Bikini Kill singer, Kathleen Hanna. At shows, Hanna would yell “All girls to the front!” (as seen in this clip from the documentary, The Punk Singer), which became an empowering statement for women at concerts and put a distance between them and the possibility of sexual harassment or violence from men in the crowd. During this time, crowds at a punk show could be dangerous, especially due to the disproportion of men and women. Hanna noticed that most of the girls at the show had to stay in the back of the venue in order to safely enjoy the music, so she chose to call them closer and put the more violent men in the back.
Marcus began drafting this book during the height of the Riot Grrrl movement after hearing a male journalist planned to tell the story of this inherently feminist movement himself. An article published online by Politico stated her fear was rooted in the possibility that “someone who didn’t know what they were talking about [could get] to it first and [distort] the story.” Marcus’ personal connection to the movement itself and those involved creates an accurate yet emotional and insightful retelling of one of the most important yet often overlooked pieces of punk history.
To combat the extremely male-dominated punk scene (and the music industry as the whole), the Riot Grrrl Movement promoted equality and female empowerment, while also addressing issues such as rape, sexual assault, and domestic abuse. The Riot Grrrl Movement encouraged girls not only to make a name and space for themselves within the punk music scene, but to also help each other succeed, rather than viewing other girls as strictly competition. They promoted positive change regarding equality and gender, and encouraged many to embrace their diverse culture.
Marcus highlights the importance of DIY to the punk community continuously throughout her book. Bands and fans alike put out zines and started Riot Grrrl chapters of their own all across the country. Independent shows and self-produced zines became the backbone of the movement. Part of the Riot Grrrl Manifesto (originally published in The Bikini Kill Zine) states:
“BECAUSE we are interested in creating non-hierarchical ways of being AND making music, friends, and scenes based on communication + understanding, instead of competition + good/bad categorizations.
BECAUSE we are angry at a society that tells us Girl = Dumb, Girl = Bad, Girl = Weak.
BECAUSE I believe with my wholeheartmindbody that girls constitute a revolutionary soul force that can, and will change the world for real.”
Girls to the Front is definitely the perfect book if you are interested in learning more about punk rock’s relationship with feminism and gender politics. Marcus tells the story in a way that is well researched, full of information, and keeps the reader hooked. This wave of feminism was a landmark in punk history and is survived by every girl that involves themselves in the scene somehow.
Currently, Marcus is an English professor at the University of Notre Dame and is working on a new book about the American culture in the twentieth century, titled Political Disappointment: A Partial History of a Feeling. You can purchase Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution here!