Image: Janne Wass Music, making music, producing music, promoting music, reviewing music, it's all seen as kind of a man's game. If a woman tells you what kind of music she likes you (I) tend to just think 'oh, she likes that kind of music as a vaguely interested fan'. Like the assumption that a dentist, doctor or mechanic will be male the music expert is traditionally male. Think about it. Yeah. Even as an ex music PR from a woman heavy office I think music, I think men.
But hey! Don't beat yourself up about this, so you maybe immediately picture a man when you think of music professionals or serious fans or experts, you know it's not really the case, particularly when it comes to experts and hardcore fans (we're talking genre enthusiasts, not 1 Direction fans, not to be snobby but to be particular) - there are loads of women and girls who could out mixtape any guy with a DJ night and a CD burner.
But hey! Don't beat yourself up about this, so you maybe immediately picture a man when you think of music professionals or serious fans or experts, you know it's not really the case, particularly when it comes to experts and hardcore fans (we're talking genre enthusiasts, not 1 Direction fans, not to be snobby but to be particular) - there are loads of women and girls who could out mixtape any guy with a DJ night and a CD burner.
You didn't look around at a gig and think...'hey, not only are there chicks here - but there are hot chicks here, why's that?' Because why? Why would you question the integrity of an attractive woman's gig attendance? And at least you didn't think on this subject and come up with the same angle as Ethan Fixell on the MTV blog Guy Code.
"When Dying Fetus, a death metal act not exactly known for catering to female tastes, recently came to New York City, the Gramercy Theatre was - shock of shocks - populated with plenty of beautiful ladies. As a frequenter of such concerts for over a dozen years, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Death metal events are known to be…how do I put this…'vaginally-challenged.'" ha-ha he said vaginally.
Death metal gigs aren't just overflowing with people who are vaginally-adequate but hot people who are vaginally-adequate and Fixell wants to know why? How did they get in here? Are they lost?
"When Dying Fetus, a death metal act not exactly known for catering to female tastes, recently came to New York City, the Gramercy Theatre was - shock of shocks - populated with plenty of beautiful ladies. As a frequenter of such concerts for over a dozen years, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Death metal events are known to be…how do I put this…'vaginally-challenged.'" ha-ha he said vaginally.
Death metal gigs aren't just overflowing with people who are vaginally-adequate but hot people who are vaginally-adequate and Fixell wants to know why? How did they get in here? Are they lost?
| Setting aside the fact a vagina does not necessarily make you a woman comments such as this are a great way to intimidate women away from this space. Even though he appreciates the pulling potential Fixell makes it very clear that there is a male possessiveness over the music scene, particularly anything regarded even faintly as underground. | metal gigs are overflowing with people who are vaginally-adequate... and Fixell wants to know why? How did they get in here? Are they lost? |
Treating the increased female presence as an encroachment on an already established community is nonsense, as is treating women as Other rather than Fellow, especially when you're soooo special with your musical taste in music nobody else knows about. Apart from obviously they do. Because there are other people in the room.
Give Fixell credit, he is thorough. Attending a Pig Destroyer gig he once again cast his eye around for girls: "Once again, my experience-based assumptions were wrong, as neither chaos nor sausage were in excessive abundance at the door. Within a minute of entering the club, I met Sarabeth and Noa, two cute women who were also quick to support my hypothesis: 'Oh, I definitely think the [girl-to-guy] ratio is evening out,' said Noa."
Pig Destroyer bassist John Jarvis informed Fixell that he: "never saw so many beautiful women before...side boob seemed to be a popular theme." Instead of wondering if some mass make-over had taken place teen movie style 'why, Snakebite Jill, you're beautiful!' Fixell and others note that the mosh pit has become a more accessible space, when riot grrrls yelled'girls to the front!' people laughed and men complained. Now "Punk rock seems to now tolerate a much more supportive vibe. In fact, I twice witnessed Pig Destroyer vocalist J. R. Hayes ask the crowd to give the front row some breathing room, a request which would have been mocked in most hardcore rooms of the '80s and '90s."
This is a pretty sensible analysis. Most people - male or female - can recall a mosh situation in which they have been hurt. Being a small woman I have experienced more than my fair share of cuts, bruises and 'does this tooth feel loose to you?' mosh injuries and concerns. Getting to the front has become easier - more importantly getting out of the mosh pit has become easier than it was 10 or so years ago. I'll happily vouch for that.
It's this patronising little nugget of speculation that gets my goatwhore: "The internet has helped demystify extreme music, making it more accessible and less intimidating. A girl can watch clips from a Napalm Death concert and see that it's not so scary after all, which makes her much more likely to attend."
It couldn't be that the internet has made a lot more music more accessible - meaning more people, meaning more girls can listen to a wider range of genres. Yawn, are we still talking about this? There's hot girls to pull at metal gigs now! How 'bout some tips on how to get your grindcore on? Well Fixell suggests you dress well but within reason, no "chiffon sweaters" (an impossibility but a warning's a warning), bring a mate so you don't look like a "head-bobbing lurker" who reads articles on a site on which the most popular article is a how to on kissing girls on the cheek without seeming creepy.
Most importantly remember these are girls! Metal or no. So bring an extra pair of ear plugs: "Offering them to a lady is a great icebreaker, and she'll appreciate your thoughtfulness. Protecting your ears doesn't make you less of a man - it demonstrates your caring, paternal instincts. (WARNING: May cause imminent pregnancy.)" I know I immaculately conceive whenever a stranger with ulterior motives offers me ear plugs. Or goggles (at the pool! There are ladies there!). Or sun cream (at the beach! There are ladies there!).
I hope anyone sincerely reading the blog for some tips will take the advice Noa gave to Fixell, who then tacked it on at the very end: "Don't assume that [any girl] is there because a guy dragged her there by the hair...Assume that she's into the music. Talk to her like you would talk to any other fan."
Hardcore.
Squeamish Kate
Give Fixell credit, he is thorough. Attending a Pig Destroyer gig he once again cast his eye around for girls: "Once again, my experience-based assumptions were wrong, as neither chaos nor sausage were in excessive abundance at the door. Within a minute of entering the club, I met Sarabeth and Noa, two cute women who were also quick to support my hypothesis: 'Oh, I definitely think the [girl-to-guy] ratio is evening out,' said Noa."
Pig Destroyer bassist John Jarvis informed Fixell that he: "never saw so many beautiful women before...side boob seemed to be a popular theme." Instead of wondering if some mass make-over had taken place teen movie style 'why, Snakebite Jill, you're beautiful!' Fixell and others note that the mosh pit has become a more accessible space, when riot grrrls yelled'girls to the front!' people laughed and men complained. Now "Punk rock seems to now tolerate a much more supportive vibe. In fact, I twice witnessed Pig Destroyer vocalist J. R. Hayes ask the crowd to give the front row some breathing room, a request which would have been mocked in most hardcore rooms of the '80s and '90s."
This is a pretty sensible analysis. Most people - male or female - can recall a mosh situation in which they have been hurt. Being a small woman I have experienced more than my fair share of cuts, bruises and 'does this tooth feel loose to you?' mosh injuries and concerns. Getting to the front has become easier - more importantly getting out of the mosh pit has become easier than it was 10 or so years ago. I'll happily vouch for that.
It's this patronising little nugget of speculation that gets my goatwhore: "The internet has helped demystify extreme music, making it more accessible and less intimidating. A girl can watch clips from a Napalm Death concert and see that it's not so scary after all, which makes her much more likely to attend."
It couldn't be that the internet has made a lot more music more accessible - meaning more people, meaning more girls can listen to a wider range of genres. Yawn, are we still talking about this? There's hot girls to pull at metal gigs now! How 'bout some tips on how to get your grindcore on? Well Fixell suggests you dress well but within reason, no "chiffon sweaters" (an impossibility but a warning's a warning), bring a mate so you don't look like a "head-bobbing lurker" who reads articles on a site on which the most popular article is a how to on kissing girls on the cheek without seeming creepy.
Most importantly remember these are girls! Metal or no. So bring an extra pair of ear plugs: "Offering them to a lady is a great icebreaker, and she'll appreciate your thoughtfulness. Protecting your ears doesn't make you less of a man - it demonstrates your caring, paternal instincts. (WARNING: May cause imminent pregnancy.)" I know I immaculately conceive whenever a stranger with ulterior motives offers me ear plugs. Or goggles (at the pool! There are ladies there!). Or sun cream (at the beach! There are ladies there!).
I hope anyone sincerely reading the blog for some tips will take the advice Noa gave to Fixell, who then tacked it on at the very end: "Don't assume that [any girl] is there because a guy dragged her there by the hair...Assume that she's into the music. Talk to her like you would talk to any other fan."
Hardcore.
Squeamish Kate
RSS Feed
