Cinderella's Big Score: Women of the Punk and Indie Underground (Live Girls)
From Patti Smith and the Runaways to newer stars, veteran rock scribe Raha introduces "the women . . . instrumental in shaping punk and indie underground music," members of "a community which proudly rejects the societal and cultural norms." Contending that "punk rock as a movement has changed the face of music forever," Raha dissects women's involvement in it, including the often-unwanted roles sex and appearance play in the perception of women in rock. The Runaways resembled the Monkees and the Sex Pistols, what with manager Kim Fowley calling the shots and band members chafing under them; Raha compares their career and those of the likes of L7, the Butchies, and Tribe 8, whose forthright lyrics and sonic assaults are more feminist than feminine. She shows that the Cramps' Poison Ivy is a mover and shaker in her own right, like such others as Exene Cervenka, Debbie Harry, and Wendy O. Williams (of the shaving-cream-shirt wardrobe malfunction). Raha lets them all tell their stories in a treasure trove for pop-music and punk-culture cognoscenti.Mike TribbyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved