“Rebel Girl, You Are the Queen of My World”

The Daily Swarm has announced that on December 11th The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn will be hosting “Rah! Rah! Replica,” a benefit/show/project/EXTRAVANAGZA to honor Riot Grrrl goddess Kathleen Hanna. ‘Bout time, am I right? Or am I right?

The show will feature covers of Kathleen Hanna’s songs by various acts, including the ethereal Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore’s daughter Coco Gordon Moore’s band She Murders,  MEN, Care Bears on Fire, and even a video performance by Caroline Polachek of Chairlift.  Rah! Rah! Replica will also benefit filmmaker Sini Anderson’s documentary, “The Kathleen Hanna Project a.k.a. Who Told You Christmas Wasn’t Cool?” Sounds like quite the party!

In the spirit of paying homage to those we idolize, I feel as though it is only necessary for me to share my personal respect for Kathleen Hanna. For those of you who don’t know her, Kathleen Hanna is a singer, musician, and zine writer who was at the forefront of the Riot Grrrl scene. She was the frontwoman of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, and even put out an independent record under the name Julie Ruin. And, she was, and still is, one of the biggest influences in my life—especially on my awareness of feminism.

I started listening to Bikini Kill when I was in 10th grade, and ever since, there has been no turning back. There is just something simply intoxicating about the energy that Hanna brings to everything she does. At the time, her voice alone was enough to sooth my angsty-teen soul. But even now, long after my angry teenage years, her message lingers.

After getting into Bikini Kill, I discovered Hanna’s then current band Le Tigre, and possibly fell even more in love. It was through my passion for this band that I really began to learn about what feminism really meant. The myth that feminists were a bunch of man-hating, hairy hippies was soon dissolved and I was suddenly realizing that I myself was in fact a feminist. Le Tigre’s lyrics and messages also helped me to become better versed in LGBT issues. I owe this awakening, in large part, to Kathleen Hanna and her relentless perseverance as a woman and as an artist.

If you haven’t had the pleasure of listening to any of Kathleen Hanna’s music, I highly recommend it. Here are a few of my favorites: Bikini Kill— “Blood One,” “Rebel Girl”; Le Tigre— “Deceptacon,” “Hot Topic,” “Shred A,” “Seconds”; Julie Ruin— “The Punk Singer”

-Lauranium