Dear Kim –

This book is titled a Letter to Kim, meaning you, Kim Gordon. I read your book Girl in a Band last year and it made me love you even more. This artist’s book is a bow to you and all the female musicians who have influenced my life during my “coming of age” (age 10-present day?) I once read that the music you connect with at age 13 leaves the deepest impression; for me that time would be the year of 1981. I saw my first concert then; Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s Reactor tour. New wave Neil was rocking an updated Mr. Soul. He played an acoustic set too, so I was in heaven. Neil Young, David Bowie, the Doors, the Monkees, Dire Straits, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers; most of my music interests were love crushes. New wave and punk rock opened up my mind and female voices had impact; I believe this because I am still listening. What are the current discs in my car’s 6-disc CD player? The Go-Go’s, The Breeders, The B52’s, Janet Jackson and two Imagine Dragons CDs are for my daughters ;)

My first music education was digging into my parents’ record collection around age 10. My Dad loved jazz; he had Louie Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Dave Brubeck, Fats Waller, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. He also had Patsy Cline, Fats Domino, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry. I listened to all of these. My mother’s records were different. She was seven years younger and collected more female musicians; Carole King, Carly Simon, Janis Ian, Roberta Flack, Janis Joplin, Barbara Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Linda Ronstadt. She had the soundtracks to Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar. She also had Abby Road, the White Album and Meet the Beatles. Again, I listened.

Do you remember that in the late 70’s, not many females played rock & roll on the radio. Yes, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart sang Barracuda and Little Queen. Grace Slick from the Jefferson Airplane sang White Rabbit on the classic rock station. Soft rockers like Fleetwood Mac oversaturated; Stevie Nicks stole the show with Gold Dust Woman and Rhiannon. Donna Summer and Diana Ross ruled disco/RB charts. Punk rock was on the rise in the mid 70’s, but it did not hit my Concord, MA, east coast ears until I was given my first punk mixed tape around age 12 or 13. The tape came with no list of band names or song titles; it was just a blank Memorex tape cover and a black cassette with a white label. “PUNK mix” was hand written in black Sharpie across the top front. Fast beats and strong lyrics blew my teenage mind. Poly Styrene was singing lead for the X Ray Specs, and man, did she have something to say!

Identity is the crisis you can’t see

When you look in the mirror, Do you smash it quick
Do you take the glass, And slash your wrists
Did you do it for fame, Did you do it in a fit
Did you do it before, You read about it

Chrissie Hynde was singing about her experience with gang rape in the Pretender’s Tattoo Love Boys. Wendy-O-Williams from the Plasmatics sang “I might like you better if we slept together.” I heard their voices on this gritty mix tape; I had little background on these women, but it mattered that female voices held their own alongside Jello Biafra of the Dead Kennedys, Joe Strummer and Mick jones from the Clash. Female groups like the Runaways existed in the 70’s, but it wasn’t until Joan Jett went solo that they were on my radar. Joan Jett was “it” in 1981. She was the first female musician to start her own record label, Blackheart Records.  Other women followed. Madonna began Maverick Records in the early 90’s and signed Alanis Morissette . Jett reminded me of Leather Tuscadero from Happy Days, aka Susi Quatro, the first woman I saw play electric guitar. Jett had looked to Quatro for inspiration. New Wave females were making a splash with the Go-Go’s, and Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads. In the 1980’s women exploded onto pop charts; Madonna, Whitney and Janet dominated, but their songwriters and collaborators were mostly male. Come late 80’s early 90’s, something shifted. Reflective lyrics from female perspectives surfaced from songwriters like Aimee Mann, Liz Phair, Indie Arie, Alanis Morsette and Lauryn Hill. When Kim Deal screams “Gigantic, a big, big love” on the Pixies’ Doolittle, I wish we’d  heard more songs by Kim; enter the Breeders thank you. Missy Elliott blew me away with her first single, “The Rain”; her funky trash bag video with the fish eye lens. Brilliant. Courtney Love dominated the early 90’s. You know because you supported the crazed sister with punkrock guts and produced her album Pretty on the Inside. You have collaborated with a wide range of artists and musicians. You seem always open to experimentation.

Kim, thank you for being there, for rocking, for holding your own. Your performance for the Nirvana Rock & Roll Hall of Fame tribute blew my mind. Truly. Congratulations on your many accomplishments; your band, clothing line, multiple published books and professional art career; all completed while raising a family, surviving breast cancer, dealing with a public celebrity divorce and still making new music. BTW, Thurston is a royal douche. I can’t even listen to his voice. You have my word, I will never pay to see a Sonic Youth reunion tour unless you are playing. Better yet, I want to see your solo tour!

Your biggest fan –

Kristin Rothrock, 2018