I cannot fully express what this music meant to me. Going to an all girl summer camp with my best friend at 13. We went there feeling like losers, misfits and freaks. Our counselor not only introduced us to riot grrrl- Brooke, a girl with a shaved head and combat boots. She had to be 19 or 20 but she was a force of nature and so fucking cool. She used to let us skip events like the “dance with the boys camp” across the lake. Instead we stood in the woods and she let us rage and scream and listened and changed our lives forever. We were heard. We were seen. And she showed us that there was a whole group of women who had started a fucking revolution when we were in preschool. But we hadn’t missed everything- Le Tigre and Sleater-Kinney was playing shows right in our city. The music ignited a fire in me that has never gone out. I loved all riot grrrl, downloaded bands obsessively but Kathleen was my rebel girl queen and I wanted to be just like her. It didn’t matter anymore that I didn’t fit in at school or was bullied or had a shit home life- I had hope. Brooke, thank you. You started it all and you saved my life too. Kathleen, I’ve met twice but seen her more. My best friend and i luckily were able to see Le Tigre the last couple times they played Philly. We saw you speak at Penn years later when we were in college. And again with The Julie Ruin. She was so gracious and let us gush over her, signed anything we had, and took photos. Kathi Wilcox too who i also was obsessed with in lol and she was also so awesome to us. I’m rambling but just can’t express how much this all meant. My same best friend from all the way back at summer camp are going to see Bikini Kill together soon. (Fingers crossed). We have been waiting for years but I would wait as long as it took. This music changed the whole trajectory of my life. It gave me a thicker skin. It was everything and still is. 🖤
This story is only legit if it happened in the very late 90s. And anyway, yeah of course it was always always always upper middle class girls on like....the soccer team or going off to sleepaway camp (poor people and lower middle class families don't even know about that stuff, much less are they even able to PAY for it, so yes there is very important, distinct CLASS angle to this social sorting) having these kinds of "life changing" associations with Kathleen Hannah and her intellectual property. It's all just social positioning through consumerism. Sorry but even by the time this record was out everything was already poserfied and compromised.
I wish this was reissued! This album means so much to me exclamation point I lost my physical copy years ago and it's not streaming anywhere but here; so glad it is!
@@rosariosalomone4217 Hi. Would it be possible to obtain a copy of this album ? I know actual pressings are OOP and crazy expensive. Would it be possible to DL it from somewhere, whether from you, or otherwise ? Thanks!
A crappy sample machine and one pissed off woman equals Legend. The most original music all dolled up in digital rags. Why isn't anyone else doing this? I saw the punk singer the other day. Bummed about the lyme, I got the bite, too. We all love you.
I started following Becky on Instagram and when I saw this comment here I was like "no way" hahaha I found her when my girl friends and I were looking for inspiration for our band and Hands Off Gretel became one of my favoritesss!
"Radical or Pro-Parental" "V.G.I." (2:15) "A Place Called Won't Be There" (6:03) "Tania" (8:58) "Aerobicide" (11:37) "Apt. #5" (14:32) "My Morning Is Summer" (17:45) "I Wanna Know What Love Is" (21:00) "The Punk Singer" (24:36) "On Language" (26:45) "Crochet" (28:52) "Interlude" (30:53) "Stay Monkey" (31:44) "Breakout a Town" (34:41) "Love Letter" (37:04)
Kathleen just kicking so much ass!! Although I'm a dude and def guilty of many of the trappings/baggage Kathleen gives voice to she has still been a an inspiration for me. True artist and authentic person, been through more struggles than many of her male contemporaries but still persists and lives, vastly under appreciated, basically spearheaded three sub-genres (riot grrl, bedroom rock, and dance political pop) - forever my love and respect!!
Wow, more beta-male cuckery. "I'm a dude and def guilty..." as if women are above reproach or accountability. Humans eventually do bad things. What...you didn't _know_ this??
Thank you for uploading this album ❤ (it's not on Spotify...yet) I love The Punk Singer as well and I love Kathleen and what she stands for. How lucky aren't we to have a person like her in the world. A person who is willing to share so much of herself and give us the strength and encouragement we need to be ourselves ❤ Thank you Kathleen.
This is the LP that made me decide to check out sampling, drum machines, and take my 4-track(s) more seriously. To this day, I work with samplers, drum machines, and 4-tracks. This is one of the most influential pieces of music to me when I boil it all down. I remember the sheet inside of the LP, kind of showing you how she rigged everything up in this very rudimentary drawing that still looked cool in a low-fi way. I glanced at it, and it just made me realize that I could do this, and I don't need an entire band which at that point in my life wasn't a real option. I recall playing this album and Public Enemy's Fear of a Black Planet to death after I did get a sampler. I've told my friend how this album basically piqued my interest in sampling, which is a big part of my music and something he and I are both interested in..... This started so much for me. So many memories too. Stay Monkey is one of the best songs I've ever heard. I'll always come back to this album... I even remember doing a sloppy improv cover of The Punk Singer at the first show my first serious band played live.... ironic as it is, I was actually very drunk (dutch courage...) but I still sang proudly while playing the simple, yet catchy-as-fuck riff that loops as loud as my amp could. As a guy, it was a weird 1:45 or so I'm sure, but it just kind of happened and I'm glad!
HOLY Fu**in' S**T !! JUST found and listened to this absolutely SMASHING Piece of Work. Made me feel 20 years younger and took 10 years off my life - A Good Deal. Something BIG is happening here.... DON'T MISS OUT !! RB/ musicmaker/fan/columnist/a-hole/deceased&retiredfromTheScene. L.A.M.F. !!!@!!
Julie Ruin is the debut solo album by Kathleen Hanna (under the pseudonym Julie Ruin), released on September 29, 1998, through Kill Rock Stars. She recorded the album in 1997 whilst taking a break from Bikini Kill.
breakout a town riff sounds soooo familiar but i can’t put my finger on it? regardless this is one of the most inspiring, beautiful, original albums. makes me love kathleen all the more….seeing her play with bikini kill at the end of this month 🩷
That is not sexist, so you are OK, and anyone who says you are is an idiot. Every person wants someone to find them attractive in a positive and healthy way. Acknowledging her artistic abilities and saying they make her attractive is more substantive than some random comment about her tits, ass or other shallow thing which is meant to objectify a woman. ; )
It's crazy how good this album is. She should have so continued to make music solo. I never listened to her newer band. I wonder if it's good. tania apt my morning summer i wanna know the punk stay monkey love letter
Is there a way to download this album, like each individual track as an album. I couldn't find the file anywhere and it's not like i could buy the record they go for like $500 now.
Oh yeah. Not the same style of music, but still differing from most any of her other work, is a one-off album / project she worked heavily on called The Fakes (Realer Than Fiction). It is an odd album, but has some gems that she is on in full. A bluesy number in particular that her voice just works with. Her ability to transcend genres without compromising her style has always been something that I love. There is also an electronic track she did for another project that is very similar to this album.... Here is a link to an upload from my old channel that I got locked out of: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-66KjOvapXYc.html
