Saturday, January 15, 2011

WOMEN OF UNDERGROUND MUSIC interviews by Zora von Burden

I picked this up in the hopes that it would be similar to re/searchs ANGRY WOMEN, which is one of my favorite books ever, and was sadly disappointed by this. It has an amazing line-up of interviews - Laurie Anderson, Nina Hagen, Adele Bertei, Deanna Ashley, Patricia Morrison, Moe Tucker and the list goes on. It's pretty interesting but it's more because of the subjects rather than how the subjects are handled. There are some highlights - the Teresa Taylor (Butthole Surfers) and the Sean Tseult (White Zombie) interviews were good - but beyond that and even with those overall I was kind of disappointed. The type of interviews I like to read are more like discussions rather than question and answer. The interviewer comes off as cold and scripted for the most part, like she's doing an interview for food stamps or something. Really stand-offish. There's a lack of inquiry and a lack of opinion input from the interviewer. It's almost like a sales call for creative people. Luckily, the women featured in this book are really interesting, and honestly the most exciting parts of the book were when the interviewees veered off course and just started talking about whatever they wanted to. On top of that it seems like the interviewer wasn't exactly a fan of most of her subjects, but rather just picked them out because they are considered "underground women" - what I mean is there was a lack of excitement and enthusiasm, and a lot of the topics seemed to be gleened from internet research rather than actual fandom. It just seemed incredibly disconnected. Overall, this is a book about some of the most rebellious and rule-breaking women of the underground - yet it manages to stay incredibly sanitary.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi there. While I appreciate your opinion, as the author of this book, I must make a personal statement for accuracy and in my defense. The reason the questions were so short and direct was because of editing for space to include the amazing amount of women we did. It keeps the focus on the subjects of the book. I was also, in fact, a serious fan of most of these women for at least 30 years. Anyone who personally knows me can verify that. I should explain that I did engage many of these women during interviews with my own personal opinions and in discussion. The book however, is about these women and their stories, not mine. The editors (myself included) felt it was more important to give the women their space to tell their story. Angry Women wasn't just about their stories but feminist theory. I'm sorry you were disappointed but I feel you are not being fair minded in what comes off as a personal attack on the author and not a serious critique of the book.

Tobi Vail said...

Hi Zora, thanks for the comment. I am sure that Marissa did not mean this as a personal attack and I don't think it comes off that way. I think that she describes what she likes about the book and what she does not like about it. In this description the reader gets an idea of what she is looking for in a book and why this did not meet her expectations. Her reference to Angry Women is useful. She likes books like that. Personally, I didn't like Angry Women as much as I expected to and might prefer to read an interview book like the one described here. Regardless I am looking forward to reading your book and feel I now have a better idea of what to expect.
If you'd like to read more of Marissa's criticism to get a better idea of where she is come from, she writes an excellent blog called SPLATTER ZONE that you will find if you click on her profile or maybe just google.
Best wishes with your next project and thanks for all the work you put into this one!
xo
Tobi Vail

Tobi Vail said...

oh here is the link:
http://punkymagic.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Hi Tobi,
Thank you so much for the response, I understand what you're saying. I really appreciate that she took the time to read the book and reviewed it despite what she had to say. It was, in reality, a lot of hard work and very personal for me, so I was kind of disheartened to read she felt I wasn't familiar with the women let alone a fan of them. If only she knew how much I have adored these women. I hope you enjoy the book and look forward to hearing your opinion. I respect your work and would love to hear from you sometime..you can find me on facebook..

Anonymous said...

Hi Tobi,
Thank you so much for the response, I understand what you're saying. I really appreciate that she took the time to read the book and reviewed it despite what she had to say. It was, in reality, a lot of hard work and very personal for me, so I was kind of disheartened to read she felt I wasn't familiar with the women let alone a fan of them. If only she knew how much I have adored these women. I hope you enjoy the book and look forward to hearing your opinion. I respect your work and would love to hear from you sometime..you can find me on facebook..

Anonymous said...

For those who are a fan of the book and want to support the women the book is about, there is a link below to the Facebook page. There are many insightful, professional and reputable reviews on the page's wall. These reviews are written by writers without personal bias and may give a better idea of the book.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001137348646#!/pages/Women-of-the-Underground-Music/124355007610433