Monday Book Review: Women of the Underground: Cultural Innovators Speak for Themselves

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Women of the Underground: Cultural Innovators Speak for Themselves
Ed. Zora von Burden
Manic D Press
August 2010

Zora von Burden interviews some truly groundbreaking and unique women including Wanda Jackson, Jarboe, Lydia Lunch, and Ana da Silva. Many of the women in this book are on the fringes of society, and yet have cult-like followings and have influenced countless other artists.
While some of the interviews fail to engage (Moe Tucker seems especially tight-lipped and Nina Hagen is from another planet), others offer up some amazing stories and insights.

Take for example this quote from Adele Bertei (the Contortions, the Bloods), “Take the risks, fight the good fight, never be afraid to be a loner, for that is precisely where you will find community. Risk is the fountain of youth and the fire of transformation. It’s all about alchemy — learning how to transform the basest shit into the purest of gold, and these days, we are sorely in need of master musicians.”

— Rebecca DeRosa

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