Review: Girl in a Band by Kim Gordon

When we last discussed this book I wasn't done with it. I finished it and loved it. In many ways her tale is depressing. She gives us a fair number of peeks behind the grunge curtain. Her observations of the music industry is certainly depressing. But how her story unfolds makes you want to turn the page and know more.

At one point, Gordon muses about women's sexuality being used in music, particularly Madonna and her own use of her sexuality. In the end she seems ok with women using their sexuality on stage as part of their act. For herself, Gordon grew into this comfort and ends up stating that "In the middle of the state, where I stand as bass player of Sonic Young, the music comes at me from all directions. The most heightened state of being female is watching people watch you....being a girl in Sonic Youth makes me forget about being a girl. I like being in a weak position and making it strong."She seemed to be talking herself into moving into the main attraction of the group for promoters.

But it was Gordon's dissection of the failure of having an egalitarian parenting situation with her ex-husband, Moore, that it kinda freaked me out. It went all the way to essentialism-ville. I'm sure this says more about me than her, but it was something that I noted.

Otherwise, this is an excellent and snarky look back at the rise of not just a band, but an entire music genre.

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Disclaimer: I received a review copy from a publicist.