The Punk Singer

The Punk Singer is a bio flick of root girrrl Kathleen Hanna, lead singer of the band Bikini Kill.

I'm honestly not familiar with Kathleen Hanna's music. I was searching for items on the local library's card catalog and this came up in the search results and since I enjoy this type of thing I put in a request for the DVD.

I found the Punk Singer to be an entertaining film. There's interviews with various artists that Kathleen has played with. I can't say how in depth the film is as I'm not too familiar with Kathleen Hanna or Bikini Kill, but it's a cool film none the less. I didn't know that she was married to one of the Beastie Boys or that she was friends with Kurt Cobane.

Kathleen Hanna seems like a cool artists who stands up for women's rights and is an icon of the Riot Girrrl scene.

I saw this movie after reading the siff website and went to check it out. In my opinion it is a well-made biographical documentary that outlines the Northwest music scene. It taught my friend why it "smells like teen spirit" and it taught me what a feminist band is. I was interested in seeing the feminist movement that grew out of Olympia, Washington. The movie is youthful and tragic. It is easy to sympathize with the characters.

Though I was not familiar with anything regarding Kathleen Hanna's life before seeing the movie, there is for sure a charisma that radiates from Kathleen that is well depicted in the film. But I am not one to judge whether it is a factually accurate documentary. It shows her entire life from early to late years and I was especially intrigued to see her reflect upon her youth.

While I listened to Bikini Kill and Le Tigre I never sought out that much info on Kathleen Hanna, especially since that was much harder to find in Bikini Kill's active years. Watching this documentary made me fantasize about going back in time and begging Bikini Kill to let me carry their equipment before quietly slipping away so they could have all female Riot Grrrl meetings.

Nothing is left out that needed saying. The trauma of her past is acknowledged without morbidity, and her success is tempered by the realities of Bikini Kill's grueling tour life. The movie does a great job of giving equal time to her days with Le Tigre and Julie Ruin, as well as her relationship with Adrock.

I have to admit I found myself a little ashamed of how stricken I was by just how beautiful Hanna is and was. I know this movie isn't about her looks but I hadn't seen most of the live show footage before and honestly I was taken aback. The movie doesn't shy away from acknowledging how Kathleen used her sexuality on stage and the criticisms against her by those who thought a feminist had a responsibility to be non-sexual.

This movie is a must for anyone who loves punk, American feminism, riot grrrls, or ever had their lip split open in a pit.

Excellent documentary from director Sini Anderson on Bikini Kill/Le Tigre front woman Kathleen Hanna, who dropped out of the music biz in 2005 after contracting late-stage Lyme disease (but who kept her disappearance mysterious, hardly disclosing her illness to anyone). A rage-filled college girl from Olympia, Washington, Hanna was a rabid feminist with a troubled childhood whose jagged fanzine art and spoken word rants eclipsed into musical genius with her first band, Bikini Kill. Although not for the faint-of-heart, Bikini Kill (three females, one male) were instrumental in leading the Riot Grrrl movement of the early 1990s. Testimonials from Hanna's peers (including members of Bratmobile and Sleater-Kinney, Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and Joan Jett, who produced Bikini Kill's most proficient EP) help fill in some of the personality gaps, yet when Anderson just allows Hanna to speak--and when the musician opens up, she's quite candid--the results are fascinating, most especially for fans. Also interesting: the potentially-explosive paradox of a young, hardcore feminist who finds true love (and eventually marriage) with a male kindred spirit, Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys. *** from ****

Firstly, let me say this: I agree that Kathleen Hanna played a very important role in feminist history and I respect her for that. Get down with your bad Riot Grrrl self! However, please, for the love of whomever you find sacred, please get some perspective!

I am very sorry that she is suffering from what is revealed at the end of this film. I am, I truly am. I have not walked a mile in her shoes but I can only assume that her journey through her health issues have been a nightmare.

Here's my problem with the film: it's such an exercise in navel-gazing and delusion, at times it's almost painful to watch. If she would have just OWNED the fact that she's married to a Beastie Boy and has access to care and treatment that most normal people do not, I would have found her story more tolerable. And let's not forget that this is supposed to be an empowered feminist, yet when she talks of her stripper past (which I am NOT judging her for), she says, "It was the only decent paying job I could get." I call B.S. on that! Honey, just own it! You wanted to strip for the money - no big deal. But please don't make it out like it was the ONLY job you could get. Puh-leeeeze! We are basically the same age and while she's a heck of a lot cuter than I ever was and looked better in a bikini than I ever did, I found a way to have a decent paying job where I didn't remove my clothes (my choice).

I wanted to love this movie. But I did not. I did however love all the old 90s footage and some fun interviews with the likes of Kim Gordon and Tavi Gevinson.