BIKINI KILL SLEATER-KINNEY WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY BELLINGHAM 1997

This boring looking little thing is a backstage pass sticker from a show that wasn’t boring at all because that evening in Bellingham the stage was shared by two of the most dynamic, important, and rocking bands of that era: the equally mighty Bikini Kill and Sleater-Kinney.

 I have no idea if I got the year of this show right but it’s probably not off by much.

At the risk of coming off as a bit full-of-it, I’m going to say this show might represent a notable turning point in the Riot Grrrl movement and by extrapolation maybe even of Third Wave Feminism generally. I will now defend this thesis.

This show took place in a good-sized, if character-free, box of room on the WSU campus and came at a time toward the end of Bikini Kill’s run as the premier standard bearer of the Riot Grrrl (two “r” ‘s or three…I always forget.) movement. They were the vanguard at the forefront who were essential in elbowing, scraping, and carving out a space for the Riot Grrrl tree to take root and blossom. They not only did this in the sometimes conservative (sounds strange but it’s true), often macho punk scene but in the definitely conservative, regressive, paternalistic culture at large.

This moment also happened to be the point that Sleater-Kinney’s ascendency within  that movement was picking up some serious steam. In the next few years they would chug their way no less deeply but also more widely into the popular culture’s consciousness as a critically lauded and wildly successful rock band. As they did so they would carry with them the same fire, passion, and meaning associated with Bikini Kill and their own lesser known previous incarnations that were integral with Riot Grrl’s development and promulgation as well Heavens to Betsy and Excuse 17.

This is why I believe this show could be seen as a place where the torch was being passed between these two brilliant revolutionary sets of hands. There is a distinct possibility I’m full of sh-t though.

If you follow my blog you know I lived in Olympia in the 90’s and was friends with S-K. I was also friends with BK but to a lesser degree. I admired the hell out of all these women (and Billy!) and I’ll write later about what Riot Grrrl meant to me and about the time and place I encountered the movement in a future post.

I’ll conclude this post by saying, and this IS bragging I’m very comfortable with admitting: I sang on stage with Bikini Kill at this show! Actually I flubbed the words to Reject All-American, jumped around, made fool of myself and that was about it, but still…

That detail of the story doesn’t change the FACT that backstage before the show Kathleen invited me (ME  I tell ya!)to sing with Bikini Kill at the very show upon which, as I have proposed in this post, the wheels of history were spinning new myths and attitudes for future generations of human beings to embrace in their pursuit of sexual, political and SPIRITUAL LIBERATION and I did sing! 

…whew. Glad I got that off my chest.

Of all the many stupid-dumb-lucky places (and just plain dumb places) I’ve found myself on this crazy journey that is my life, this one place and time I just shared with you is a particularly bright feather in my cap and it is one I will treasure and wear proudly until my dying day. Thanks Kathleen!!!

Backstage pass from my personal archives.