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a14 people & arts
Saturday 9 July 2022
‘I can’t be the only one’: Docuseries on ‘Women Who Rock’

By MARK KENNEDY gender, while Blondie’s
AP Entertainment Writer Debbie Harry added glam-
NEW YORK (AP) — As a per- our to punk. “As far as I’m
cussion protégé growing concerned, Debbie Harry
up in the Bay Area, Sheila invented cool,” says St. Vin-
Escovedo would ask visiting cent in the series.
bands if she could sit in. She Joan Jett recalls begging
was often told to beat it. her parents for a guitar
“They’re looking at me and finally getting one at
like, well, ‘You’re a girl. Go 13, spending the first days
away.’ They would push trying to bend the e-string
their hand like, ‘Get out of over and over. She asked
here,’” Escovedo recalls. “I her dad to teach her rock
was told: “You’re a girl, you ‘n’ roll, but he replied that
can’t and you won’t and girls don’t do that. Instead,
you don’t. And there’s no he tried to teach her “On
way.” Top of Old Smokey.”
Escovedo, thankfully, found “I wanted to be holding a
a way, becoming Sheila E., guitar and owning it the
the Grammy-nominated, way the Rolling Stones do,”
gold record-making drum- Jett says in the series. Along
mer who collaborated with the way, she kept thinking
Prince, performed at the to herself: “I can’t be the
Academy Awards and sup- only one.” She wasn’t.
plied music for soundtracks, By 16, Jett was in the pio-
mammoth sporting events neering female band The
and world tours. Runaways. But the industry
She and other women in never made it easy, con-
rock have faced similar dis- stantly putting up road-
belief and hostility. blocks and saying “You’re
“I think that the common Chaka Khan performs during rehearsals for the annual Fourth of July Boston Pops Fireworks not allowed.” For Jett, “That
thread for women in gen- Spectacular in Boston on July 3, 2022. killed me.”
eral, and especially being Associated Press Wilson feels the progress
in the music business is re- told the AP in an interview. with songs like “Barracuda” makeshift sisterhood of art- that women made in the
ally staying true to who you “There’s just so many who and “Alone.” Sheryl Crowe ists, with Mary Clayton men- ‘70s stalled as MTV took
are and allowing that to be are standing on the breasts in the series says Wilson was tored by Odetta, Hendryx hold and has only built
OK,” she said. — I was going to say shoul- a beacon of how to rock mentored by Nina Simone, back since the 1990s, point-
A deep dive into rock’s fe- ders — of many women and maintain your feminin- and Khan reaching back ing to such acts as Phoebe
male pioneers like Sheila E. who have come before ity. to Staples. “Each of these Bridgers, Wet Leg, Lucius,
forms the backbone of the them and fought battles “We had this kind of almost women really provides a Sharon Van Etten and An-
fascinating, four-part docu- that they didn’t even know a regimented concept that rung for the women that gel Olsen — or, as she puts
series “Women Who Rock” they were fighting.” we could just do it. There we meet next,” said Hop- it, “girl players out there
starting Sunday on Epix. Di- The docuseries moves would be no resistance,” per, a music journalist be- who are really taking no
rector Jessica Hopper says chronologically from the says Nancy Wilson, tour- fore moving on to directing prisoners.”
the series offers a look at far birth of rock ‘n’ roll, where ing this summer as Nancy and producing documen- The sisterhood helped and
more than just rock stars. women weren’t taken seri- Wilson’s Heart. “We were tary work. so did the democracy of
“Just like you can’t sepa- ously, to the present day, just able to do it. We were The series explores the rise technology, allowing all
rate art from artists, you where they’ve seized both young enough and good of men and women on- artists the skills to engineer,
can’t separate music from production credits and enough already at a very stage together in bands produce and craft their
culture. If you tell these technology to blaze their young age not to be con- like The Pretenders, The music, bypassing the tradi-
stories, you are telling this own independent paths. vinced that what we were B-52s, Talking Heads and tional gatekeepers. Anoth-
broader story of America,” It’s been an uphill climb for was inappropriate.” Blondie, and the music er artist featured is Oakland
said Hopper. most. It may come as no surprise industry’s exploitation of singer-songwriter Star Am-
The series features appear- “In the business of entertain- that Staples kicks off the se- Black artists, from gospel to erasu, a trans musician who
ances by Nancy Wilson of ment, I think women have ries. At the fulcrum of gos- disco. Audiences see how makes her living through
Heart, Chaka Khan, Pat classically been relegated pel, blues and R&B, she is the MTV revolution in the Patreon, a crowdfunding
Benatar, Mavis Staples, to being second-class citi- the connection between 1980s prized image and platform.
Shania Twain, Macy Gray, zens who don’t have a whit Mahalia Jackson and Bob the later arrivals of solo su- Shelia E. is also trying to en-
Rickie Lee Jones, Norah of their own opinion about Dylan, Prince and Norah perstars Twain, Lady Gaga courage the next genera-
Jones, Aimee Mann, Tori anything,” Wilson says in an Jones. The fact that Staples and Beyoncé. tion of women musicians.
Amos, Kate Pierson of the interview. “So they have to was onboard helped con- In the second episode, She surfs the internet at
B-52’s, Tina Weymouth of be shaped, informed and vince others. which deals with the 1970s, least once a week, cheer-
Talking Heads, Nona Hen- told how to look and how “There are few folks whose stars like Joni Mitchell, Car- ing young people and es-
dryx, Susanna Hoffs of the to behave and how to voices were so integral to ole King and Stevie Nicks pecially young girls.
Bangles, Jody Watley, St. sound.” sound-tracking change in are described in the con- “I send them a message
Vincent, Kathleen Hanna Heart — led by sisters Nan- America as Mavis. And so text of the Equal Rights on Instagram or Facebook
of Bikini Kill and Kim Gordon cy and Ann — brushed getting to start with Mavis Amendment and Ruth Bad- and say, ‘Hey, keep do-
of Sonic Youth, among oth- off such behavior, leaning really kind of set a bar for er Ginsburg. The episode ing what you’re doing. I’m
ers. on their blood and their how we moved through explores the importance of a fan. You’re amazing.
“I loved hearing the other military background for the rest of the series,” said the punk club CBGB and Please tell your parents
women talk about their strength, blazing a path in Hopper. how Patti Smith seemed to they’re doing a great job,’”
experiences,” Hendryx a male-dominate space The show highlights a announce a world beyond she said.q