Kathleen Hanna
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Hanna is an American
musician
, feminist activist, and punk zine
writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer and songwriter of Bikini Kill
, before fronting Le Tigre
in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, Hanna released a solo album under the name Julie Ruin
and is currently heading a project called The Julie Ruin
.
, Hanna moved with her family to Calverton, Maryland
in 1971. As Hanna's father changed occupations, the family moved several more times. Hanna's parents were divorced while she was in high school.
Hanna first became interested in feminism
around the age of nine, after her mother took her to a rally in Washington D.C. where feminist icon Gloria Steinem
spoke.
Though several years would pass before she became an outspoken feminist, the event left an impression on her. In a 2000 interview with BUST magazine, Hanna recalled:
In the 2006 documentary, Don't Need You: the Herstory of Riot Grrrl, Hanna elaborates on the effect feminism had on her in childhood, recalling that her interest grew when her mother checked out a copy of Betty Friedan
's "The Feminine Mystique
" from the library. Yet Hanna and her mother's involvement in the women's rights movement had to be done quietly in the years before her parents' divorce, due to her father's disapproval. Hanna has also appeared in the documentary Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker
? Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl is titled after a Bikini Kill song.
in Olympia, Washington
in the late 1980s. During this time she began working as a stripper
to support herself while studying photography
. Working with fellow Evergreen student and photographer Aaron Baush-Greene, she set up a photo exhibit featuring the pair's photography, which dealt, respectively, with sexism and AIDS
. However, the school administrators took the photos down before they got the chance to be viewed, an act of censorship that prompted what Hanna refers to as her "first foray into activism"–the creation of an independent feminist art gallery called Reko Muse with friends Heidi Arbogast and Tammy Rae Carland
. The three women then formed a band called Amy Carter, which put on shows before the art exhibitions.
Hanna also began doing spoken word
performances that addressed sexism
and violence against women, issues with which she became concerned after volunteering for a domestic violence
organization over the next two years. Eventually she abandoned spoken word in favor of music, being inspired by one of her favorite writers, countercultural icon Kathy Acker
. Hanna recalled, "Acker asked me why writing was important to me, and I said, 'Because I felt like I'd never been listened to and I had a lot to say,' and she said, 'Then why are you doing spoken word—no one goes to spoken word shows! You should get in a band.'"
Hanna later started another band called Viva Knievel
that toured the United States for two months before disbanding. Upon returning to Olympia, Hanna began collaborating with fellow Evergreen student and punk zine
ster Tobi Vail
after seeing a performance of The Go Team
, (a band made up of Vail, Billy Karren
, and Calvin Johnson) and recognizing Vail as the mastermind behind the fanzine
Jigsaw, which Hanna greatly admired and loved.
. The three women decided to form a band to personify their ideals and recruited Vail’s bandmate Karren as the fourth member, naming the band after their zine.
Bikini Kill
soon became part of the seminal Olympia, Washington music scene
of the early 1990s, which was characterized by political awareness, a strong artistic do-it-yourself ethic
, and an emphasis on local collaboration and support.
The band's first release for the Kill Rock Stars
label was a self-titled EP produced by Ian MacKaye
of Fugazi
. Bikini Kill then toured the UK, recording a split LP with UK band Huggy Bear. This tour was filmed and the band was interviewed by Lucy Thane
for her documentary, It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK. Upon returning to the U.S., the band began working with Joan Jett
, who produced their single, "New Radio/Rebel Girl". After the release of this record, Hanna began co-writing some songs with Jett for her new album.
At the same time Hanna produced several solo pieces for the Kill Rock Stars "Wordcore" series of recordings, including the 7" single "Rockstar" and the song "I Wish I Was Him" (a song written by Ben Lee
and originally recorded by his band Noise Addict
about alternative rock heartthrob Evan Dando
) on the KRS compilation Rock Stars Kill
.
In 1994, Hanna appeared in the Sonic Youth
video for Bull in the Heather
.
The first two Bikini Kill EPs were released on CD as the appropriately and very literally-titled The C.D. Version of the First Two Records
in 1993. The band released two more full-length albums, Pussy Whipped
in 1994 and Reject All American
in 1996, and in 1998, Kill Rock Stars
released Bikini Kill: The Singles, a collection of the group's seven inch and compilation tracks. Bikini Kill broke up on friendly terms around April 1998.
, Molly Neuman
and Jen Smith
from the band Bratmobile
on the zine
riot grrrl, which became a call to action for increased feminist activity and female involvement in the punk rock scene. In a 2000 interview with Index Magazine
, Hanna related:
Hanna also earlier stated:
editor Johanna Fateman
on a live show for Julie Ruin. The collaboration resulted in the two briefly forming a band called The Troublemakers, named after a G.B. Jones film, which ended when Fateman relocated to New York City to attend art school.
Hanna joined Fateman on the East Coast, and with the addition of filmmaker Sadie Benning
, they started another band called Le Tigre
(French for The Tiger). This band continued to pursue a more electronic style of music similar to the sampler-driven sound Hanna had begun to explore with Julie Ruin. The band recorded for the Mr. Lady Records
label, its first recording being the self-titled Le Tigre
, which included the singles "Hot Topic" and "Deceptacon." After the first record, Sadie Benning left the band to be replaced by JD Samson
for the follow-up CD Feminist Sweepstakes
. When Mr. Lady Records closed down, the group switched labels to Universal Records for the 2004 release of This Island.
Le Tigre is currently on hiatus. According to the Le Tigre website, during her time off from the band Hanna has been volunteering as a band coach for "The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls". She also taught an art class at NYU's grad school in the Fall 2007 semester.
She is married to Adam Horovitz, a.k.a. Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys
. The two have been involved since 1997, and were married in 2006.
into "The Julie Ruin
" with Kenny Mellman
and Kathi Wilcox
, and that they would be creating a new record. On December 11 at the Knitting Factory in New York City, the new The Julie Ruin played its first show, mostly consisting of covers.
when she was younger, saying in one particular interview: "It was one of the first things I did on my own; I worked at McDonald's
, raised the money and did it. I'm really, really passionate about pro-choice
, because I wouldn't be here talking to you right now if I'd had a kid at 15." Hanna has expressed her belief that talking about her abortion will encourage other women to openly discuss the topic as well, helping to decrease the social stigma that often accompanies such discussion and also helping to sustain political momentum and further progress with regard to the pro-choice movement.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, feminist activist, and punk zine
Punk zine
A punk zine is a zine devoted to punk culture, most often punk rock music, bands, or the DIY punk ethic. Punk zines are the most likely place to find punk literature....
writer. In the early- to mid-1990s she was the lead singer and songwriter of Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
, before fronting Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1998, Hanna released a solo album under the name Julie Ruin
Julie Ruin
Julie Ruin is the independent record produced by Kathleen Hanna under the name Julie Ruin in 1997, while taking a break from Bikini Kill. It touches upon feminism, crocheting, aerobics and resisting police abuse. It was mostly produced in Kathleen's apartment in Olympia, Washington...
and is currently heading a project called The Julie Ruin
The Julie Ruin
The Julie Ruin is an American band formed in 2010 in New York City. The band rehearses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and records at Oscilloscope.Band members include Carmine Covelli, Sara Landeau, Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, Kenny Mellman...
.
Childhood
Born in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Hanna moved with her family to Calverton, Maryland
Calverton, Maryland
Calverton is an unincorporated area and Census-designated place located on the boundary between Montgomery and Prince George's Counties, Maryland.-Geography:As an unincorporated area, Calverton's boundaries are not officially defined...
in 1971. As Hanna's father changed occupations, the family moved several more times. Hanna's parents were divorced while she was in high school.
Hanna first became interested in feminism
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
around the age of nine, after her mother took her to a rally in Washington D.C. where feminist icon Gloria Steinem
Gloria Steinem
Gloria Marie Steinem is an American feminist, journalist, and social and political activist who became nationally recognized as a leader of, and media spokeswoman for, the women's liberation movement in the late 1960s and 1970s...
spoke.
Though several years would pass before she became an outspoken feminist, the event left an impression on her. In a 2000 interview with BUST magazine, Hanna recalled:
In the 2006 documentary, Don't Need You: the Herstory of Riot Grrrl, Hanna elaborates on the effect feminism had on her in childhood, recalling that her interest grew when her mother checked out a copy of Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan
Betty Friedan was an American writer, activist, and feminist.A leading figure in the Women's Movement in the United States, her 1963 book The Feminine Mystique is often credited with sparking the "second wave" of American feminism in the twentieth century...
's "The Feminine Mystique
The Feminine Mystique
The Feminine Mystique, published February 19, 1963, by W.W. Norton and Co., is a nonfiction book written by Betty Friedan. It is widely credited with sparking the beginning of second-wave feminism in the United States....
" from the library. Yet Hanna and her mother's involvement in the women's rights movement had to be done quietly in the years before her parents' divorce, due to her father's disapproval. Hanna has also appeared in the documentary Who's Afraid of Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
? Don't Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl is titled after a Bikini Kill song.
College
Hanna attended The Evergreen State CollegeThe Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
in the late 1980s. During this time she began working as a stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
to support herself while studying photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
. Working with fellow Evergreen student and photographer Aaron Baush-Greene, she set up a photo exhibit featuring the pair's photography, which dealt, respectively, with sexism and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. However, the school administrators took the photos down before they got the chance to be viewed, an act of censorship that prompted what Hanna refers to as her "first foray into activism"–the creation of an independent feminist art gallery called Reko Muse with friends Heidi Arbogast and Tammy Rae Carland
Tammy Rae Carland
Tammy Rae Carland is a zine editor, artist, filmmaker and owner of the independent lesbian music label Mr. Lady Records.In the late 1980s she co-founded an independent art gallery in Olympia, Washington with Heidi Arbogast. The two teamed up with Kathleen Hanna, who often did spoken word...
. The three women then formed a band called Amy Carter, which put on shows before the art exhibitions.
Hanna also began doing spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
performances that addressed sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
and violence against women, issues with which she became concerned after volunteering for a domestic violence
Domestic violence
Domestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
organization over the next two years. Eventually she abandoned spoken word in favor of music, being inspired by one of her favorite writers, countercultural icon Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker
Kathy Acker was an American experimental novelist, punk poet, playwright, essayist, postmodernist and sex-positive feminist writer. She was strongly influenced by the Black Mountain School, William S...
. Hanna recalled, "Acker asked me why writing was important to me, and I said, 'Because I felt like I'd never been listened to and I had a lot to say,' and she said, 'Then why are you doing spoken word—no one goes to spoken word shows! You should get in a band.'"
Hanna later started another band called Viva Knievel
Viva Knievel (band)
Viva Knievel was a punk rock and riot grrrl band in Olympia, Washington in the early 1990s. Viva Knievel was Kathleen Hanna's second band, and included Zeb Olsen and Billy Karren. Her first band was called "Amy Carter" and put on in her own art display space in between exhibitions....
that toured the United States for two months before disbanding. Upon returning to Olympia, Hanna began collaborating with fellow Evergreen student and punk zine
Punk zine
A punk zine is a zine devoted to punk culture, most often punk rock music, bands, or the DIY punk ethic. Punk zines are the most likely place to find punk literature....
ster Tobi Vail
Tobi Vail
Tobi Vail is an independent musician, DIY zinester, and feminist activist from Olympia, Washington, noted primarily as the drummer of the defunct punk band Bikini Kill. She formed one of her first bands as the drummer for The Go Team when she was 15, later collaborating in several other groups...
after seeing a performance of The Go Team
The Go Team
The Go Team was a 1980s band from Olympia, Washington, consisting of Tobi Vail and Calvin Johnson of Beat Happening.-Career:The Go Team was founded in 1985. As Vail described:...
, (a band made up of Vail, Billy Karren
Billy Karren
Billy Karren is an American musician and feminist most commonly known as the lead guitarist of the influential punk band Bikini Kill. He was also active in many other music projects in the Olympia music scene including: The Go Team, The Frumpies, Corrections, and Spray Painted Love.He was not often...
, and Calvin Johnson) and recognizing Vail as the mastermind behind the fanzine
Fanzine
A fanzine is a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon for the pleasure of others who share their interest...
Jigsaw, which Hanna greatly admired and loved.
Bikini Kill
Hanna and Tobi Vail's first collaboration was a zine called Revolution Girl Style Now. This led to a later zine titled Bikini Kill, a response to sexism in the punk rock scene, written with fellow Evergreen student and friend Kathi WilcoxKathi Wilcox
Kathi Wilcox is an American musician. Currently the bass player in The Julie Ruin, she has previously been in bands such as Bikini Kill, The Casual Dots and The Frumpies.- Music :...
. The three women decided to form a band to personify their ideals and recruited Vail’s bandmate Karren as the fourth member, naming the band after their zine.
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill
Bikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
soon became part of the seminal Olympia, Washington music scene
Olympia music scene
The city of Olympia, Washington has been a center of post-hardcore, anti-folk, and other youth-oriented musical genres since at least the late 1970s. Along with Washington D.C., Olympia was a center for the riot grrrl movement in the early 1990s...
of the early 1990s, which was characterized by political awareness, a strong artistic do-it-yourself ethic
DIY ethic
The DIY ethic refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks oneself as opposed to having others who are more experienced or able complete them for one's behalf. It promotes the idea that an ordinary person can learn to do more than he or she thought was possible...
, and an emphasis on local collaboration and support.
The band's first release for the Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
label was a self-titled EP produced by Ian MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
of Fugazi
Fugazi (band)
Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
. Bikini Kill then toured the UK, recording a split LP with UK band Huggy Bear. This tour was filmed and the band was interviewed by Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane
Lucy Thane is a documentary filmmaker.One of her most notable works is It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK in which she followed the 1990s riot grrrl band Bikini Kill while they were on tour in the UK with Huggy Bear....
for her documentary, It Changed My Life: Bikini Kill In The UK. Upon returning to the U.S., the band began working with Joan Jett
Joan Jett
Joan Jett is an American rock guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer and actress.She is best known for her work with Joan Jett & the Blackhearts including their hit cover "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", which was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 from March 20 to May 1, 1982, as well as for their other popular...
, who produced their single, "New Radio/Rebel Girl". After the release of this record, Hanna began co-writing some songs with Jett for her new album.
At the same time Hanna produced several solo pieces for the Kill Rock Stars "Wordcore" series of recordings, including the 7" single "Rockstar" and the song "I Wish I Was Him" (a song written by Ben Lee
Ben Lee
Benjamin Michael "Ben" Lee is an ARIA Award winning musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up in 1995. He appeared as the protagonist in the Australian film The Rage in Placid Lake...
and originally recorded by his band Noise Addict
Noise Addict
Noise Addict was an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Bondi Beach in 1992, originally consisting of Ben Lee, Doron Kalinko, Daniel Kohn, Joel Wasserman, Daniel Mapp and Saul Smith....
about alternative rock heartthrob Evan Dando
Evan Dando
Evan Griffith Dando is an American musician, most famous for fronting the alternative rock band The Lemonheads. He is the only original member left in the current Lemonheads line-up, having served as lead singer since the band's original formation in 1986...
) on the KRS compilation Rock Stars Kill
Rock Stars Kill
Rock Stars Kill is a compilation of various artists released by Kill Rock Stars on August 1, 1994. The compilation was released simultaneously as a vinyl LP with accompanying 7″ single, and as a CD.-LP:Side one#Tourettes – "Horse Girl"...
.
In 1994, Hanna appeared in the Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
video for Bull in the Heather
Bull in the Heather
"Bull in the Heather" is a song by Sonic Youth, released as the only single from their 1994 album Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star....
.
The first two Bikini Kill EPs were released on CD as the appropriately and very literally-titled The C.D. Version of the First Two Records
The C.D. Version of the First Two Records
The C.D. Version of the First Two Records is the 1994 first CD release of punk rock band Bikini Kill, collecting their 1992 eponymous EP and their half of the 1993 EP Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, an album they shared with the band Huggy Bear...
in 1993. The band released two more full-length albums, Pussy Whipped
Pussy Whipped
Pussy Whipped is the debut full-length album of punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was released in 1993 on Kill Rock Stars. The album includes the track "Rebel Girl", which is #27 on the Rolling Stone list of "Most Excellent Songs of Every Year Since 1967", a playlist assembled by the magazine in 2006...
in 1994 and Reject All American
Reject All American
Reject All American was the second full-length and last studio album by punk rock band Bikini Kill, released in 1996.-Track listing:All songs composed by Kathleen Hanna.# "Statement of Vindication" – 1:11# "Capri Pants" – 1:40...
in 1996, and in 1998, Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars
Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
released Bikini Kill: The Singles, a collection of the group's seven inch and compilation tracks. Bikini Kill broke up on friendly terms around April 1998.
Influence on Riot Grrrl
In 1991, the band spent a summer in Washington, D.C., where Hanna began collaborating with Allison WolfeAllison Wolfe
-Background:Born an identical twin in Memphis, Tennessee on November 9, 1969, Allison played a significant role in the formation of the riot grrrl movement of the 90s. She grew up in Olympia, Washington, with mother Pat Shively and sisters Cindy and Molly Wolfe...
, Molly Neuman
Molly Neuman
Molly Neuman is a musician originally from the Washington, D.C. area who has performed in such influential bands as Bratmobile, The Frumpies, and the PeeChees. She was a pioneer of the early-to-mid '90s riot grrrl movement, penning the zine which coined the phrase in...
and Jen Smith
Jen Smith
Jen Smith is an artist, musician, zine editor, and activist from the United States.Jen Smith is credited with being the inspiration behind the term Riot Grrrl and being one of the architects of the movement...
from the band Bratmobile
Bratmobile
Bratmobile was an American punk band. Bratmobile was a first-generation "riot grrrl" band, which grew from the Pacific Northwest and Washington, DC underground...
on the zine
Zine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
riot grrrl, which became a call to action for increased feminist activity and female involvement in the punk rock scene. In a 2000 interview with Index Magazine
Index Magazine
Index Magazine was a prominent New York City based publication for art and culture. It was created by Peter Halley and Bob Nickas in 1996. The publication featured a mix of interviews with famous arty folks like Björk with not so-famous New York personalities like Queen Itchie or Ducky Doolittle.It...
, Hanna related:
Hanna also earlier stated:
Le Tigre
In Portland, Oregon, Hanna began working with friend and zineZine
A zine is most commonly a small circulation publication of original or appropriated texts and images. More broadly, the term encompasses any self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced via photocopier....
editor Johanna Fateman
Johanna Fateman
Johanna Fateman is a writer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. She is a member of the post-punk rock band Le Tigre and founded the band MEN with Le Tigre bandmate JD Samson.-Background and career:...
on a live show for Julie Ruin. The collaboration resulted in the two briefly forming a band called The Troublemakers, named after a G.B. Jones film, which ended when Fateman relocated to New York City to attend art school.
Hanna joined Fateman on the East Coast, and with the addition of filmmaker Sadie Benning
Sadie Benning
Sadie Benning is a video maker, visual artist, and musician.She first made her name in the early 1990s as a teenage video maker from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Raised by her mother in inner-city Milwaukee, Benning left school at age 16, primarily due to the homophobia she experienced...
, they started another band called Le Tigre
Le Tigre
Le Tigre is an American electroclash band, formed by Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman in 1998. It also featured Sadie Benning from 1998 until 2001, and JD Samson for the rest of the group's run...
(French for The Tiger). This band continued to pursue a more electronic style of music similar to the sampler-driven sound Hanna had begun to explore with Julie Ruin. The band recorded for the Mr. Lady Records
Mr. Lady Records
Mr. Lady Records was a San Francisco-based lesbian-feminist independent record label and video art distributor. Artists on the label included Le Tigre and The Butchies. OutSmart magazine noted that Mr...
label, its first recording being the self-titled Le Tigre
Le Tigre (album)
Le Tigre is the debut studio album of American feminist electroclash trio Le Tigre.The song "Deceptacon" was featured in the 2006 Norwegian film Reprise and the 2003 skateboarding film Yeah Right!...
, which included the singles "Hot Topic" and "Deceptacon." After the first record, Sadie Benning left the band to be replaced by JD Samson
JD Samson
JD Samson is the stage name of Jocelyn Samson, a member of the feminist electropunk band Le Tigre. Samson grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Pepper Pike, Ohio and attended Orange High School. She came out as a lesbian at age 15...
for the follow-up CD Feminist Sweepstakes
Feminist Sweepstakes
Feminist Sweepstakes is the second studio album by the American feminist electroclash band Le Tigre.The album is the follow-up to the trio's self-titled debut and the first to feature JD Samson as a member of the band...
. When Mr. Lady Records closed down, the group switched labels to Universal Records for the 2004 release of This Island.
Le Tigre is currently on hiatus. According to the Le Tigre website, during her time off from the band Hanna has been volunteering as a band coach for "The Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls". She also taught an art class at NYU's grad school in the Fall 2007 semester.
She is married to Adam Horovitz, a.k.a. Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys
Beastie Boys are an American hip hop trio from New York City. The group consists of Mike D who plays the drums, MCA who plays the bass, and Ad-Rock who plays the guitar....
. The two have been involved since 1997, and were married in 2006.
The Julie Ruin
In 2010, Hanna announced she was reprising her 1997 act Julie RuinJulie Ruin
Julie Ruin is the independent record produced by Kathleen Hanna under the name Julie Ruin in 1997, while taking a break from Bikini Kill. It touches upon feminism, crocheting, aerobics and resisting police abuse. It was mostly produced in Kathleen's apartment in Olympia, Washington...
into "The Julie Ruin
The Julie Ruin
The Julie Ruin is an American band formed in 2010 in New York City. The band rehearses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, and records at Oscilloscope.Band members include Carmine Covelli, Sara Landeau, Kathleen Hanna, Kathi Wilcox, Kenny Mellman...
" with Kenny Mellman
Kenny Mellman
Kenny Mellman is an artist living in New York City. He was one half of Kiki and Herb. A co-creator of Our Hit Parade. He is currently in the band The Julie Ruin....
and Kathi Wilcox
Kathi Wilcox
Kathi Wilcox is an American musician. Currently the bass player in The Julie Ruin, she has previously been in bands such as Bikini Kill, The Casual Dots and The Frumpies.- Music :...
, and that they would be creating a new record. On December 11 at the Knitting Factory in New York City, the new The Julie Ruin played its first show, mostly consisting of covers.
Abortion
In interviews, Hanna has been frank and willing to openly discuss her decision to have an abortionAbortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
when she was younger, saying in one particular interview: "It was one of the first things I did on my own; I worked at McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, raised the money and did it. I'm really, really passionate about pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
, because I wouldn't be here talking to you right now if I'd had a kid at 15." Hanna has expressed her belief that talking about her abortion will encourage other women to openly discuss the topic as well, helping to decrease the social stigma that often accompanies such discussion and also helping to sustain political momentum and further progress with regard to the pro-choice movement.
In popular culture
- She was mentioned in an episode of The L WordThe L WordThe L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
. A group of friends are playing celebrityCelebrity (game)Celebrity is a party game where teams play against each other to guess as many celebrity names as possible before time runs out.- Setup :...
at a dinner party, when the character Shane McCutcheonShane McCutcheonShane McCutcheon is a fictional character from the American Showtime television drama series The L Word, played by Katherine Moennig.-Backstory:...
selects her name. Most of the lesbians seem to know it's her from the description -"Le Tigre, and Julie Ruin, Bikini Kill"- yet the straight people at the party have no clue who she is. This results in the character of AliceAlice PieszeckiAlice Pieszecki is a fictional character on the Showtime television network series The L Word, shown nationally in the United States. She is played by American actress Leisha Hailey. Alice lives in Los Angeles, California, and mostly hangs out in West Hollywood...
joking, "Oh, she just pretty much started the whole riot grrrl music scene, but hey...", which leaves one straight man asking, "What's the riot grrrl music scene?"
- Although she did so unintentionally, Hanna inspired the name for Nirvana's 1991 breakthrough single, "Smells Like Teen SpiritSmells Like Teen Spirit"Smells Like Teen Spirit" is a song by the American grunge band Nirvana. It is the opening track and lead single from the band's second album, Nevermind , released on DGC Records...
", when she wrote "Kurt Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Kurt CobainKurt CobainKurt Donald Cobain was an American singer-songwriter, musician and artist, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the grunge band Nirvana...
's wall. At the time, Kurt was unaware that Kathleen was referring to a deodorant marketed specifically to young women, and thought that besides having a nice ring to it, the phrase also helped to succinctly summarize, organize and unify the then-nascent song's seemingly-disparate lyrical content into a theme.
- On the Fourth of July, 1995— while playing at the Lollapalooza Music Festival, Courtney LoveCourtney LoveCourtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...
punched Hanna in the face, after pelting her with candy and throwing a lit cigarette at her. Hanna had allegedly instigated the fight by making a joke about Love's daughter shooting up heroin in a closet. This is also referenced in the below-mentioned NOFXNOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
song "Kill Rock Stars" with the lines "I wish I could have seen Courtney/demonstrate some real misogyny."
- In the episode "The Getaway, Almost" (Season 8), of the 1990s American sitcom RoseanneRoseanne (TV series)Roseanne is an American sitcom broadcast on ABC from October 18, 1988 to May 20, 1997. Starring Roseanne Barr, the show revolved around the Conners, an Illinois working class family...
, Roseanne (Roseanne BarrRoseanne BarrRoseanne Cherrie Barr is an American actress, comedian, writer, television producer and director. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy at clubs before gaining fame for her role in the sitcom Roseanne. The show was a hit and lasted nine seasons, from 1988 to 1997...
) and Jackie (Laurie MetcalfLaurie MetcalfLauren Elizabeth "Laurie" Metcalf is an American actress. She is widely known for her performance as Jackie Harris on the ABC sitcom Roseanne, Mary Cooper on The Big Bang Theory, the voice of Mrs. Davis in the Toy Story film series and as Debbie Salt in Scream 2...
) go on a road trip and pick up a young hitchhiker, Garland, a self-proclaimed "Riot Grrrl" played by Jenna ElfmanJenna ElfmanJennifer Mary "Jenna" Elfman is an American television and film actress. She is known for her role as Dharma on the ABC sitcom Dharma & Greg and as Billie on the short-lived CBS sitcom Accidentally on Purpose....
. While driving, Garland begins to tell a clueless Roseanne and Jackie about riot girls and gives them a tape to listen to featuring female bands such as L7L7 (band)L7 was an American rock band from Los Angeles, that was active from 1985 to 2000. Due to their sound and image, they are often associated with the grunge movement of the late 1980s and early 1990s.-History:...
, Babes In ToylandBabes in Toyland (band)Babes in Toyland was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The band was formed by Oregon native Kat Bjelland , with Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon , who was later replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992...
, and Bikini KillBikini KillBikini Kill was an American punk rock band formed in Olympia, Washington in October 1990. The group consisted of vocalist and songwriter Kathleen Hanna, guitarist Billy Karren, bassist Kathi Wilcox, and drummer Tobi Vail. The band is widely considered to be the pioneer of the riot grrrl movement,...
. While listening to Bikini Kill's "Don't Need You", Roseanne and Jackie discuss women in music, coming to the realization that men dominated the music scene and most often wrote songs that belittled women. In regard to "Don't Need You", Roseanne says "at least these girls are actually saying something". Because of this sudden awakening, Roseanne and Jackie become angry when they see a male truck driver with "naked lady mud flaps" and a bumper sticker reading "Save the Whales, Harpoon a Fat Chick". Enraged, they begin to shout obscenities at the trucker, to which he responds with sexual suggestions and insults. Feeling empowered, both Jackie and Roseanne continue to shout explicitly and yell "women rule dirt bag!" The continued distraction causes the trucker to collide with a utility pole and Roseanne and Jackie nearly get arrested as a result.
- Hanna wrote the introduction to performance artPerformance artIn art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
ist Karen FinleyKaren FinleyKaren Finley is an American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled "obscene" due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement...
's ten-year summary of work, The Reality Show, published by The Feminist PressThe Feminist PressThe Feminist Press is an independent nonprofit literary publisher that promotes freedom of expression and social justice. It publishes exciting writing by women and men who share an activist spirit and a belief in choice and equality...
in 2011.
- The NOFXNOFXNOFX is an American punk rock band from Los Angeles, California .The band was formed in 1983 by vocalist/bassist Fat Mike and guitarist Eric Melvin. Drummer Erik Sandin joined NOFX shortly after. In 1991 El Hefe joined to play lead guitar and trumpet, rounding out the current line-up...
song "Kill Rock Stars," from the album So Long and Thanks for All the ShoesSo Long and Thanks for All the ShoesSo Long and Thanks for All the Shoes is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band NOFX. It was released on November 11, 1997 through Epitaph Records.-Overview:...
, is written about Hanna, referencing her by name ("Kill the rockstars? How ironic, Kathleen. You've been crowned the newest queen"). It is supposedly about singer Fat Mike's feelings that Hanna's feminist views are rather anti-men ("I thought the goal here was mutual respect" and "can't change the world by hating men" are two lines from the song) and, therefore, hypocritical. The song's title itself is a reference to riot grrrl record label Kill Rock StarsKill Rock StarsKill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and based in both Olympia, Washington and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, making it difficult to pigeonhole as having any one artistic mission...
.
Albums
- Revolution Girl Style Now!Revolution Girl Style Now!Revolution Girl Style Now! was the very first work by the punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was self-released in cassette form in 1991. Recorded at Yo-Yo studios.-Track listing:# "Candy"# "Daddy's Li'l Girl"# "Feels Blind"# "Suck My Left One"...
self-released cassette (1991) - Bikini Kill (EP)Bikini Kill (EP)Bikini Kill was the first label work by the punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was released in 1992 on Kill Rock Stars.-Track listing:# "Double Dare Ya" - 2:40# "Liar" - 2:35# "Carnival" - 1:30# "Suck My Left One" - 2:24# "Feels Blind" - 3:21...
on Kill Rock Stars (1991) - Yeah Yeah Yeah YeahYeah Yeah Yeah YeahYeah Yeah Yeah Yeah is the Bikini Kill side of a split album between American and English riot grrrl bands Bikini Kill and Huggy Bear. It was released in 1993 on Kill Rock Stars. The song "Rebel Girl" is in the game Rock Band 2....
split LP with Huggy Bear on Catcall Records in the UK, Kill Rock Stars in the US (1993) - The C.D. Version of the First Two RecordsThe C.D. Version of the First Two RecordsThe C.D. Version of the First Two Records is the 1994 first CD release of punk rock band Bikini Kill, collecting their 1992 eponymous EP and their half of the 1993 EP Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah, an album they shared with the band Huggy Bear...
, compilation (1993) - Pussy WhippedPussy WhippedPussy Whipped is the debut full-length album of punk rock band Bikini Kill. It was released in 1993 on Kill Rock Stars. The album includes the track "Rebel Girl", which is #27 on the Rolling Stone list of "Most Excellent Songs of Every Year Since 1967", a playlist assembled by the magazine in 2006...
on Kill Rock Stars (1994) - Reject All AmericanReject All AmericanReject All American was the second full-length and last studio album by punk rock band Bikini Kill, released in 1996.-Track listing:All songs composed by Kathleen Hanna.# "Statement of Vindication" – 1:11# "Capri Pants" – 1:40...
on Kill Rock Stars (1996)
Singles
- Wordcore Volume 1 7" single on Kill Rock Stars
- New Radio/Rebel Girl 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1993)
- The Anti-Pleasure Dissertation Single on Kill Rock Stars (1994)
- I Like Fucking/I Hate Danger 7" single on Kill Rock Stars (1995)
Compilations
- "Feels Blind" on Kill Rock Stars LP/CD (1991)
- "Candy" on Throw: The Yoyo Studio Compilation on Yoyo Records (1991)
- "Daddy's Lil' Girl" on Give Me Back LP, Ebullition RecordsEbullition RecordsEbullition Records is an independent record label and distro based out of Goleta, California. It published HeartattaCk, a zine focusing on independent punk and hardcore from around the world, informed by an anti-consumerist and D.I.Y. ideology....
(1991) - "Suck My Left One" on There's A Dyke In The Pit, Outpunk Records (1992)
- Bikini Kill: The Singles (1998)
- Sinner, Joan Jett, contributes to the songs "Five", "Watersign", "Baby Blue" and "Tube Talkin" (2007)
Full-Length albums
- Le TigreLe Tigre (album)Le Tigre is the debut studio album of American feminist electroclash trio Le Tigre.The song "Deceptacon" was featured in the 2006 Norwegian film Reprise and the 2003 skateboarding film Yeah Right!...
(1999) Mr. Lady - Feminist SweepstakesFeminist SweepstakesFeminist Sweepstakes is the second studio album by the American feminist electroclash band Le Tigre.The album is the follow-up to the trio's self-titled debut and the first to feature JD Samson as a member of the band...
(2001) Mr. Lady - This Island (2004) UniversalUniversal RecordsUniversal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
Singles and EPs
- Hot Topic (1999)
- From the Desk of Mr. Lady EP (2001)
- Remix (2003)
- Standing In The Way Of Control 12" split EP with The GossipThe GossipGossip is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control . A follow-up, Music for...
on Kill Rock Stars - This Island Remixes Volume 1 EP, Chicks On SpeedChicks on SpeedChicks on Speed is a multi-national musical ensemble, formed in Munich in 1997, when members Melissa Logan, Kiki Moorse and Alex Murray-Leslie met at the Academy of Fine Arts....
Records - This Island Remixes Volume 2EP, Chicks On Speed Records
Miscellaneous
- Real Fiction, The Fakes, Kill Rock Stars
- Inside Out, Internal External, K RecordsK RecordsK Records is an independent record label in Olympia, Washington, co-founded, owned, and operated by Calvin Johnson, formerly of the bands Cool Rays, Beat Happening, The Go Team, The Halo Benders and presently in the bands Dub Narcotic Sound System and The Hive Dwellers...
- Featuring..., Internal External, K Records
- Rock Star / Mean (wordcore v. 1) as Kathleen Hanna and Slim MoonSlim MoonSlim Moon is the founder of the independent music label, Kill Rock Stars. He also started its sister label, 5 Rue Christine...
, Kill Rock Stars - Rock Stars KillRock Stars KillRock Stars Kill is a compilation of various artists released by Kill Rock Stars on August 1, 1994. The compilation was released simultaneously as a vinyl LP with accompanying 7″ single, and as a CD.-LP:Side one#Tourettes – "Horse Girl"...
, includes Hanna's "I Wish I Was Him", Various Artists, Kill Rock Stars, 1994 - Ball-Hog or Tugboat?Ball-Hog or Tugboat?Ball-Hog or Tugboat? is the debut solo album by former Minutemen and fIREHOSE bassist, songwriter and vocalist Mike Watt. It was recorded in 1994, and came at a personal and professional career crossroads for Watt...
LP/CD "Heatbeat"-Mike Watt - Decomposition 00, Suture, Kill Rock Stars, 1991
- Suture!, Suture, Kill Rock Stars, 1992
- Home Alive, The Art Of Self Defense, Epic, 1996, includes "Go Home", written and performed with Joan Jett and Evil Stig
- Realistes, Comet Gain, Hanna featured on the track "Ripped-Up Suit"
- Play Pretty For Baby, The Nation of Ulysses, includes backing vocals by Hanna
- American IdiotAmerican IdiotAmerican Idiot is the seventh studio album by the American punk rock band Green Day. It was released on September 21, 2004 through Reprise Records and was produced by longtime collaborator Rob Cavallo. In mid-2003, the band began recording songs for an album entitled Cigarettes and Valentines...
, Green DayGreen DayGreen Day is an American punk rock band formed in 1987. The band consists of lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, and drummer Tre Cool...
, the song "Letterbomb" begins with vocals by Hanna as Whatsername - Viva Knieval 7" single, Ultrasound Records, 1990
- "60 second wipe out" Atari Teenage Riot Hanna featured on lead vocals on the song 'No Success' 1999
- "Playgroup" Playgroup Hanna featured on lead vocals on the song 'Bring it on' 2001
- "Wordy Rappinghood" Chicks on Speed features Hanna on vocals 2003
- "Kiss on the lips" from the album 'Naked' from Joan Jett is a duet with Hanna 2004
- "Hey Hey My My Yo Yo" Junior Senior Hanna featured on the song 'Dance, Chance, Romance' 2007
Fanzines
- My life with Evan Dando: Popstar
- The Kathleen Hanna newsletter
- Le Tigre zine/tour program
External links
- Laurie Weeks interviews Kathleen Hanna
- Salon.com audio "RockStar" mp3
- Kathleen's Herstory from the Le Tigre site
- Two interviews with Hanna on the NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
show Fresh AirFresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
: one from 2000, and one from 2001. - Kathleen Hanna site
- Kathleen Hanna article in Ms. Magazine
- Kathleen Interview by Hilary Frey