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Women Of The Early East L.A Punk Scene

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The women within the inception of the East L.A punk scene created a space of their own within the already exciting scene.. They created a sub cultural movement associated with a brand of feminism that combined the ethics and politics of second wave feminism, the Chicano movement, and punk rock. The women of East L.A created a space that was safe for women and members of the LGBTQ community to express themselves artistically and politically.

Origin Of The East L.A Scene

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The East L.A Punk scene gained organizational momentum through throwing backyard shows through a lack of a steady club scene in East L.A, and it being near impossible for a band from East L.A to gain a slot at a club in the Hollywood scene.[1] After a steady network of backyard shows began to appear, places of notoriety within the scene began to appear such as Bird and Cornwell, First and Velasco, Beastie’s Pad, Boo-Boo’s House, Joe’s Pit, Flipper’s Pad, and the Dustbowl. A person could get into a show for three dollars or less, and one could see one to eight bands.[1]

Feminism and Chicano Culture

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As expressed by Alice Bags of The Bags and Teresa Covarrubias of the Brat, they turned to the punk scene due to their feminist's stances being rejected by the greater Mexican American community as well as their cultural identity being rejected by mainstream western feminism.[2] Songs performed usually had lyrics that were associated with the second wave of feminism, rejection of western culture.

"Don't want your private lives.

Don't want your industrial lies. Your politician dreams, Your psychodrama schemes. One false move, you're gonna die! "[3]- Babylonian Gorgon by The Bags

The Art Of The Performance

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The Women within the scene challenged what it meant to be a woman on stage. Examples can be seen in Alice Bags dressing in a polka dot dress, heels, chola makeup[4], performed in a way on stage that earned her the name “Violence Girl”[5] and has been referred to by Henry Rollins of the band Black Flag as “real L.A”.[6] Backstage Pass wanted to challenge how women were supposed to act on stage in total disregard to what men wanted a women to behave on stage[7]. Vaginal Davis of the band Cholita! “The Female Menudo” and Nervous Gender, used defiant humor, and social critique within her performances.[8] "Known for their hybrid performance art concerts, leaned into the social chaos and uncertainty of living in Los Angeles", she used her performances to create a sense of an "aesthetic assualt".[9]

"Once you commit to not being constrained by male rules, you don’t have to fight anymore. You can be sexy or you can be a bitch and you don’t have to worry about anyone judging your behavior." - Marina Del Rey[7]

Bands

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Legacy

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Legacy of these women can be seen in contemporary bands within the East L.A scene that cover topics with their lyrics and performances that are associated with the fourth wave of feminism, rejection of western culture, and historical mistreatment of Mexican Americans within the United States. Bands include Downtown Boys, Destruye Y Huye, Futura, Strangers, as well as many others.

" You can't ball the fuck on us

I won't let that go I'll never let that go You can't ball the fuck on us I won't hide I won't hide I won't let that go

I'll never let that go"[10] - A Wall by Downtown Boys

References

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  1. ^ a b Alvarado, Jimmy (2001). Teenage Alcoholics Punk Rock In East Los Angeles. https://razorcake.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/teenage_alcoholics_punk_rock_in_east_los_angeles_jimmy_alvarado_razorcake.pdf: Razorcake. pp. 16–17. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  2. ^ Almino, Elisa Wouk (2020-08-03). "We Paid For This Town": The Legacy of Chicanx Punk in LA". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  3. ^ SongMeanings. "Bags - Babylonian Gorgon Lyrics". SongMeanings. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  4. ^ "Alice Bag: The Chicana Punk Who Rioted Before Riot Grrrl". Latino USA. 2017-10-13. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  5. ^ Establishment, The (2018-02-20). "Xicana Women Claim Their Rightful Place In Punk". Medium. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  6. ^ Src='https://Www.gravatar.com/Avatar/D41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e?s=80, <img Class='guest_author_avatar Avatar' Style='width:20px;height:20px'; d=mm; Cabral, r=g'/>Javier (2012-05-21). "Alice Bag: She Was a Punk Before You Were a Punk". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2021-05-11. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b "The Rad Women Who Crashed the 70s LA Punk Scene - VICE". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  8. ^ "A Scene of Her Own: The Inimitable Vaginal Davis By Kirin Wachter-Grene". The Black Scholar. 2020-04-16. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  9. ^ Almino, Elisa Wouk (2020-08-03). "We Paid For This Town": The Legacy of Chicanx Punk in LA". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
  10. ^ Downtown Boys – A Wall, retrieved 2021-05-11