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ever since finishing my Diane diPrima book, i have come to the conclusion that most of the beatniks were not great people.
i remember reading the subterraneans when i was a teenager and loving how impulsive and carefree Kerouac and his friends were. but when i think about it now, and remember excerpts from āmemoirs of a beatnikā, all i see is impulsive, destructive people, who donāt care about tearing other people down if it makes them a buck or their life a little more interesting.
this interview with alene leeās daughter was very eye opening, and has validated ALOT of my feelings about this group of eccentrics
is this to say that all people who donāt go with the norm of society are bad? not at all. but so many elements towards this lifestyle can lend itself to just awful relationships and trauma. itās nice to see some of them recognize that when they get older, but then there are people who still want to perpetrate the horrible things in the past and once again, profit off it.
anyways this read fascinated me
Jan 16, 2025
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What I've learned so far as I race through this book now that it's out there in the world:Ā
* First and foremost, she is my heroine. Grew up in a (very) broken household, with super dysfunctional parents. From the very start, made me feel right at home (ha).
* She attended Lincoln HS in Portland, OR -- a place I am very familiar with and the alma mater of the late Elliott Smith (they weren't contemporaries but certainly were psychically connected)
* Second cousin to Portland legend Walter Cole aka Darcelle XV, noted entertainer and cabaret owner and certified by Guinness Book of Records as the oldest drag queen performer alive at that point (2016). Darcelle was a lovely human and one of the funniest, most down to earth people I was ever lucky enough to meet.Ā
* Was a stripper to pay her tuition as an undergrad at Evergreen State College; this was as formative a feminist experience as she articulates throughout a lifetime of these, essayed throughout the book
* Kathleen wrote "Kurt smells like teen spirit" with Sharpie on the wall of the place Cobain lived in while dating Bikini Kill drummer Tobi Vail, so she probably deserves royalties from that TBH since Kurt took that scribble and wrote a song you might know around it :)
* Co-authored the "Riot Grrrl" movement along with my friend/Bratmobile drummer Molly Neuman (she also contributed to my EP book coming out in a few weeks, yay!) while living in Olympia, WA and contributing to the nascent movement zine 'riot grrrl' -- she's as OG as it gets! (cc: riotgrrrl)
To this point in my reading, she hasn't even graduated from university yet! I have a lot more to read but cannot recommend this book enough, whether you are a Bikini Kill, Julie Ruin, Le Tigre fan or not. You can't NOT be a Kathleen Hanna fan.Ā
May 16, 2024
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I donāt personally know Alissa Bennett, but I think she is a brilliant and funny person who has clearly lived a vibrant life. A friend of mine once said about himself, āIām not a journalist; I just live this shit.ā I think this mantra (with the tweak, āIām just really interested in this shitā) applies to Bennettās writing and various projects ā from her burner IG @regret_counter and podcast, to the next-level zines she publishes. Those zines though, wow! The writing is so intimate, confident, and, well, perfectly imperfect (sorry, sorryā¦).I like that every other paragraph has a typo, that she will frequently and flagrantly use cap-locks, and that she essentially unpacks the indiscretions of fringe tabloid figures in order to exhume her own demons and make sense of her past and present. Itās got a very āwarts and allā vibe, and I respect that sheās willing to air her own dirty laundry in service of establishing a spiritual connection to the subjects of her texts. Thatās not to say she goes easy on them, but it all feels empathetic instead of exploitative or solipsistic.Ā Rarely do I audibly laugh while reading, but Bennettās work consistently makes me LOL. Generally, I prefer when people write the way they talk. Her essays feel like the coolest girl at the bar is whispering (and occasionally shouting) a very good story directly in your ear, but she also doesnāt really care whether you like the story or not. She already knows itās good.Start with āBad Behavior,ā which is a series of essays/love letters to various semi-public figures who engaged in specific, scandalous acts. Then hit āPretend Youāre Actually Alive.ā Most of the zines are sold out, but Iām sure sheād send you a PDF if you ask nicely. Thereās also a new one on the way.
Sep 8, 2022
if youāve ever had a manic episode and a long term partner simultaneously, this might make you laugh a bit.
I donāt know how I truly feel about the main character. Maybe bc sheās speaking to my feral tendencies that I dislike Her But Iām also like super into the insanity Of it all.
I canāt tell if this is supposed to be about wife liberation (new punk band name) or a trad wife starter kit (also new band name but for my post punk band).
Sheās gives very much āwould you still love me if I were a cloud?ā
I can relate. The answer should always be yes bc why wouldnāt you fall in love with the clouds in the sky??
Are we not real yearners?
Letās see how the rest of the book shapes up.
Feb 1, 2024
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idk how i came across this in my daily wikipedia surfs, but something about this painting just amuses me so much.
my first impression was this looks fairly modern in a way, possibly because of the composition and how she made her features so light and bouncy. it oddly made me think of disney when i looked for longer. then i see it was made in 1909 š
this painting can transcend times and i wouldnāt truly know when it was made unless i looked more closely at the objects around the subject. but even that can be a stretch as vintage items can be popular amongst anyone and they can just have their vanity setup look like this.
i tried looking for photographs of her online but alas nothing came up with certainty.
11h ago
Feb 10, 2025
Mar 23, 2025