Photo: Bikini Kill
I met Kathleen Hanna once after a Bikini Kill concert in the ’90s when I was in a punk phase. She told me that I had a “good look.” She recommended that I start a band and that I should probably play the bass because “it’s easy to learn.” In an alternate universe, I would have taken her advice and jumped into the Riot Grrrl movement with two Doc Marten-clad feet. (Regrettably, I never did.) But her influence on me (and countless others) was unparalleled—through conversations like these with teens, through her fiercely catchy music, and through setting an example of what trailblazing feminism looks like. The Bikini Kill message seems more relevant now than ever—Abortion bans are threatening our bodies, #metoo is revealing the predators in our workplaces, and the president brags about grabbing women by the pussy. The reunion tour shows at Brooklyn Steel (May 31st) and Terminal 5 (June 1st) are already long sold out but tickets are still available at Stub Hub for about $100 each, which seems a bargain for this dose of much needed feminist punk rock. Even better, and more under the radar, there are still a few $35 tickets left for performances at Kings Theatre on June 4th and 5th.
