Unless you were into very underground punk in the early '80s, you probably don't know Frightwig--but you should. They were perhaps the first all-female DIY punk band, and they blazed a trail from San Francisco across the U.S. in the name of feminist rock 'n' roll. Along the way, they influenced younger musicians like Courtney Love and Bikini Kill, planting an early seed for the riot grrrl movement that followed in the '90s.
The chemistry of Frightwig has changed a bit with Eric Drew Feldman on keys, but singer and bass player Deanna Ashley Mitchell, who turns 56 Tuesday, remains an outspoken fighter for women's rights. She's leading Frightwig in an East Coast crusade that kicks off Monday, Sept. 8, at The Knitting Factory (with Jane Lee Hooker also performing) and culminates in the We Are Women Constitution Day Rally next weekend in Washington, D.C. We spoke to Deanna about women in music, women's rights in America, and male strippers.
How have the roles of women in the music industry today evolved from when you started?
When we were touring a lot [in the 80s], it was a rare thing to have a female band. There were The Go-Gos and The Bangles. Of course Joan Jett was doing her thing. The Runaways were done. But it was pretty limited for female bands, especially ones who got in a van with their equipment, traveled across the country, sleeping at people's houses, making t-shirts on people's lawns. You know, the DIY method. That's what we did. And we played with all these male bands that were gentlemen to us, and we were treated well, and we were respected...We were kind of protected by them, in that they were like big brothers to us.
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