We Were Going To Change The World, Interviews with Women From the 1970s & 1980s Southern California Punk Rock Scene is a new book that explores a community of music from the angle of women who followed and influenced the movement. The book is written by Stacy Russo and foreword by Mike Watt of the Minutemen.
Much like how the Reggae-Rock genre has become a polarizing community from its years of momentum, Punk Rock had similar roots with its inception in the ’70’s & 80’s before exploding with its influence peaking into the many sub-genres of the ’90’s, into the millennium. What this book documents is the stories of women who were active as an important voice to the culture of what is remembered as Southern, CA’s punk rock community, some 30-40 years ago.
Stacy Russo conducted exclusive interviews with musicians, journalists, photographers and fans in an effort to capture: 1. Why these women were drawn to punk rock, 2. What was witnessed and 3. How their involvement in this movement ended up influencing the rest of their own lives.
“This book was never meant to be a who’s who of punk rock,” Russo says. “I did not want to include only well-known women and performers. It was important to include women who created fanzines and art, and those who participated solely by going to shows and supporting the bands.”
The major influential musicians and performers of the era that Russo interviewed include: Exene Cervenka, Alice Bag,Kira, Phranc, Johanna Went, Teresa Covarrubias, Jennifer Precious Finch in addition to such journalists, DJs, and photographers as Ann Summa, Jenny Lens, Kristine McKenna, Pleasant Gehman, and Stella; Not to mention interviews with fans and scenesters who added so much color and energy to the music scene.
Stacy Russo, a poet & writer, lives today as a librarian and associate professor at Santa Ana College in Santa Ana, California — “As a librarian and college professor, I have always been interested in research projects I could do with my students,” Russo explains. “I came up with the idea of interviewing women like me, now in our middle or later years, who grew up in the punk rock scene in Southern California.”
The book dropped back in August 2017 and you can find a paper-back copy this book most anywhere or you can buy it from Amazon by clicking HERE!
Article By: Mike Patti