Le Tigre creates the soundtrack for a friendlier feminism.
Article by Dan Eldridge, photo by Paule Saviano
Resonance, 03/01/2002
There's nothing wrong with Riot Grrrl. Or with Gloria Steinem-era feminism, bra-burning, dyke marches or hairy legs, for that matter. We live in a media-saturated culture, after all, and to get your point across, sometimes you've got to be mad, bad and dangerous to know. For the post-Paglia feminist, however, it may pay to take a hint from Le Tigre: pound away on K-Mart keyboards, scream and shout about shitty jobs, and poke fun at everyone from obsessive web surfers to Rudy Giuliani.
It might sound like a backward way to convey a message, but for ex Bikini-Killer Kathleen Hanna's latest project, it's been yielding surprisingly positive results. Take, for instance, Le Tigre's recent three-week Japanese tour, where Cibo Matto keyboardist Yuka Honda actually translated lyrics which were then printed out and distributed at shows.
"It was hard to make our message intelligible in a lot of contexts," says new band member J.D. Samson, "but we got these incredible letters saying they were really blown away by the fact that we made an attempt to translate anything. I think that's something that bands don't usually do."
Definitely not. Then again, Le Tigre is quite a far cry from your average rock 'n roll group. Frontwoman and self-proclaimed "Famous Feminist" Kathleen Hanna practically invented the ultra-progressive Riot Grrrl movement in the early 90s. Johanna Fateman made her name by making zines. Original member Sadie Benning is a regular on the art school video-making circuit, and her replacement, Sarah Lawrence grad J.D. Samson, is a founding member of a radical, underground arts troupe called Dykes Can Dance.
Clearly, for Kathleen and Co., making sure the revolution stays fresh and fun is more important than an angry, outdated message. It's a bold approach for a band with an agenda, not to mention an easy target for snobby critics.
"Some people have said we're less political," admits Fateman, clearly annoyed at the assumption. "They've called us Riot Grrrls who've grown up and who aren't so hard to take. I think part of the reason people can't see Le Tigre as political articulation is because politics are supposed to be opposed to pleasure, you know?"
Speaking of pleasure, it's probably worth mentioning that Le Tigre's brand of blissful, three-chord pop-punk is easily some of the catchiest stuff on record this year. And although they're exclusively electronic, you'd never know it without seeing them live -- something anyone with an internal beat would be well-advised to do as the band tours in support of their latest release, "Feminist Sweepstakes."
Take it from the Japanese, the most recent group of fans to have had the pleasure: "I think a lot of girls, it made a huge impression on them," says Fateman about the overseas tour. "They really wanted to know more about us. They said, 'You're our favorite band now!'"
Who can blame them?
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