She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism | Katherine Yeske Taylor
Veteran music journalist Katherine Yeske Taylor shares feminist viewpoints from twenty significant women in rock, out January 16, 2024 via Backbeat Books.
As a rock critic in Atlanta in the 1990s, Katherine Yeske Taylor interviewed many bands including Indigo Girls, R.E.M., The Black Crowes while still a teenager. Since then, she has conducted several hundred interviews and contributes regularly to Billboard, Flood, Spin, and American Songwriter, among others. She is a longtime New York City resident and is extremely active in the downtown rock scene. Her upcoming book features candid conversations about Feminism with twenty inspiring female artists, including Ann Wilson (Heart), Exene Cervenka (X), Gina Schock (The Go-Go’s), Suzi Quatro, Suzanne Vega, Tanya Donelly, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Orianthi, Amanda Palmer, and more. Their experiences reveal the varied and unique challenges these women have faced, how they overcame them, and what they think still needs to be done to continue making progress on the equality front. Their stories prove that promoting feminism—either through activism or by living example—is undeniably badass. Feminism has always been a complex and controversial topic, as female rock musicians know especially well. When they’ve stayed true to their own vision, these artists have alternately been adored as role models or denounced as bad influences. Either way, they’re asked to cope with certain pressures that their male counterparts haven’t faced.
“How about writing a book about women in rock and feminism?”
Would love it if you could share some background and how you first got interested in music and journalism?
Katherine Yeske Taylor: I started writing for my high school newspaper when I was sixteen years old. I refused to cover boring things like student government meetings, though–instead, I interviewed local musicians. This was in Atlanta, which was having a heyday because of bands such as The Black Crowes and Indigo Girls becoming famous around that time. I would call up management companies, and they’d think it was hilarious that some kid wanted to interview their artists, so they’d often agree to let me do it. Then I moved to Athens, Georgia, to attend journalism school at the University of Georgia. Athens was also a music mecca, thanks to R.E.M. and The B-52s. So I got really lucky – I just happened to live where some of the most interesting and popular music scenes in the 1990s were happening. I started out writing for small local newspapers, and gradually worked my way up until I was able to contribute to major national outlets (and move to New York City, where I’ve lived for almost twelve years now).
What led you to begin working on the book?
A couple of years ago, I was approached by a literary agent who had read some of my articles and liked my writing style. He asked if I had ever considered writing a book. Honestly, I hadn’t, but I was open to the idea. So we started brainstorming, trying to come up with a good topic. One day, I told him about an artist friend of mine who created painting/photography hybrid art with feminist themes. The agent said, “How about writing a book about women in rock and feminism?” As soon as he said it, I knew that was the right subject for me–so many women I’ve interviewed have told me stories about encountering sexism in the music business, and I’ve had my own experiences on that front, too. I put together a proposal, and the agent helped me get a deal with Backbeat Books.
How long was She’s a Badass: Women in Rock Shaping Feminism in the making? Are you relieved as it’s finally being released?
I got the book deal in March 2022, so by the time it comes out in January 2024, it’ll be almost two years in the making – that’s a long time to wait, so yes, I am very excited that it’s finally going to be out in the world!
Were you surprised by certain stories and information that was revealed through the making of the book? If so, what are some of the most fascinating things?
Yes, I was surprised by the fact that about a quarter of the women I interviewed for the book adamantly oppose the “feminist” label. I had figured that if people agreed to be interviewed for a book that has the word “feminism” in the title, they would all be on board with being called that, but it turns out that each of these particular women had various reasons to reject that word. That doesn’t mean that they don’t support women’s equality, though – they just had various issues with the way the feminist movement has evolved into what it is today. I was also happily surprised by the fact that many women went out of their way to talk about the way men have respected and helped them – I hadn’t wanted this to be an anti-male book, so it was a relief when so many women made sure to balance out tales of men treating them badly with many other stories of men going out of their way to be good allies.
Tell us about the creation process, how did you begin and how much effort went into getting all these interviews done?
I started out by asking cool women I’ve already interviewed, such as Suzi Quatro, Ann Wilson of Heart, and Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s, because I figured they were more likely to say yes to my request. That turned out to be true, and once I had several women signed on, many more artists were willing to participate in this project, whether I had interviewed them before or not. I just kept asking women that I thought would be good for it until I had twenty of them lined up, which is what I needed for this book. So this part of the process was actually fairly easy, and I got all the interviews completed in about six months. Writing all the chapters took a few months more, and then there was the editing process with the publisher (although I was pleased that they did not request any big changes).
You interviewed some truly unique artists talking about a topic that is very relevant in today’s society. Can you elaborate on some thoughts you gather from your interviews with a variety of different musicians?
The twenty women I interviewed for this book range in age from their early 30s up through their mid 70s – and that was on purpose. I really wanted to show how attitudes and approaches toward feminism have evolved across the generations. I think the takeaway is that things have gotten a lot better for women in the music business, but we(and our allies) cannot become complacent if we want that to continue. I think sometimes people don’t realize how hard the generations before us had to work to make change happen, so they don’t keep up the effort, and then things can backslide. I hope that this book will help make it clear that our work is far from finished – women in the music business are accomplishing more than ever, but there are still plenty of obstacles in our way.
Was there someone you couldn’t get?
I really wish I could have included more women of color. I asked Tracy Chapman and Grace Jones to participate, but their teams never got back to me. I went through a list of a few more artists who would’ve been good, but in the end, I was only able to include two women from minority groups: Fefe Dobson, who is Black, and Sade Sanchez (of L.A. Witch), who is of Mexican descent. I also think it’s very telling that I only had a limited list of women of color to ask, too – it shows just how hard it has been for minorities to get a foothold in the rock world. I’m glad to see that pop and hip hop genres are becoming far more diverse. But for a book about women in rock, specifically, it was a big challenge for me to make it as inclusive as I could.
What’s next for you?
I am currently helping Eugene Hütz, the frontman of Gogol Bordello, write his memoir. We got a deal with Matt Holt Books/Ben Bella, and I believe the book is scheduled for publication in early 2025. Eugene’s story is fascinating: he was born and raised in Ukraine, then came to America as a refugee. He literally had nothing when he arrived here, and he worked his way up to becoming a rock star and successful film actor. I think people will really find his story fascinating and inspiring. Plus, he’s quite a character, so it’s been a fun project for me!
Klemen Breznikar
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