Ailecia Ruscin

Red State Rebels: Tales of Grassroots Resistance in the Heartland

admin — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 17:09:00 +0000

Edited by Joshua Frank, Jeffrey St. Clair

As we enter the final countdown to the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, we will hear political pundits talk in red- and blue-state terms. The shorthand goes like this: blue states are progressive and urban, while red states are conservative and rural. And those purple states? Well, forget about those states; they're the bisexuals of electoral politics. We just don't know what to do with them. (wink)

As someone who has spent most of her life participating in radical social movements in the red states I call home, I was hoping Joshua Frank and Jeffrey St. Clair's edited volume, Red State Rebels, would dispel the myth that activism is something that only exists on the coasts. To this end, the authors were successful. Within these 300+ pages, short, easy-to-read essays reveal that resistance to American hegemony comes in many forms.

For almost a hundred years, the farmers of North Dakota have been engaging in non-corporate models of doing business. From buying gasoline from cooperative gas stations to selling their agricultural products to producer cooperatives, the farmers of North Dakota have been sticking it to "the corporate man" for some time. And now, in the twenty-first century, these farmers are winning the fight against Monsanto's genetically-engineered (GE) seed and corporate greed - not for environmental reasons, but for economic ones! When Monsanto started punishing farmers for brown-bagging (replanting seed from their own harvest, rather than buying new seed), farmers organized and offered Monsanto the first anti-GE wheat campaign organized by American farmers. Because farmers were the organizers of the movement, Monsanto was forced out of the state's wheat production, teaching us all an important lesson in corporate resistance: kill the demand for a product, and the corporations will leave.

This issue of farmers resisting corporate greed is just one of the issues presented to us in this forty-three essay volume. Written in an accessible, investigative journalism style, these essays educate readers about all sorts of issues affecting rural America: the depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, the cost of using your First Amendment rights in front of conservative police, polluted land left from industry long gone, and resistance to upscale resorts attempting to destroy nature in order to bring city-folk out into the former wilderness. Many essays focus on individuals who experience repression for being the "opinionated weirdo" in town—a common target for rural law enforcement.

Except occasionally, most of the essays focus on environmental and land issues. And while this is not overly surprising considering the environmentalist backgrounds of both of the co-editors, it unfortunately upholds the idea that red states are entirely rural, which they are not. Not a single essay looks at activist organizing efforts in college towns, a place where many red state rebels find solace and build communities of support to resist becoming the lone weirdo target. Instead red state rebels are painted as solitary fighters, taking on "the man" or law enforcement with a rugged individualist fervor.

Also, with the exception of one article on rebuilding New Orleans, this volume skips over activist struggles in urban cities. Unfortunately, even when these articles deal with rural issues faced by people of color, the authors fail to embed their stories within a critical race or anti-racist framework. Few articles speak about gender issues and none even begin to touch on queer issues. Yes, there are articles that include people of color, women, and GLBTQ people, but there is no critical analysis of race, gender, and sexuality.

Despite these flaws, this edited volume is a must-read for those interested in buffing up their knowledge of grassroots resistance across the Heartland. Though the book too narrowly focuses on rural land and environmental issues, this content is especially thought-provoking and offers many new ideas for activist tactics. Since it's not written from an over-the-top radical or single ideological perspective, and since nowhere does the volume pretend that Democrats are all good and Republicans are all not good, this book would make an excellent gift for a friend or family member you feel needs to hear about resistance to the status quo.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, October 15th 2008

New Moon

admin — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 23:51:00 +0000

By Elliott Smith

Kill Rock Stars

In my Alabama high school, our English teacher had us select writers to do a report on. She carefully went down the list announcing a name with a short one-line bio to quickly introduce the writer to the class. My hand shot up to claim Sylvia Plath when I learned she committed suicide in her thirties; I was morbidly intrigued. In preparation for that school report I remember sitting in the library with headphones on listening to a BBC recording Plath made of her poem "Lady Lazarus." I can still hear the tone in her voice when she announces: "I have done it again. One year in every ten I manage it…. And I a smiling woman. I am only thirty. And like the cat I have nine times to die…. The second time I meant To last it out and not come back at all…. Dying Is an art, like everything else. I do it exceptionally well. I do it so it feels like hell. I do it so it feels real. I guess you could say I've a call." At the time I couldn't help but read into every quiver as evidence that Plath knew she was going to take her own life shortly after writing and recording this poem.

I approach Elliott Smith's posthumous release New Moon with the same ears; with song titles like "Going Nowhere," "Whatever," "Almost Over" and "Big Decision," I thought I would hear something in the lyrics that would announce his early death in 2003 (which was first reported as a suicide, though the evidence is still inconclusive on whether or not the two stab wounds were self-inflicted). Epitaph Records released an album with some of his newer material in 2004, but in New Moon, Kill Rock Stars offers a 24-song double-CD with material he recorded between 1994 and 1997. The CDs offer more examples of his songwriting brilliance, using acoustic guitars and simple recordings that are the basis of his earlier work. I never really got into the overly produced stuff he put out after leaving Kill Rock Stars, so this CD offers a great look backwards at a sound that was so familiar to me in college. There are no big surprises on this album, but fans will enjoy these previously un-released tracks.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, July 10th 2007

Barfing Girl Tote

admin — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 18:00:00 +0000

Damned Dollies

I've been collecting tote bags for years, long before they were available in bright patterns at Old Navy and Urban Outfitters. As with many accessories, there are those of us who wear belts to keep our pants up, and those of us who wear belts to show that we're aware of the latest trend. I am of the utilitarian camp, and so, I expect a tote-bag to be strong and durable. I want to take it to the Farmer's Market and stuff it full of greens, peppers and a bottle of water for the road. I, then, want to visit a garage sale and know that I can stretch the tote bag to squeeze in a new hoodie. Unfortunately, ironic design aside, Damned Dollies' Barfing Girl Tote lacks in the strong and durable department.

The fabric of the tote is thin, like a pillowcase fabric, not the strong canvas I've come to expect in a tote. Another complaint is that the overall size of the tote is rather small. It is a tote to carry for a night on the town. It is meant for the hip girl who prefers a tote with an ironic image of a little girl puking to a couture handbag made of dead animals. So, while I'm not a huge fan of the tote, I do think I'd like some of the other products on Dana De Kuyper's Damned Dollies website, like the coinpurse or one of her handmade original dolls. Also, I think it is great that we live in a world where women can hand-make artsy items and sell them on the internet and through small boutiques. So, if you like adorable references to either bulimia or the stomach flu, you prefer to buy handmade items and you want a nice, small, lightweight tote, then this is the bag for you.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, July 9th 2007

Golden Sun

admin — Tue, 08 May 2007 11:55:00 +0000

By The Winter Blanket

Paper Trail Records

The Winter Blanket: a perfect name for this band, one that describes the feelings this band evokes: soft, comfortable and warm. This 6-song EP is sure to leave many listeners eager to hear more from this Minnesota band. When asked why the band delivered an EP, rather than a full-length record, the band reports: “We took the cream of the crop, no filler and put it on the EP.” And we thank them because this EP is solid from beginning to end. From the poppy, beat-driven first song, “Sleepy Eyes” with vocals by Stephanie Davila to the slow, but precise title track with vocals by Doug Miller at the end, this record provides a nice sampling of indie rock loveliness. Introspective lyrics in almost a whisper on “Leaving Card” resonate for folks who remember how they have hurt those they loved: “There’s a lot of things, yeah, I shouldn’t have said. There’s so many things I wish you didn’t witness…. There’s still a place for you in my bed, to wake me from tornado dreams and suffocate my head. It’s so hard to hide, I’m unstable.” Bottom line: if you like sweet indie rock, with female and male vocals, you’ll probably like Golden Sun.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, May 8th 2007

Hot and Bothered: Feminist Pornography

admin — Thu, 03 May 2007 12:14:00 +0000

Directed by Becky Goldberg

I jumped at the opportunity to review Becky Goldberg’s 37-minute documentary, Hot and Bothered: Feminist Pornography. I thought that perhaps I had found the perfect documentary to show in my intro to Women’s Studies course. Instead, I am disappointed because topics like safety for sex workers, unionization in the sex industry and issues of inclusion for people of varying body types, ethnicities, genders and sexualities is mentioned, but mostly glossed over. The filmmaker chose to focus on the need for pornography from a woman’s perspective, an act that I believe isn’t always inherently feminist. My feminism moves beyond including women in male-dominated fields to a radical critique of representation, the importance of an intersectional race, class, gender analysis and how to connect feminist issues to other issues like economic justice and disability, worker and immigrant rights.

In this documentary you will find interviews with: feminist porn stars like Nina Hartley and Jane Hamilton (a.k.a. Veronica Hart), who have gone on to direct porn that includes women’s perspectives; sex educator, Tristan Taormino, who did a video version of her book, The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women; Greta Christina, general manager and head buyer for sex-positive sex-toy, erotica and porn distributor, blowfish.com; Fabula Magazine editor, Jen Loy; former porn actress; Sharon Mitchell who is also the co-founder of AIM (Adult Industry Medical Care), a non-profit corporation that cares for the physical and emotional needs of sex workers and the people who work in the Adult Entertainment Industry; and finally, Jackie Strano and Shar Rednour, co-founders of S.I.R. Video Productions, who makes videos by and for real dykes. These are great interviews and include voices central to these issues, but I wonder why the filmmaker excluded Good Vibrations, On Our Backs, Babeland, nofauxxx.com and other companies that not only provide products for sex-positive feminists, but also who by their very missions are making radical feminist critiques of the mainstream sex industry.

Despite my criticisms, one aspect of the documentary that I enjoyed is the many excerpts from feminist pornography such as Tristan Taormino’s The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women; SIR Video Productions’ Hard Love / How to Fuck in High Heels and Bend Over Boyfriend; Nina Hartley’s Guide to Making Love to Men, and White Lightning directed by Veronica Hart. It was a nice sample of these films, helping me figure out which might tickle my fancy. So, even though this documentary lacks the analysis, it does have plenty of porn clips to keep at least one part of our brain occupied.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, May 3rd 2007

Sister Spit: The Next Generation (4/18/2007)

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 02:23:00 +0000

Rag Tag Cinema

Columbia, Missouri

Some of you may have heard about the original Sister Spit tours in the mid- and late-1990’s. The tours were organized punk-rock band-style: a shoddy van with nights spent sleeping on floors of anarchist collectives and punk houses, but instead of music these tattoo-clad queer folks delivered words from their newly published books. Original Sister Spitters, Michelle Tea, Abi Liebegott & Eileen Myles join with five, young, twenty-something female writers, many anthologized in Michelle Tea’s edited volume, Baby Remember My Name: An Anthology of New Queer Girl Writing, to share a new era of exciting writing in Sister Spit: The Next Generation.

The Rag Tag Cinema in Columbia, MO pays honor to its name: its insides are filled to the brim with mismatched comfy furniture for its patrons to watch movies on a large screen. For the Sister Spit tour, the space was filled to capacity with hott dykes, fags, transfolk, and other fans ready to take in the writings of these eight writers. Michelle Tea played the part of MC introducing each writer who read to the crowd from zines, books and folded up sheets of paper. As each writer delivered her work, she left the audience hanging in the hopes that we would buy her work to hear “the rest of the story.”

Nicole Georges, author of the zine eminvincible began the performance with a hilarious tale of moving after a tumultuous break-up with her girlfriend. Canadian writer, Robin Akimbo (pictured above), delivered her work next, a story about doing laundry in public and the negotiating that takes place when a creepy guy insists on talking to you. Rhiannon Argo and Tamara Llosa-Sandor presented their work next before some of the old skool “stars” hit the stage. Abi Liebegott read from her new novel The IHOP Papers, and the crowd laughed along hearing about the shenanigans of pissed off diner waitresses. Eileen Myles shot poems from her mouth in caffeinated blurts, while Michelle Tea read the hot teenage-girl-on-teenage-girl first kiss section of her newest novel, Rose of No Man’s Land. The night ended with slides and words from punk rock illustrator extraordinaire, Cristy Roads, who chose to read an excerpt from her new book, Indestructible.

I left the free show with a lighter wallet. Yes, I hit the merch booth with a vengeance. Don’t worry, if you live on the East Coast, you have almost a dozen more opportunities to catch these ladies live. And rumor has it that they are planning an October tour. Keep an eye out on their website (www.sisterspitnextgen.com) to see if they are coming to a college or community space near you.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, April 29th 2007

Grrrl

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 14:55:00 +0000

By Jennifer Whiteford

Gorsky Press

“I can’t believe that I have to go back to high school. I saw a whole bunch of ‘cool kids’ at the movie theatre today. They looked at me like I was a freak and then acted like jerks by yelling and throwing food all the way through the whole movie. This is what they think rebellion is. They also think it’s rebellious to take tons of drugs, have unsafe sex, and go to secret parties in farmer’s fields. I don’t WANT to do any of that stuff so I end up seeming like a nerd instead of a rebel but I know that I really am a rebel!”

I want to cry; I just finished Jennifer Whiteford’s first book, Grrrl and I’m so happy and nostalgic I could puke. To set the mood right, I just threw on a Huggy Bear/Bikini Kill/Bratmobile riot grrrl playlist to write this review.

Grrrl is a coming-of-age story written in a journal entry format by Marlie, a suburban teenage girl who saves her work money to make treks into Toronto to buy records and thrift store dresses. _Grrrl _follows Marlie through her awkward freshman year where she tests out her new punk fashion aesthetic and meets new friends who share her musical tastes. We see Marlie make the transition from being a super excited audience member freaking out about seeing all-girl bands to becoming a teenage rockstar playing shows in her own band. We see her evolve from stressing about boys in early entries to later entries that talk about how excited she is about band practice or one of their shows.

Her slightly older uncle, Ben, and his former rocker girlfriend, Sheena, act as twenty-something punk rock mentors to Marlie helping her find out about new bands and get into shows. The turning point in the novel comes on a summer trip to Seattle with Ben and Sheena to attend a rock festival. At this festival Marlie and Sheena get invited to a riot grrrl convention where Marlie gets her first kiss and ponders over whether or not she is a lesbian if she has only kissed a girl, but still crushes on boys back home. She returns to her Toronto suburbs pledging to support other girls and be the girl she wants to be.

Grrrl is the perfect book for those of us who were also raised on the margins of riot grrrl culture. We didn’t live in Olympia or DC and have instant access to become active participants in the movement, but we consumed its’ music and ‘zines and ran with the DIY ethic to start our own projects. Through introspective journal entries, Marlie is the perfect character to identify with; we see her doubting herself and her relationships, but watch as she figures things out and carves out her own unique space.

I finished this book wishing my little nephews were teenage nieces so I could quickly drop this in the mail to them to help inspire a whole new era of teenage riot grrrl feminist rebellion. Then again, I think I’ll give this book to my nephew when he’s a teenager so he can be inspired by girls who don’t take shit and love to rock out.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, March 25th 2007

Outer Space

admin — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 02:17:00 +0000

By Mass Movement of the Moth

Exotic Fever Records

This 10-song album is the first full-length recording for DC hardcore band, Mass Movement of the Moth. Post-apocalyptic lyrics about civilization crumbling amongst all its technology, this band offers music that is simultaneously melodic and chaotic, beautiful and messy. Layered and complex, this album presents classic hardcore with a dance-y keyboard edge that makes the band seem like they are doing something new with a genre that can get a bit tired. Songs alternate between scream-y lyrics that demand a reference to the lyric sheet enclosed inside, while others provide a soundtrack for the music listener who prefers a more straight-forward sing-along with fists raised approach to the classic DIY hardcore punk song. The highlight for me is the track titled “Seven” which includes the lyrics, “and if everyday is supposed to be a war, how am I supposed to find this love that I’m looking for?” It is self-reflective lyrics such as these that allow momentary breaks from the machismo so characteristic of a lot of hardcore. Judging from the past shows’ page on the band’s website, it is clear that this is a DIY hardcore band that appeals to audiences who prefer a small show in an infoshop or punk house to a corporate bar show. It also appears that the band has performed in benefit shows for many radical projects including the feminist project, Rock 'n' Roll Camp for Girls.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, February 21st 2007

Continental 62

admin — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 12:18:00 +0000

By Christina Rosenvinge

Smells Like Records

More listenable than Cat Power, but with some of the quirkiness of Joanna Newsom and Björk, Christina Rosenvinge’s super smooth and sweet voice delivers an indie rock sound that is just listenable enough to share with my mother. Madrid-born, Danish-descended Rosenvinge chooses to pay homage to her transnational roots and routes by naming the album Continental 62, after the flight she regularly takes between Newark and Madrid. Minimalist, but not boring, Continental 62 is a 10-song album that delivers uncomplicated indie ballads that feature interesting mixtures of guitar, bass, drums, keyboards, piano, violin, flute, glockenspiel and cello. Slow-paced and grand, this album provides an easy listening backdrop perfect for a dinner party. My only complaint is that her lyrics can be difficult to decipher. It also should be noted that most of the songs are sung in English, though some are in Spanish, which gives audiences a chance to practice their translation skills. In many cases the vocals are just another instrument, wandering lyrics allow the listener to take a break from listening to music only for its lyrical content. This album is meant to be a backdrop for a relaxing massage or Saturday afternoon bubble bath.

Written by: Ailecia Ruscin, February 9th 2007