THIS Is Brilliant!!

[Rickenbacker]

Anyone See THIS?! Brilliant!! Apparently it's in a recent issue of Rolling Stone and it's great! Seems a major Joan Jett fan wrote it & signed it "Joan Jett". She was complaining about the "Women In Rock" issue from several months back. I understand Jett's website posted it & Joan denied writing it...but it's still brilliant & I *had* to share!:


"Dear Rolling Stone, I tried to find some cleverly worded way to express my disgust with your "Women in Rock" issue, but what i have to say is really quite simple: You guys are completely ********. By RS standards, Rock is no longer a style of music but a trendy costume to be whipped up by expensive stylists and slapped onto the latest pop tart barbie doll. Give a girl some tight pants and a spiky bracelet and POOF! She ROCKS! Your poor choice of cover girls and featured artists brings to mind the Sports Illustrated swimsuit editions. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the breast-baring models inside..but we all understand that they have NOTHING TO DO WITH SPORTS--Which just might be offensive to women who are interested in sports or who might even be (gasp) real athletes. Yes, Britney has a talented stylist and yes, somebody gave Shakira a Guns & Roses t-shirt to wear..but they ARE NOT NOW NOR WILL THEY EVER BE ROCK. Maybe it's naive of me to expect any glimmer of rock'n'roll credibility OR respect for women from a magazine whose cover shot is regularly a naked underweight actress. The thing is , I AM a woman musician with a rock band, and as we all are I am STARVED for any little crumb of recognition that real women rockers might be thrown. So like a sucker I find myself short another five bucks ..and pissed enough to write my first letter to an editor. Avril Lavigne gets some studded accessories from Hot Topic so now she's "upholding the brazen tradition of teenage outrage"???!! Are you SERIOUS? And could someone please explain to me why people keep insisting on referring to PINK as rock? Wasn't she doing the white girl hip hop thing a minute ago? Yeah, she performed on the Aerosmith tribute show --big deal..she was on the Janet Jackson tribute show just before that--Whatever's trendy. WHO CARES. She's a Spice Girl reject...but I digress. Jewel and Mandy friggin' Moore have full page features as Rock Icons...Meanwhile Joan Jett gets one line. ONE LINE. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, who have never stopped touring, recently did 10 days in the Middle East playing for the troops stationed in Afghanistan. In AFGHANISTAN, Joan would come onstage wearing a birkha, which she ripped off and stomped on before blazing through the purest and nastiest rock show ANYWHERE. But even in the RS WOMEN IN ROCK issue, a story like that gets ONE SENTENCE on the bottom of the last page of Random Notes. Britney's Rock credentials? Well, she butchers the song "I Love Rock'n'Roll" on her latest record, and when asked about it the genius replies "Well, I've always loved Pat Benatar." And SHE is your Rock issue cover girl?? You should be REALLY embarrassed. Sleater Kinney was the only rock group listed on the cover..and they got only half a page. Ashanti, the r&b back up singer who can't seem to do anything without "featuring Jah Rule," has two pages. What about the Donnas? The Yeah Yeah Yeahs? The Distillers? A mag like RS has the power to shine important light on groups like these--instead they are afterthoughts, and that valuable spotlight is wasted on the same overexposed pop princesses WHO HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ROCK. In your own letter from the editor you have the hypocritical balls to say "rock radio won't touch female artists, while the pop factory keeps churning out soundalike clones, and ambitious musicians with something to say find themselves left out in the cold." The pages that follow those words are a blatant display that Rolling Stone magazine is happily working for the factory now too. If the issue had been called "Women in Music"..or maybe "Some Cute Girls with Top 10 Records out Right Now"..I would have no beef with it. Corny as it may sound, ROCK is something which is still meaningful and even sacred to some of us. Use the word "rock" in bold letters next to a picture of Britney F*cking Spears, and you're turning your whole publication into a joke...and an offensive joke at that.

- Joan Jett" -

[AKA]

Yeah, I saw that. It's from a few months back. Thanks for posting it here, though. Many members of the board really need to open their eyes and read it.

[consentida]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker
yes, somebody gave Shakira a Guns & Roses t-shirt to wear..but they ARE NOT NOW NOR WILL THEY EVER BE ROCK.

Whatever man...nobody ever said she was rock. Yes she sings POP music. But you cant deny her the credit for creating it. She is a truly talented artist. I dont even think Shakira has ever said that her music was Rock" She has stated, however, that she listened to "Rock" music as a kid. But her music is in no way, shape or form "Rock" And why the hell cant she wear a damn Guns & Roses shirt. What? She cant even enjoy the damn music. just cuz shes wearin the shirt doesnt mean her music is freakin "Rock". Freakin people...jeez. I think she's fully aware of the fact that her music isnt rock....

Just my two cents.

[*Mogwai*]

Originally posted by consentida


Whatever man...nobody ever said she was rock. Yes she sings POP music. But you cant deny her the credit for creating it. She is a truly talented artist. I dont even think Shakira has ever said that her music was Rock" She has stated, however, that she listened to "Rock" music as a kid. But her music is in no way, shape or form "Rock" And why the hell cant she wear a damn Guns & Roses shirt. What? She cant even enjoy the damn music. just cuz shes wearin the shirt doesnt mean her music is freakin "Rock". Freakin people...jeez. I think she's fully aware of the fact that her music isnt rock....

Just my two cents.

That's true but the letter was refering to the fact Rolling Stone put her in the Women Rock issue.

[~*Hannah_Lee*~]

Oh my gosh!! Thank you so much whoever wrote that letter!!!! YOU ROCK! They are speaking the truth, and I'm sure if I would've saw the article, I would've wrote the same thing. BRITNEY SPEARS??!!?!?! WTF???? She's about as rock as the Care Bears. This makes me so mad. I can't believe the Donna's weren't on there, and that Joan Jett only got ONE SENTENCE! This is an absolute OUTRAGE!!!!!

[Rickenbacker]

I have the 'Women in Rock' issue she mentioned & was a little surprised at many of the choices. Call me "old school" or whatever, but maybe the rules are changing. Maybe these days it's actually OK to slap on a G'n'R t-shirt & spiked braclet, call it "rock" & have the world just silently accept it. But I have a problem w/ that. And so does "Joan Jett"!
I know ideally, music is subjective, yada, yada, but it just bugs me when I see assembly line "music" marketed, packaged & sold as honest music. And it's even more annoying when I see some of these interviews w/ certain acts (the ones who have a staff of songwriters doing the bulk of their 'work') sit there & say sh1t like "Yeah, that song came from my soul..." And few people seem to have a problem w/ that. It's almost scary to me. Standards have taken such a dip & that's the norm now. It's ok. And I don't get it. Power to "Mya/Joan" & others who speak up on that.
I'm not just referring to Shakira, either. Just that shes a shining example of what's being said here. Otherwise, she's another Here-Today-Gone-Today act.

[~*Hannah_Lee*~]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker
I have the 'Women in Rock' issue she mentioned & was a little surprised at many of the choices. Call me "old school" or whatever, but maybe the rules are changing. Maybe these days it's actually OK to slap on a G'n'R t-shirt & spiked braclet, call it "rock" & have the world just silently accept it. But I have a problem w/ that. And so does "Joan Jett"!
I know ideally, music is subjective, yada, yada, but it just bugs me when I see assembly line "music" marketed, packaged & sold as honest music. And it's even more annoying when I see some of these interviews w/ certain acts (the ones who have a staff of songwriters doing the bulk of their 'work') sit there & say sh1t like "Yeah, that song came from my soul..." And few people seem to have a problem w/ that. It's almost scary to me. Standards have taken such a dip & that's the norm now. It's ok. And I don't get it. Power to "Mya/Joan" & others who speak up on that.
I'm not just referring to Shakira, either. Just that shes a shining example of what's being said here. Otherwise, she's another Here-Today-Gone-Today act.

You hit it right on the head. I agree 100%. It ticks me too when someone says "I sang that song from my heart", yet they didn't even write the friggin thing.

[consentida]

[QUOTE]originally posted by whoever posted this cuz i forgot who did but w/e

I'm not just referring to Shakira, either. Just that shes a shining example of what's being said here. Otherwise, she's another Here-Today-Gone-Today act.[B]

Originally posted by ~*Hannah_Lee*~

You hit it right on the head. I agree 100%. It ticks me too when someone says "I sang that song from my heart", yet they didn't even write the friggin thing.

Okay i can only speak about what i know about Shakira. i dunno about any1 else tho...

what you dont see are the credits to all of Shakira's albums. she writes EVERY song on EVERY album shes made except for her 1st two which were only released in Colombia. Shes got a very large fan base and has been around for the past 13 years. Shes not just a "Here-Today-Gone-Today act". Just because she sings pop music doesnt mean that she wont last. Rock isnt the only genre of music that exists. She has certain qualities that some artists dont. And some artists have qualities that she doesnt. And another thing that really pisses me off is that people think that because she has blonde hair means that shes another Britney Spears. I'm sorry but I dont think that Britney Spears can write her music and lyrics, produces her albums, speaks 4 languages, and plays 3 instruments. If there is anyone mentioned in that article that is a prime example of what that article is describing its Britney Spears. And just because you people like Nirvana and The Beatles and whatever else you like doesnt mean that you can deny someone else's talent and ability. I'm a person who loves all music. And yes, I know that not all people are like that but you have to respect the person who creates the music for actually doing what they do. i mean I'm not a Nirvana fan by any means but you dont see me saying "Oh Kurt Cobain was a scrubby crackhead." The truth is, Shakira does write and produce almost every piece of music on her albums. And you have to give credit where credit is due regardless of what she looks like...

[Rickenbacker]

Not to dwell on Shakira, but yeah, Britney is another example alright. Just that *right* after Britney, we were bombarded with a slew of various clones. Didnt the timing of them all seem a *little* odd to anyone? Sure Shakira may write & play & I have no idea what the pop music climate is like in her native country, but in the U.S. (& this is common knowledge) pop fans are *very* fickle. Therefore Shakira is no different from the others. She's marketed exactly like all the others. (I could swear I remember a soft drink deal) So in a nutshell, she's being sold as 'Britney With A Guitar And A Cute Accent.' (compare to Jessica Simpson's early "Good Girl Britney") She is potentially a flash in the pan *here*.

[consentida]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker
Not to dwell on Shakira, but yeah, Britney is another example alright. Just that *right* after Britney, we were bombarded with a slew of various clones. Didnt the timing of them all seem a *little* odd to anyone? Sure Shakira may write & play & I have no idea what the pop music climate is like in her native country, but in the U.S. (& this is common knowledge) pop fans are *very* fickle. Therefore Shakira is no different from the others. She's marketed exactly like all the others. (I could swear I remember a soft drink deal) So in a nutshell, she's being sold as 'Britney With A Guitar And A Cute Accent.' (compare to Jessica Simpson's early "Good Girl Britney") She is potentially a flash in the pan *here*.

Why all the Britney Comparisons? Blonde hair. Right? If thats the case, may I inform you that Shakira had blonde hair LONG before people in the U.S were even aware of her existence. yes she may be marketed a certain way but so is everyone else. You act like certain musicians and bands arent marketed to a certain extent. Everything is an image. Take Nirvana, not only did people notice them for their musical abilities but they were also noticed for their sense of "grunge rock" style. With a bands and artists like Good Charlotte and Avril Lavigne its the exact same thing. Its not just Shakira or Britney. Its EVERYONE. So Shakira did a soft drink deal thing. Whoop Dee Freakin Doo. Get the hell over it. Musicians may have their "own sense of style" but they are ALL marketed on that particular style, no matter what it is. Whether they do endorsements or sell records by being controversial, whatever the hell it is, they are being marketed. Theses people get payed for creating and selling a persona. But you cant deny the fact that Shakira has talent or the members of Nirvana were talented or that Britney can lip synch really well. They all have their own uniqueness. But they are ALL marketed to have a certain image whether its their own or not. They are. So its not just Shakira or Britney or whoever. its basically everyone.

[consentida]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker
I have no idea what the pop music climate is like in her native country, but in the U.S. (& this is common knowledge) pop fans are *very* fickle.

**** you...I'm only saying the truth. I'm stating the facts that you people are too freakin lazy to look up yourselves.

Oh and by the way, her "native" country is no different than the U.S. The economic status may be different but her fan base isnt. Just because its another country, doesnt mean that the people there are different than we are. They are people who love music simply because their realities are so painful. Be careful what you say next time, you might offend somebody. No, it wasnt a terrible comment but someone may take it the wrong way. And trust me, there arent a lot of people who are going to tolerate such ignorance.

[Rickenbacker]

Why the comparisons to Britney? Because they were inevitable. It's that simple. It's almost like when Michael Jackson was huge & then Prince came along or the entire boyband thing. (ie: 5 interchangable dancing pretty boys) That's just the way human nature is. Esp. when it comes to pop culture. Anyway, as I understood it, Shakira's hair was black before hitting it big here. Thus, the physical similarities w/ her & the rest. But that's besides the point-

If you want to use Nirvana as an example, those guys just slapped on the clothes off their backs from Seattle. No slick highly paid fashion advisors. It was the *media* who coined it all "the grunge look". Cobain hated all that.

So why get angry at my statements on the fickle American public & pop music of Colombia? Of course I know you're only stating the truth as you see it.

[consentida]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker
Why the comparisons to Britney? Because they were inevitable. It's that simple. It's almost like when Michael Jackson was huge & then Prince came along or the entire boyband thing. (ie: 5 interchangable dancing pretty boys) That's just the way human nature is. Esp. when it comes to pop culture. Anyway, as I understood it, Shakira's hair was black before hitting it big here. Thus, the physical similarities w/ her & the rest. But that's besides the point-

If you want to use Nirvana as an example, those guys just slapped on the clothes off their backs from Seattle. No slick highly paid fashion advisors. It was the *media* who coined it all "the grunge look". Cobain hated all that.

So why get angry at my statements on the fickle American public & pop music of Colombia? Of course I know you're only stating the truth as you see it.

#1. Nirvana still sold many records for having the style that they did. Regardless of whether Cobain liked it or not. He still made money off of it.

#2. I'm angry because you are making a statement about something that you probably dont know half the half about. You probably have no idea about the economic turmoil and fighting that goes on in Colombia as well as other Latin, Central, and South American countries. You probably have no idea about how some of the people live in these countries. You probably have NO idea how hard it is to live in South America and majority of the Latin American countries. Many people in these countries live in poverty and they have nothing. NOTHING. What else do they have to turn to? Music. Entertainment. People like Shakira, Selena, Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Marc Anthony, La India, Tito Nieves, and Tito Puente are the only some of those who made it out of where they were. They went from nothing to being richer beyond the comprehension of most people in South, Central, and Latin America. I'm not saying this for the hell of it.Its not because I'm a "fickle" fan, its because people like Shakira, Selena, Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Marc Anthony, La India, Tito Nieves, and Tito Puente are some of the most respected and notable Latinos in the public eye. They give other latinos hope and let me tell you something, their music describes how hard life is for more than half the Latino population, both within the states and everywhere else in the world. These people have gotten Latinos to places we never thought we'd be. They have made a name for us. We are fiercly proud of who we are and for someone to come and pass judgements without really knowing what the hell is going on is completely absurd. Hispanic, especially in the United States, are frequently looked down upon for what we look like, the language we speak, etc. Many of us are extremely tired and sick of being underestimated by the white people of America. This has NOTHING to do with the fact that I'm a fan. This has to do with who I am, where I come from, the language i speak, and my culture. So dont come to me with this BS about how Im just a little fickle fan sticking up for the fake and marketed Shakira. And let me tell you something else, what i just typed IS the truth. How do I know? Because my family and I have experienced first hand. I must say that I'm quite lucky to have everything that I do. There are so many Latinos that are denied jobs amoong other things just because of their ethnicity. So I do know what I'm talking about...

[Rickenbacker]

Originally posted by consentida


#1. Nirvana still sold many records for having the style that they did. Regardless of whether Cobain liked it or not. He still made money off of it.

#2. I'm angry because you are making a statement about something that you probably dont know half the half about. You probably have no idea about the economic turmoil and fighting that goes on in Colombia as well as other Latin, Central, and South American countries. You probably have no idea about how some of the people live in these countries. You probably have NO idea how hard it is to live in South America and majority of the Latin American countries. Many people in these countries live in poverty and they have nothing. NOTHING. What else do they have to turn to? Music. Entertainment. People like Shakira, Selena, Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Marc Anthony, La India, Tito Nieves, and Tito Puente are the only some of those who made it out of where they were. They went from nothing to being richer beyond the comprehension of most people in South, Central, and Latin America. I'm not saying this for the hell of it.Its not because I'm a "fickle" fan, its because people like Shakira, Selena, Gloria Estefan, Celia Cruz, Thalia, Paulina Rubio, Marc Anthony, La India, Tito Nieves, and Tito Puente are some of the most respected and notable Latinos in the public eye. They give other latinos hope and let me tell you something, their music describes how hard life is for more than half the Latino population, both within the states and everywhere else in the world. These people have gotten Latinos to places we never thought we'd be. They have made a name for us. We are fiercly proud of who we are and for someone to come and pass judgements without really knowing what the hell is going on is completely absurd. Hispanic, especially in the United States, are frequently looked down upon for what we look like, the language we speak, etc. Many of us are extremely tired and sick of being underestimated by the white people of America. This has NOTHING to do with the fact that I'm a fan. This has to do with who I am, where I come from, the language i speak, and my culture. So dont come to me with this BS about how Im just a little fickle fan sticking up for the fake and marketed Shakira. And let me tell you something else, what i just typed IS the truth. How do I know? Because my family and I have experienced first hand. I must say that I'm quite lucky to have everything that I do. There are so many Latinos that are denied jobs amoong other things just because of their ethnicity. So I do know what I'm talking about...

Whoa! I never once called *you* a fickle fan of hers. You're obviously a devoted fan. I was calling the general American pop music listening public fickle. And they are.

I don't see where the topics of Colombian economic turmoil, fighting & your own family fit into this debate as I also never put down the Latin contributions to American popular music either. Not once. Nor do I underestimate it. (& not just musically either) I used several examples of pop acts to make my point, didn't I? If we're talking the Britney comparisons, I'm sure the other 'clones' asked the same question you did- "Why the comparisons to Britney?"

I think you're misunderstanding me here. It *isn't* only Shakira we're talking about, consentida. I'm also talking about the various pop acts from right here.

[consentida]

Originally posted by Rickenbacker



Whoa! I never once called *you* a fickle fan of hers. You're obviously a devoted fan. I was calling the general American pop music listening public fickle. And they are.

I don't see where the topics of Colombian economic turmoil, fighting & your own family fit into this debate as I also never put down the Latin contributions to American popular music either. Not once. Nor do I underestimate it. (& not just musically either) I used several examples of pop acts to make my point, didn't I? If we're talking the Britney comparisons, I'm sure the other 'clones' asked the same question you did- "Why the comparisons to Britney?"

I think you're misunderstanding me here. It *isn't* only Shakira we're talking about, consentida. I'm also talking about the various pop acts from right here.

I never said u underestimated it and all that other stuff. i know you didnt. And I know we're not only talking about Shakira and that its about various pop acts. I'm well aware of that. But i'm just trying to make a point that music has a great influence on every aspect of our lives, not just Latinos, but people in general. What I was trying to get at, but took the long and hard way in explaining, is that despite the hardships in all these countries, there are still a select few that make. So for many latinos to see Shakira in a Pepsi commercial or on Rolling Stone Magazine is a HUGE accomplishment for us. And when you said "So why get angry at my statements on the fickle American public & pop music of Colombia? Of course I know you're only stating the truth as you see it. " I was a little upset. Simply because I was stating the truth from a Hispanics point of view. And its my fault for doing that because not everyone understands. In Latin America, for someone to actually make it, especially in the united States, its just a great opportuinity for us to gain the respect that we long for. But then there are people who dont see it that way and make statements about events and occurrences that they dont necessarily know anything about. It hurts and its frustrating to see something a certain way because of your cultural standpoint and have other people not understand. Its also a very difficult theing to explain. And by saying all that I said before, I wasnt trying to argue or be rude or be bitchy, I was trying to explain what its like as a Latino to see one of your own rise to such a great standing. What i was also trying to get at by the whole economic, understatement, family thing was that because of all that stuff, there is so much anger and pain. And entertainment, especially music, is extremely important and that to have one of our be judged for being who they are and stating what they feel is kind of a blow to us. Its a blow to us because we havent always ben able to freely state our feelings and opinions the way performers and people of a higher standing are able to...