Revenge of the She-Punks

Laura Snapes at The Guardian:

The hoary old legends of rock journalism are seldom those who deserve a place in history. If pioneers such as Ellen Willis and Caroline Coon got half the glory of verbose stylists like Nick Kent and Lester Bangs, modern music criticism would be in healthier shape. Vivien Goldman lives among these overlooked heroes of the inkies era. From the mid-70s, she became Bob Marley’s first UK publicist, critic, musician, music video director and musical writer among other gigs (including occasional writing for the Guardian). Her work for NMEMelody Maker and Sounds in the 1970s and 80s offered sparkling and righteous reportage from a figure who lived cheek-to-cheek with London’s punk and reggae stars and never strayed from her ethos.

This book should restore Goldman’s place in the rock-crit firmament just as she sets out to give punk’s women their long-denied dues. It only takes a glance at the covers of heritage rock mags and bookshop music sections to see how punk – a supposedly egalitarian, no-heroes movement – has made second-class citizens of its most vital agitators: women. “Revenge,” Goldman writes, “means getting the same access as your male peers.”

more here.