How Kim Gordon inspired Carrie Brownstein to greatness

(Credits: Far Out / Danielle Neu / Peabody Awards)

Tue June 18, 2024 8:30 p.m., United Kingdom

The riot grrrl movement of the early 1990s was a revolutionary moment in music history. Fed up with male dominance in the punk genre, various women in Olympia, Washington began creating their own punk songs, largely related to feminism. Riot Grrrl groups and fans also created zines and often performed at all-female festivals, creating a sense of safety and community among the women involved in the scene.

Some of the most well-known riot grrrl groups were Bikini Kill and Bratmobile, but there were many others who were active at the same time, such as Heavens to Betsy, which gave Corin Tucker his first taste of being in a group. Tucker would soon team up with Carrie Brownstein, a member of the punk band Excuse 17, to form Sleater-Kinney. The band’s roots were firmly planted in the riot grrrl scene, with early songs like “A Real Man,” for example, attacking heteronormativity and patriarchy. “I don’t want to join your club/I don’t want your kind of love,” Tucker says, adding, “Don’t you want to feel it inside?/They say it feels so good/All the girls should have a a real man/ Should I buy it? I don’t want to.

The riot grrrl movement was inspired by various all-female or female groups that were carving out a space for themselves in a male-dominated landscape. Bands like The Slits and even the fictional punk band The Fabulous Stains inspired these women to pick up guitars and oppose the androcentrism of rock and punk, helping to spark a sense of hope and rebellion among many passionate young women and girls. However, there is one woman who has proven to be one of the most prominent influences on riot grrrl musicians: Kim Gordon.

As the bassist and sometimes vocalist for Sonic Youth, Gordon stood out. Most noise rock and alternative rock bands were predominantly male, but Gordon fearlessly fought with his instrument and sang without worrying about sounding perfect, usually exploring themes related to women’s rights. In “Swimsuit Issue,” for example, she attacked sexual abuse in the workplace, with Gordon singing, “Don’t touch my chest/I’m just working at my desk.” One of Sonic Youth’s most well-known songs, however, is “Kool Thing” from their 1990 album. Jelly.

In a mocking tone, Gordon mocks his own feminism by saying, “I mean, are you going to free us girls from corporate oppression of white men?” Despite Gordon’s use of satire, his politics are still relevant, with declarations of “I don’t want to/I don’t mean it” acting as the perfect chant of defiance. As a teenager, shortly before Brownstein joined Sleater-Kinney, she couldn’t get enough of “Kool Thing.” She found this extremely inspiring, giving her the confidence she carried with her into her music.

In the book No icon by Kim Gordon, Brownstein gives a brief foreword about the musician, revealing her most vivid memories of her love of Sonic Youth. “It was spring break 1990, my sophomore year of high school. My family was visiting my uncle’s house on the coast of Maine. I only took one CD with me on this trip, Jelly by Sonic Youth.

Here, she listened to “Kool Thing” “on repeat.” According to Brownstein, she loved “lounging on the deck where Kim speaks out against white male and corporate oppression and sets us girls free.” She was inspired by how “she inserted herself in the middle of that noise”, calling it “playful and sinister, as if the rest of the group suddenly needed an invitation to be there with her”.

Brownstein continued, “I kept thinking that maybe to combat imposter syndrome, you need to throw your own party.” In the foreword, she describes her dinner with Gordon, who is now a friend, and concludes: “When I got home, I texted Kim, ‘Thanks for dinner.’ But I could have easily said, thank you for being the person who helped me realize that you don’t need to wait for someone else’s permission to be yourself.

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