Week 6: Daughters of Chaos

Within her analysis of two of the most prominent women within punk music—Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux—Whiteley employs the influential ideas of Bulgarian-French feminist thinker Julia Kristeva. In the genre where “emphasis [lies] on the delivery of the vocal, the shock tactics of the lyrics and an overall emphasis on an eccentricity of self-expression” (98), as opposed to musical talent and technicality, the importance of language in constructing identity is made most prevalent. Drawing on Lacanian theory, one of Kristeva’s key ideas revolves around “her distinction between the semiotic and symbolic order” (96). The symbolic order, the internalization of the dominant order, is limited for women, where the dominant order is essentially phallocentric patriarchy. The semiotic is described as the pre-symbolic, pre-Oedipal realm which is repressed for the internalization of the symbolic order. Kristeva argues the revolutionary implications of semiotic expression, which challenges and subverts the dominant order through its representation of the irrational, disorder and the abject.

Patti Smith, one of the founding punk artists regardless of her gender, and her music, heavily inspired by poetry and the avant-garde, encompass Kristeva’s ideas of the tensions between the symbolic order and the semiotic within language. Whiteley analyzes Patti Smith’s Gloria, the first track of her debut album Horses (1975), interpreting the use of a gospel choir as back-up vocals as representing religion and order, while Smith chaotic vocals, with added meaning due to the song’s male point of view, symbolize disorder and mayhem.

Both Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, the leader of one of the more successful British punk bands during the early years of punk, are known for their use of androgyny in regards to their physical appearances. Whiteley notes the androgynous look Patti Smith takes on for the cover of her album Horses where “Smith comes across as both self-assured and sexually-ambiguous, challenging and contesting the boundaries of gender” (100). Siouxsie Sioux on the other hand was known not only for the archetypical anarchy and swastika shirts of early punk musicians, but challenging heteronormative sexuality through taking performative and stylistic influence from the Bromley gay scene, as well as notorious fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Whiteley also notes how Sioux’s “coolly androgynous” was influenced by none other than Patti Smith. Both of these women, taking on the do-it-yourself musical style in which women were able to compete on even ground with male musicians, and presenting themselves in ways which challenged traditional notions of femininity and female sexuality, are highly influential figures within the history of Western pop music.

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I find punk music to be very compelling, especially because of its initial role as subverting traditional norms. Today, however, punk seems to have lost its radical stance, particularly because of the commercialization of the punk image. It is unfortunate that not many contemporary female pop artists utilize punk, with its importance grounded largely in language, as a viable musical outlet.

It is interesting how punk music was so accessible and revolutionary for women because of its lack of emphasis on musical talent. I feel music is still very much based on skill and technical elements, as opposed to simply being an enjoyable form of human communication. One of my original career goals was to be a high school music teacher, inspired by the enjoyment I felt during my years as a young bass clarinet player. These aspirations ended when I realized the competitive nature of post-secondary musical education, as well as the major emphasis on technical musical skills.

My bass clarinet currently lies below my bed, collecting dust since my experiences of playing in high school and community concert bands have slowly diminished. I miss the happiness I felt playing alongside other musicians, working together to create fun and interesting sounds. I feel the emphasis on music as a realm reserved for professional musicians is limiting, and I'm glad Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux felt the same.