Laina Dawes,Skin
What Are You Doing Here? investigates how black women musicians and fans navigate the metal, hardcore, and punk music genres that are regularly thought of as inclusive spaces and centered on a community spirit, but fail to block out the race and gender issues that exist in the outside world.,â€œThe first time I heard rock music it was really exciting. I felt that this new music and vibe was really me. I remember going to bed and having dreams that I was performing this music and visualizing myself on stage, way before it actually happenedâ€¦ What always appealed to me about rock music is the feeling of freedom, that I could finally be who I wanted to be and sing the music that I felt in my heart. Some black people that I met in the music industry felt that we could be stronger and better empowered if we all stayed within in the same box, but I had always relished the fact that I never belonged to any cliques, or any scenesâ€¦â€â€”Skin, Skunk Anansie,â€œI wanted to find other black women like me: metal, hardcore, and punk fans and musicians that were rabid about the music and culture and adamant about asserting their rightful place as black women within those scenes. I wanted to find other women who put aside the cultural baggage that dictates that we must listen to certain musical styles, and simply enjoy the music that influenced us, not just as black women, but as individuals who grew up in an era when, thanks to technology, a large variety of music is accessible and available to everyone. I found many black women and have shared their stories, but I also realize there is still a lot of work to be done.â€â€”Laina Dawes,CONTENTS:,â€œWho Put That Shaven-Headed Black Woman on the Stage?â€ Foreword by Skin,Introduction, by Laina Dawes,I. Canadian Steel,II. Metal Can Save Your Life (or at Least Your Sanity),III. Iâ€™m Here Because We Started It!,IV. So You Think Youâ€™re White?,V. â€œThe Only Oneâ€ Syndrome,VI. Too Black, Too Metal, and All Woman,VII. The Lingering Stench of Racism in Metal,VIII. Remove the Barricades and Stagedive!,Epilogue,Appendix: â€œWhat Are You Doing Here?â€â€”The Survey
Music,Nonfiction,Feminism,Biography,Autobiography,Memoir,Cultural,African American,Race,Biography Memoir,Sociology,Culture,Cultural Studies
What are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal