Nobody Drives In LA -- An Interview with Alissa Walker

In the past most of my posts for Women's History Month have focused on historical figures. This year I decided to instead focus on living breathing women who're actively contributing to the vibrant cultural landscape of Los Angeles. This week's subject is Alissa Walker. Walker maintains the website, A Walker in LA; has written about design, architecture, cities, and transportation for the Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, Dwell, Slate, Wired, Los Angeles Magazine, Details, GOOD, the LA Weekly (and probably others); and is the urbanism editor at Gizmodo. She also co-created design east of La Brea, an organization that produces events that take place east of La Brea; is an associate produce for the KCRWpublic radio show DnA: Design and Architecture; is on the steering committee of Los Angeles Walks; and she just had a baby. 

Alissa Walker (image source: Zaki Mustafa)

I first met Alissa at a tour of Dodger Stadium organized by design east of La Brea (deLaB) to which I walked  -- a decision which produced the unexpected result of my being escorted by security. Walker rode her bike. I didn't realize at the time that I'd heard her interviewed on Notebook on Cities and Culture, which had made me want to talk to her about Los Angeles, which I'm only getting around to now. 

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ME: I've had people suggest to me that I've walked somewhere simply to show off and that biking is irresponsible and means that I don't care about my loved ones. Do you ever encounter hostility from people over your decision to walk, bike, or take public transit? If so, to what do you attribute that? 

ALISSA: Ha, walking to show off is definitely a new one! While it's not really hostility, I do think that especially like 10 years ago when I'd walk, bike or take transit somewhere in LA people would be really surprised -- like almost to the point of disbelief. I do remember some condescending moments in the early days when people would be like, oh my god, I'm so sorry you don't have a car, do you need a ride? Or they'd see me walking somewhere and email me later and be like, hey, is everything okay? 

Gerry Mulligan Tentette - "Westwood Walk"

When I'm deciding whether to walk, bike, bus, take the train, take a ferry, or drive somewhere in Los Angeles I go through a process of asking what means or combination of means will make the most sense for the occasion -- and yet I'm questioned all of the time about how I got somewhere and why I chose to come that way, even though my answer is always the same, "It made the most sense." Do you get that too and if so, to what do you attribute that? 

Yes, it's the best conversation starter! It's always like The Californians sketch on SNL, "I took the 704 to the 217 and got off at Wilshire to go to LACMA?" But I will say in the last five years or so when I get questions about how I got somewhere it's more because people are interested in doing it themselves. I get a lot of texts and Twitter replies from people asking transit advice, which I love! And then I tell them to post a photo of them out there walking or at a bus stop so other people can be inspired. 



What, if anything, do you say to people who happily take public transit whenever they visit another city but simply insist that public transit is non-existent or woefully inadequate and that they must, as a result, make every single journey (no matter how short) in their car? 

I always ask people just to try getting out of the car some of the time?whatever length of time they're comfortable with. Maybe it's a day, maybe it's a whole week. But I swear that even the attempt to take transit in LA will result in some pretty cool experiences and you will probably be able to see at least one benefit -- saving money, getting your time in the car back to do what you want, losing weight -- that will keep you coming back for more. I was hooked after one day riding transit. It made LA feel like a video game! 

Guy Clark - "LA Freeway"

What improvements would you like to see made with Los Angeles's train, bus, bike, and walking infrastructures? 

Obviously I'd like all the planned rail expansions to open yesterday, but it's great they're finally happening. I think the 405 expansion was a huge mistake and we should have invested in light rail instead. One of the coolest pedestrian projects is an Urban Trails app which isn't technically infrastructure but phone-guided walking tours that help point out connections between neighborhoods and the history within them.

"...you got your feet in L.A. But your mind's on Tennessee" (The Westside's Tennessee Ave,  no doubt)

What books, songs, films, radio dramas, &c do you think get Los Angeles right and which do you think get it particularly wrong? 

I produced a whole radio segment for Studio 360 tracing the history of the "Nobody Walks in LA"catchphrase, and it was pretty interesting to see the origins of such an engrained part of our culture (it actually originated not with the Missing Persons song, but with David Brenner's standup on the Tonight Show -- which was a riff on the Ray Bradbury short story "The Pedestrian"). That's probably the thing that people get the most wrong about LA. But it's a very funny thing that LA is going through right now. I'd actually say that for the first time, films and TV shows are interested in portraying the city as a real place with actualneighborhoods and streets and people. I watched Los Angeles Plays Itself the other day, an awesome 2003 documentary about this very topic, and I realized that luckily most of the stereotypical examples are now outdated.




You moved to Los Angeles from St. Louis, Missouri, right? Are there any films that you feel like get Missouri or St. Louis especially right or wrong? 

Gosh, I can only think of a handful of movies set in St. Louis. Meet Me In St. Louis? Oh then there's of course the scene in Vacation where the tires are stolen off the Griswolds' car while they're in East St. Louis. I'd like to see more movies set there!

(Check out Show me the Mo Movies!!! - Missouri in Film and TV)

What are some of your favorite things that you notice on foot that you wouldn't notice on bicycle, car, bus, or train? 

So many things! I try to snap a photo of these things when I see them, and last year Los Angeles Magazinehad me write a weekly column where I'd post my photos and write about what I saw. There are bizarre things that you can really only see on foot, like this fake tree in DTLA, or everyday things with a special perspective that pedestrianism provides, like this beautiful McDonald's seating. One of the most amazing things that you can only really see driving but I never noticed until I was on foot is this spiral staircase in the middle of the 5. Oh, and the peacocks.



I mentioned in my interview with Karie Bible that it seems like there's a renewed interest in public space not just in Los Angeles but around the country. It seems like everywhere there are farmers markets, community gardens, open streets events, outdoor film screenings, &c and you recently spoke on that for the Third Los Angeles Project. It seems to me like the last frontier of the public resurgence is public transit. Do you agree and if so, to what do you attribute that? 

It may even be the other way around. In LA and many other cities, it's these new public transit investments which actually started in the last decade or so but are finally starting to really become part of the urban fabric. Now people can start to see a real way to live locally and publicly -- things like farmers markets, pocket parks -- because good transit helps enable that.

I get my news from a variety of domestic and foreign sources but I am routinely bemused, baffled, and annoyed at how continually both incredibly condescending and utterly disconnected New Yorkpublications are about Los Angeles. What is that all about? 

Dude. It's really just so 1990s to trash LA, but luckily we don't really care. However I have started a hashtag to track all the offenses at #LAHaters. Curbed did an awesome bingo card recently with all the stereotypes listed. We need to turn it into a drinking game.

Curbed LA's NYTBingo

Since we speak the same language, why do you think New Yorkers don't just read about Los Angeles from people who actually know what they're talking about? Is it because they don't know who they are? Who would you recommend following or non-fiction books do you recommend reading? 

I think they should just stay in their bubble. Their dirty-snow-on-the-first-day-of-spring bubble.



Obviously there's the City of Los Angeles and the County of Los Angeles but what are the boundaries of your "Los Angeles?" For example, does it exclude parts of Los Angeles city or county or does it include parts of the Inland Empire or Orange County? 

LA is a state of mind for sure. I'd definitely include the IE and OC -- but that's really a bigger question. I'd love to see you do a mapping exercise that explored this!



If you had first-time guests with wide-open minds and broad interests, what would you show them in Los Angeles? 

My favorite-ever thing to show people in LA is the Big Parade, a two day, 40-mile, 100-staircase walk from downtown to Hollywood. It is the best possible primer for the city because it shows you that the city was actually built around people, not cars. But it's also a great way to see great architecture, meet wonderful neighbors and of course have a lot of fun.

Are there any organizations or folks that you'd like to give shout outs to or anything else you'd like to say here? 

If you want to go on eastside design tours like the Dodger Stadium one you mentioned above, come todesigneastoflabrea.org and sign up for our newsletter. And if you want to join some fun walks that explore the city's thriving pedestrian culture, come to losangeleswalks.org!

John Mayall -- "Walking on Sunset"

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Female Experimental Filmmakers: A Noncomprehensive A-Z

FEMALE EXPERIMENTAL FILMMAKERS: A NONCOMPREHENSIVE A-Z or...

50 OR SO FILMMAKERS YOU DON'T KNOW, WHO WILL SHOCK YOU, AND WHO HOLLYWOOD IS SCARED TO DEATH OF!

There are almost as many types of experimental films as there are experimental filmmakers. Many of them come to film from different directions than conventional filmmakers -- weaving together psychology, painting, dance, poetry, literature, theater, sculpture, and other fields. This being Women's History Month, I thought I'd have a crack at compiling a list of some of the names with which I'm familiar. If you have additions you'd like me to insert, let me know in the comments.



AMY GREENFIELD

Amy Greenfield was born 8 July, 1950 in Boston. She is an originator of the cine-dance genre, her namefor her artistic intersection of experimental film and dance. In addition to film she's created holographic moving sculptures, live multimedia pieces, poetry, and video installations.



BADY MINCK

Bady Minck was born in Ettelbruck, Luxembourg. She studied sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts and experimental film at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Her debut, 1988's Der Mensch mit den modernen Nerven, was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1989. Minck today divides her time between Luxembourg and Vienna.



BARBARA HAMMER

Barbara Hammer's Dyketactics (1974) -- NSFW

Barbara Hammer was born 15 May 1939 in Los Angeles. She graduated from University of California at Los Angeles with a degree in psychology and later earned degrees in English literature and film at San Francisco State University. Today she is a professor at the European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland.



BETH BILLINGSLEY

Beth Billingsley studied art at the School of Visual Arts. She married sculptor Scott Billingsley and the two formed the filmmaking duo Scott B and Beth B who were seminal figures of the No Wave scene. Their first film was G-Man (1978). Beth Billingsley began making films outside Scott B and Beth B in 1987.



BETZY BROMBERG

Betzy Bromberg studied film at California Institute of the Arts in the 1970s. She began making experimental films in 1976 and her early films included Petit Mal (1977) and Ciao Bella (1978). Today she serves as the Director of the Program in Film and Video at that same school.



CHIAKI WATANABE

Chiaki Watanabe's muX

Chiaki Watanabe (also known as CHIAKI) studied at School of Visual Arts. Today she divides her time between New York and Copenhagen.



COLEEN FITZGIBBON

Coleen Fitzgibbon's Land of Nod (1992/2013)

Coleen Fitzgibbon was born in 1950. She studied structuralist cinema at the Art Institute of Chicago and with the Whitney Independent Study Program. In 1976 she co-founded the collaborative X&Y with Robin Winters. In the late 1970s she was associated with New York's No Wave scene and today she divides her time between New York and Montana.



DINORAH DE JESUS RODRIGUEZ

Dinorah de Jesus Rodriguez's Elixir (2004)

Dinorah de Jesus Rodriguez was born 28 April, 1957 in Placetas, Cuba. At the age of six she emigrated with her family to the US via Spain. She developed an interest in filmmaking whilst studying journalism at Boston University in 1975. In 1978 Rodriguez moved to California but today she lives in Miami.



EILEEN MAXSON 

Eileen Maxson was born 1980 in New York. Maxson received degrees from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Houston.



ELAINE SUMMERS

Elaine Summers's Tumble Dance (1965)

Lillian Elaine Summers was born 20 February 1925, in Perth, Australia. She grew up in Boston and first studied art education at the Massachusetts College of Art. She was a founding member of the group from which the Judson Dance Theater would coalesce. She died after a fall at her home at New York's Bellevue Hospital on 27 December, 2014.



G. B. JONES

G. B. Jones was born in Bowmanville, Ontario. Her synthpunk band, Bunny and the Lakers, released their only album, Numbers in 1979. She went on to co-found the post-punk band, Fifth Column. Jones also made experimental Super 8 mm films, often in collaboration with Bruce LaBruce.



GERMAINE DULAC

Germaine Dulac's Étude cinégraphique sur une arabesque (1929)

Germaine Dulac was born Charlotte Elisabeth Germaine Saisset-Schneider on 17 November 1882, in Amiens, France. After initially working as a journalist she became interested in film through her friend, actress Stacia Napierkowska in 1914. Dulac and writer Irene Hillel-Erlanger then founded DH Films and produced a series of films from 1915-1920. Dulac died in Paris on 20 July 1942.



JAN MILLSAPPS

Jan Millsapps was born 26 February 1950 in Concord, North Carolina. She rose to prominence as an independent experimental animator and her film, Parthenogenesis, was awarded at the North Carolina Film Festival in 1976. She was a professor of cinema at San Francisco State University from 1987 and from 1991 to 1995 she served as chair of the cinema department at the school.



JANIS CRYSTAL LIPZIN

Janis Crystal Lipzin was born in 1945 in Colorado Springs. She studied painting and photography at Ohio University and New York University, and film at the San Francisco Art Institute. She made numerous Super 8 mm and 16 mm films begining in the mid-1970s. She directed the film/photo program at Antioch College and taught film and Interdisciplinary studies at the San Francisco Art Institute from 1978 to 2009.



JEANNE LIOTTA

Jeanne Liotta was born in 1960 in Brooklyn. She studied theater at New York University where she collaborated with Gargoyle Mechanique, The Living Theatre, and the Alchemical Theatre Company. From the 1985-1995 she collaborated on films and other artwork with Bradley Eros. In 1993 she founded the Firefly Cinema, which operated until 2010. She is also currently a professor of film studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College.



JOYCE WIELAND 

Joyce Wieland's Sailboat (1967)

Joyce Wieland was born 30 June 1931, in Toronto. She studied commercial art and graphic design at Toronto's Central Technical School and began making experimental films in the 1950s. In 1962, Wieland and her husband filmmaker Michael Snow moved to New York where they lived until 1970. She died from Alzheimer's disease on 27 June 1998.



LARUA MULVEY

Laura Mulvey was born 15 August, 1941. She was educated at St Hilda's College, Oxford. Mulvey arose as a prominent experimental filmmaker in the 1970s, co-writing and co-directing films with her husband, Peter Wollen. Today she is professor of film and media studies at Birkbeck, University of London.



LEAH GILLIAM

Leah Gilliam was born in 1967 in Washington, DC. She studied modern culture and media at Brown University, film and twentieth century studies at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and interactive communication at New York University. She began making experimental films with 1992's Now Pretend.



LESLIE THORNTON

Leslie Thornton was born in 1951 in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She grew up in Cincinnati. She attended the State University of New York at Buffalo and later at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Thornton began as a painter in the early 1970s and began filmmaking with Face (1974). She currently a professor of modern culture and media at Brown University and divides her time between Providence and New York City.



LYNNE SACHS

Lynne Sachs was born 10 August, 1961 in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Brown University where she majored in history and developed an interest in experimental documentary filmmaking. In 1985 she moved to San Francisco where she attended San Francisco State University and later the San Francisco Art Institute. In 1989 she made a long format experimental documentary, Sermons and Sacred Pictures. She currently teaches experimental film and video at New York University and lives in Brooklyn.



MAMA BAER

Mama Baer was born Andrea Katharina Ingeborg Gothling in 1981. She began as a post-industrial and noise musician in 1999 and began making experimental films in the 2000s. She currently lives in Flensburg, Germany where she often collaborates with her husband Kommissar Hjuler as "Kommissar Hjuler und Frau."



MARIE EPSTEIN

Marie Epstein (née Marie-Antonine Epstein) was born 14 August 1899 in Warsaw. She collaborated with her brother Jean Epstein, director Jean Benoit-Lévy, and later worked as a film preservationist at Cinémathèque francaise. She died 24 April 1995 in Paris.



MARIE MENKEN

Marie Menken's Lights (1964-1966)

Marie Menken (née Marie Menkevicius) was born 25 May 1909 in Brooklyn. She studied painting at the New York School of Fine and Industrial Arts and the Art Students League of New York. Menken and her husband Willard Maas co-founded the avant-garde Gryphon Group in the mid-1940s. She died 29 December 1970 in Brooklyn.



MARJORIE KELLER

Marjorie Keller was born in 1950 in Yorktown, New York. She enrolled at Tufts University but transferred to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She began making films in 1972 and earned a degree in cinema studies at New York University in 1975. She was working on a book on experimental female filmmakers at the time of her death in 1994.



MARTHA COLBURN

Martha Colburn was born in 1972 and grew up in the country between Gettysburg and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. In 1990 she enrolled at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. She began making films in 1994 and around the same time formed The Dramatics (not to be confused with the famous Motown group of the same name) who scored many of Colburn's films.



MARY ELLEN BUTE

Mary Ellen Bute's Synchromy No. 4: Escape (1938)

Mary Ellen Bute was born 21 November 1906 in Houston, Texas. She studied stage lighting at Yale University. Bute's her abstract animated films were widely screened in cinemas before features in from in the 1930s until 1953, and she categorized them as "visual music" and later named the Seeing Sound series. She died of heart failure at New York City's Cabrini Medical Center on 17 October 1983.



MARY HALLOCK-GREENWALT

Mary Elizabeth Hallock-Greenewalt was born in 1871 in Beirut. She studied piano at the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music and with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna. Although best known as a pianist, she was also an inventor and pioneered visual music with an invention she called Nourathar which synchronized film to musical recordings and she hand-painted films films as well. She died in 1951.



MAYA DEREN 

Maya Deren was born Eleanora Derenkowskaia (Элеоно́ра Деренко́вская) on 29 April 1917 in Ukraine. In 1922, her family emigrated to Syracuse, New York, where her father shortened their family name to Deren. In 1930, Eleanora Deren enrolled at the League of Nations International School of Geneva. She graduated from New York University with a degree in literature. She adopted the surname Maya in 1943, after she moved to Los Angeles. Her experimental collaboration with Alexander Hammid, Meshes of the Afternoon (1943), is one of the most influential avant-garde films in history. She died on 13 October 1961 from a brain hemorrhage brought on by extreme malnutrition.



MIDI ONODERA

Midi Onodera was born in Toronto. She began making experimental films in the late 1970s. In 1979 she made Untitled, Contemplation, and Reality-Illusion.



NANCY SAVOCA

Nancy Laura Savoca was born 23 July 1959 in the Bronx. In 1980 she married to writer and producer Richard Guay. She graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1982 where she made two shorts, Renata and Bad Timing.



PEGGY AHWESH

Margaret "Peggy" Ahwesh was born 1954 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. She earned a degree from Antioch College. She began her film career in 1983, with the Super 8 work Pittsburgh Trilogy. She began teaching film and electronic arts at Bard College in 1990.



REBECCA HORN

Rebecca Horn's Berlin (1974)

Rebecca Horn was born 24 March 1944, in Michelstadt, Germany. In 1963 she enrolled at the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg but withdrew the following year after contracting lung poisoning. She currently divides her time between Berlin and Paris.



SADAF FOROUGHI

Sadaf Foroughi (صدف فروغی) was born 27 July 1976 in Tehran. She studied French literature and philosophy at the University of Provence in Aix-en-Provence, France. She began making film with 2004's Une Impression.



SADIE BENNING

Sadie Benning was born 11 April 1973 in Milwaukee. She began experimenting with film as a child with a Fisher-Price Pixelvision PXL-2000 toy camera. In 1998, Benning co-founded Le Tigre with Kathleen Hanna and Johanna Fateman. Benning left the band in 2000.


SHARON LOCKHART

Filmmaker and photographer Sharon Lockhart was born in 1964 in Norwood, Massachusetts. She received degrees from San Francisco Art institute and the Art Center College of Design. She is currently an associate professor at the University of Southern California's Roski School of Fine Arts, and lives in Los Angeles.



SHIRLEY CLARKE 

Shirley Clarke's Bridges-Go-Round (1958)

Shirley Clarke (née Shirley Brimberg) was born in New York City on 2 October 1919. She studied dance at Stephens College, Johns Hopkins University, Bennington College, and University of North Carolina. She began to show interest in filmmaking in the 1950s, completing Dance in the Sun in 1953. She died after a stroke in Boston on 23 September 1997.



STEPHANIE BARBER

Stephanie Barber was born in Riverhead, New York and grew up in Long Island. She studied film and poetry at Binghamton University. She is currently a resident artist in the multidisciplinary MFA program at Baltimore's Mt. Royal School of Interdisciplinary Art.



SU FRIEDRICH

Su Friedrich was born 12 December 1954 in New Haven, Connecticut. She studied art and art history at Oberlin College. She made her first film, Hot Water, in 1978. Since 1998, has taught at the Center for the Creative and Performing Arts at Princeton University. Today she lives in Brooklyn.



SUZAN PITT

Suzan Pitt produces experimental animated films. She was studying painting when began experimenting with 16mm film, creating Bowl, Theatre, Garden, Marble Game in 1970. She currently teaches with the experimental animation program at California Institute of the Arts.



TRACEY MOFFATT

Tracey Moffatt was born 12 November, 1960 in Brisbane, Australia. She graduated from the Queensland College of Art in 1982 when she filmed the documentary, Guniwaya Ngigu. She's primarily known for her photography, but has made several experimental films.



TRINH T. MINH-HA

Trinh T. Minh-ha's Reassemblage (1983)

Trinh T. Minh-ha was born in Hanoi and raised in South Vietnam during the war. She studied piano and music composition at the National Conservatory of Music and Theater in Saigon before emigrating to the US in 1970. Her first 16mm film, Reassemblage, was filmed in Senegal and released in 1983.



VAGINAL DAVIS

Vaginal Davis was born in Los Angeles. Davis's band The Afro Sisters released their first seven-inch EP Indigo, Sassafras & Molasses, on Amoeba Records in 1978 and later opened for The Smiths and Happy Mondays on both of their first American tours. She began making experimental films with 1994's Designy Living. She currently lives in Berlin.



VENA KAVA

Vena Kava was born 2 November 1986, in Zakopane, Poland. When seven years old, her family emigrated to the US. Kava studied experimental filmmaking at Emerson College in Boston and later the San Francisco Art Institute. Kava currently lives in Montreal.



VIVIAN OSTROVSKY

Vivian Ostrovsky was born 17 November 1945, in New York and spent most of her childhood in Rio de Janeiro. She studied psychology at Paris's Institut de Psychologie and later film at the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle and by Henri Langlois and Eric Rohmer. In the 1970s, Ostrovsky and Rosine Grange co-founded Ciné-Femmes International.



VIVIENNE DICK

Vivienne Dick was born 1950 in Donegal, Ireland. She attended school there before emigrating to the US in the 1970s where she became associated with the No Wave scene. In 1982 Dick moved back to Ireland and today she teaches filmmaking at Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.



ZEINABU IRENE DAVIS

Zeinabu irene Davis was born in Philadelphia and began making film at Brown University. She later received an MFA in motion picture/television production at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is also a professor of the Department of Communication at the University of California, San Diego.

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FURTHER READING

Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement (by B. Ruby Rich, 1998) Women and Experimental Filmmaking (edited by Jean Petrolle and Virginia Wright Wexman, 2005)
Women's Experimental Cinema : Critical Frameworks (by Robin Blaetz, 2007)

If you're in Los Angeles, check out the Los Angeles Film Forum, the "longest-running organization in Southern California dedicated exclusively to the ongoing, non-commercial exhibition of independent, experimental, and progressive media art."

*****

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All-Female Bands of the 1970s -- Happy Women's History Month!

I wrote a post on all-female bands from the 1910s-1950s, and a post covering all-female bands of the 1960s -- here's my attempt at a conclusive A-Z (and other alphabets) of all-female bands of the 1970s. Details are often sketchy or non-existent and as always corrections and contributions are appreciated!

DIE ÄTZTUSSIS

 

 

Die Ätztussis were an anarcho-punk band from the Kreuzberg section of West Berlin, active at least as early as 1979 when they played the Antifaschistischen Festival. The members were Cordula (vocals), Kiki (bass), Menusch (guitar), and Petra (drums).

‘B’ GIRLS

'B' Girls in 1977 (image source: Rodney Bowes)

 

Cynthia Ross, Lucasta Rochas, Marcy Saddy, and Rhonda Ross formed 'B' Girls in Toronto in 1977. Although they recorded a handful of demos, they only released one single, "Fun At The Beach," on BOMP! in 1979. Roaches was replaced by Xenia Holiday before they broke up in 1981 or ’82. A collection of their recordings were released as Who Says Girls Can't Rock in 1997.

BEBE K’ROCHE

 

BeBe K’Roche were formed in Berkeley by Jake Lampert, Pamela "Tiik" Pollet, Peggy Mitchell, and Virginia Rubino in 1973. They released one single, “Hoodoo’d,” and an eponymous LP in 1976 on Los Angeles’s Olivia Records.

BERKELEY WOMEN’S MUSIC COLLECTIVE 

 

Berkeley Women's Music Collective in 1973 (image source: Queer Music Heritage)

Berkeley Women's Music Collective were comprised of Debbie Lempke, Jake Lampert, Nancy Henderson, Nancy Vogl, and Susann Shanbaum. Lampert later went on to play in the all-female BeBe K’Roche. Henderson left the band to become a physical education instructor before they recorded Berkeley Women's Music Collective (1976) and Tryin' To Survive (1978).

BITCH

Bitch were from the Chicago area and were comprised of Donna Agresti (drums), Donna Kirkendall (bass), Gerre Edinger (guitar), Lorrie Kountz (guitar), and Nancy Davis (vocals). They were  active from the late 1970s until at least 1981.

THE BLOWDRIERS

 

The Blowdriers were an all-female punk band from the San Francisco Bay area who recorded the song, “Berkeley Farms” which was included on the 1993 compilation Killed By Death #13.

THE BODYSNATCHERS 

 

Two Tone ska group The Bodysnatchers formed in London in 1979 and were comprised of Miranda Joyce (alto saxophone), Nicky Summers (bass), Penny Leyton (keyboards), Rhoda Dakar (vocals), Sarah-Jane Owen (lead guitar), and Stella Barker (rhythm guitar). In 1980 they released “Let's Do Rock Steady."

 

BRIGHT GIRLS

 

Debbie Trethaway (drums), Jane Boston (harmonica), Jen Green (rhythm guitar), Jude Winter (electric piano), Rose Yates (bass), Susy Taylor (vocals), and Tasha Fairbanks (saxophone) formed Devil’s Dykes in Brighton in 1977. The band changed their name to Bright Girls in 1980 and their song “Hidden From History” was included on the compilation Vaultage 80: A Vinyl Chapter (1980). They stopped performing in 1990.

BRISTOL WOMEN’S MUSIC COLLECTIVE

 

The Bristol Women’s Music Collective formed around 1978. They were the subject of the short documentary, In Our Own Time (1981), produced by Women in Moving Pictures (WIMPS).

 

CARAMBOLAGE 

 

Neue Deutsche Welle group Carambolage were formed in 1979 by Angie Olbrich, Britta Neander, Elfie-Esther Steitz, and Janett Lemmen. They released an eponymous album in 1980 and Eilzustellung-Exprès in 1982.

THE CASTRATORS

 

The Castrators were an all-female punk band with Angela Risner, Tessa Pollit (guitar) — who went on to join The Slits as bassist — and Budgie, who apparently was NOT the Budgie of The Slits. They were profiled by News of The World in 1977 for a piece on female punks.

THE CHICAGO WOMEN’S LIBERATION ROCK BAND 

 

 

 

The Chicago Women's Liberation Rock Band teamed with The New Haven Woman's Liberation Rock Band and released Mountain Moving Day on Rounder in 1972. Their side included the songs “Secretary,” “Ain't Gonna Marry,” “Papa (Don't Lay That Shit on Me),” and “Mountain Moving Day.”

CLAPPERCLAW 

 

 

Clapperclaw were a London-based theatrical group comprised of Caroline John, Rae Levy, Rix Pyke, and one other member. They active from around 1978 who performed feminist, socialist satirical music hall on instruments ranging from accordion, banjo, clarinet, guitar, mandolin, pianos, recorders, spoons, triangle, and whistles.

CLITO

 

 

Clito were an Italian punk band formed around 1978 in Milan. They were comprised of Elettra Sax (saxophone), Klara Lux (drums), Norma Loid (guitar), Olivia Gintonic (bass), and Ruby Scass (vocals). Their songs “Giangol” and “Se La Vita E' Faticosa” were later included on the compilation Italian Records called The Singles 7'' Collection (1980-1984) (2013).

THE CURSE

 

 

The Curse were formed in Toronto in 1977. The band was comprised of Dr. Bourque (bass, backing vocals), Mickey Skin (vocals), Patzy Poizon (drums, backing vocals), and Trixie Danger (guitar, backing vocals). They released the single “Shoeshine Boy” b/w “The Killer Bees” in 1978.

THE DEADLY NIGHTSHADE

The Deadly Nightshade (image source: The Deadly Nightshade)

The Deadly Nightshade formed in Northampton in 1972 and were comprised of Anne Bowen (rhythm guitar), Helen Hooke (lead guitar, fiddle), and Pamela Robin Brandt (bass). They released two records, The Deadly Nightshade (1975) and F&W (1976).

THE DINETTES

 

The Dinettes formed in San Diego as The Cockpits in 1978 who, after a couple of line-up changes, coalesced around Cindy Brisco (drums), Doriot Negrette (vocals), Irene Liberatore-Dolan (drums), Joyce Rooks (guitar, vocals), Lisa Aston Emerson (guitar), and Sue Ferguson (keyboards) as The Dinettes. They released “Poison” b/w “T.V.” in 1979.

DOLLY MIXTURE 

 

 

 

 

Dolly Mixture were formed in 1978 by Debsey Wykes (bass, piano, vocals), Hester Smith (drums, vocals), and Rachel Bor (guitar, cello, vocals) in Cambridge. After releasing three singles in three years they released the limited edition Demonstration Tapes in 1983. Wykes and Smith went on to form Coming Up Roses and Bor performed with Fruit Machine. Wykes later performed with Saint Etienne and later, Birdie.

ELECTRA 

Electra(image source: The Women's Liberation Music Archive)

Electra were formed in Suffolk in 1979 by Celia Tordoff (congas) Gill Alexander (bass), Lizzie Scott (piano, bass, guitar, vocals), Lizzy Smith (guitar, lead vocals), Margi Stevenson (vocals, percussion), Nicolette Vine (vocals), and Rachel Perry (piano, bass, guitar). In 1986, Smith, Stevenson, Perry, and Paddy Tanton (vocals) formed The Lizzy Smith Band, which continued until 1993.

EMILY SWAY AND THE SHUFFLE SISTERS

No information available!

THE FEMINIST IMPROVISING GROUP

 

 

The Feminist Improvising Group (Image source: The Women's Liberation Music Archive)

 

The Feminist Improvising Group (FIG) formed in 1977. Their ranks included Angèle Veltmeijer (flute, tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone), Annemarie Roelofs (trombone, violin), Cathy Williams (keyboards), Corinne Liensol (trumpet), Françoise Dupety (alto saxophone, guitar), Frankie Armstrong (vocals), Georgie Born (cello, bass guitar), Irène Schweizer (piano, drums), Lindsay Cooper (bassoon, oboe, soprano saxophone), Maggie Nicols (vocals), and Sally Potter (vocals, alto saxophone). They released an eponymous album in 1979 before disbanding in 1982.

THE FLATBACKERS 

 

 

The Flatbackers formed in the UK in 1978 and were Julie Usher (lead guitar, vocals), Lucy Dray (bass, vocals), and Lyn Monk (drums, percussion, backing vocals). They released three singles, “Pumping Iron,” “Buzzz Going Round,” and “Serenade Of Love” in 1980 and 1981. They disbanded in 1981.

DIE FLYING LESBIANS 

Die Flying Lesbians were formed in Germany in 1974 and included Cäcilia Rentmeister (piano, synthesizer, harmonica, vocals), Christel Wachowski (guitar, percussion), Danielle de Baat (guitar, bass, vocals), Gigi (Christa) Lansch (percussion), and Monika Jaeckel (drums, percussion). They released a self-titled album in 1975.

GALAXY  

Galaxy were a heavy psych/space rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida by Frenzi Fabbri (guitar), Miss Gunner Powell (drums), Pepper Leonardi (bass), and Space Mama Geiger (keyboards). They released Day Without the Sun in 1976.

GIRLS 

Girls were a Japanese five-piece comprised of Gill, Lena, Llia, Rita, and Sadie. They released the albums, Noraneko (野良猫) (1977), Punky Kiss (1977), and Girls (1978).

GIRLSCHOOL

 

Girlschool are a British Heavy Metal band which formed in 1978. Their roots go back to Wandsworth where in 1975 Dinah 'Enid' Williams (bass, vocals), Kim McAuliffe (rhythm guitar, vocals), and Tina Gayle (drums) formed Painted Lady. In 1978, McAuliffe, Williams, Denise Dufort (drums), and Kelly Johnson (lead guitar) changed their name to Girlschool and released their first single, “Take It All Away.” They still perform to this day, with McAuliffe, Williams, Dufort, and Jackie Chambers (lead guitar, backing vocals).

THE GO-GO’S 

 

The Go-Go's, 1979 (image source: David Ferguson)

 

 

The Go-Go’s were formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by Belinda Carlisle (vocals), Elissa Bello (drums), Jane Wiedlin (guitar, vocals), and Margot Olavarria (bass). Although initially punk, they found fame as a pop band in the 1980s. Wiedlin released several solo albums, as did Carlisle and Gina Shock, who early on replaced drummer Bello.

ISIS

 

 

Isis formed in New York City in 1973. Their ranks included Barbara Cobb (bass), Carol MacDonald (vocals, guitar), Ellen Seeling (trumpet), Edith Dankowitz (saxophone, flute, clarinet), Faith Fusillo (guitar), Ginger Bianco (drums, percussion), Jeanie Fineberg (saxophone, flute, piccolo), Lauren Draper (trumpet, vocals), Lolly Bienenfield (trombone, vocals), Lynx (saxophone, guitar), Margo Lewis (keyboards), Nydia "Liberty" Mata (percussion), Renate Ferrer (guitar), Suzi Ghezzi (guitar), Stella Bass (bass, vocals), and Vivian Stoll (drums, vibraphone). They released three albums, Isis (1974), Ain't No Backin' Up Now (1975), and Breaking Through (1977).

JAM TODAY

 

Jam Today (image source: The Women's Liberation Music Archive)

Jam Today were formed in 1976 in Peckham, UK. Over the course of several line-ups their ranks included Alison Rayner (bass), Angele Veltmeijer (saxophone, flute), Barbara Stretch (vocals), Corinne Liensol, Deirdre Cartright (guitar), Diana Wood (vocals, alto saxophone), Fran Rayner, Frankie Green (drums), Jackie Crew (drums), Joey (vocals), Josefina Cupido (percussion, vocals), Josie Mitten (keyboards, vocals), Julia Dawkins (saxophone, flute), Laka Daisical (vocals, keyboards), Nicki Francis (saxophone, flute), Sarah Greaves Baker (trumpet), Terry Hunt (guitar), and Vicky Aspinall (violin). They (when the band was comprised of Crew, Dawkins, Hunt, Rayner, and Stretch) only got around to releasing one EP, Stereotyping, in 1981.

KANDEGGINA GANG

 

Kandeggina Gang, which included Jo Squillo, was a punk band which formed in Milan in 1979. They released one single, “Sono captive” b/w “Orrore” before disbanding in 1981.

KLEENEX

 

 

 

Kleenex formed in Zurich in 1978 with a line-up of  Klaudia Schiff (bass, vocals), Lislot Ha (drums), Marlene Marder (guitar), and Regula Sing (vocals). Initially Kleenex were assisted by Rudolph Dietrich and Gogi Düggelbach of Nasal Boys (I smell a theme here) but the core of the band was always female, revolving around the duo of Ha and Schiff. Sing (nee Ramona Carlier) left to join The Mo-Dettes and was replaced by Chrigle Freund, who was subsequently replaced by Astrid Spirit. In 1979, faced with legal action from the popular American manufacturer of snot rags, Kleenex changed their name to LiLiPUT, and no legal threat ensued from the estate of Jonathan Swift. After their dissolution, Marder wrote the book, Kleenex/LiLiPUT - Das Tagebuch der Gitarristin Marlene Marder and the band's output was collected and released by Kill Rock Stars as LiLiPUT.

THE KLITZ 

 

The Klitz formed in Memphis, Tennessee in 1978 and were comprised of Amy Gassner (bass), Gail Elise Clifton (vocals), Lesa Aldridge (guitar), and Marcia Clifton (drums). They recorded “Couldn't Be Bothered,” “Two Chords,” “Hard Up,” and a cover of Alex Chilton’s “Hook or Crook” before disbanding.

KLYMAXX 

Klymaxx were a Los Angeles funk band who formed in 1979. The members were Bernadette Cooper (drums, vocals), Cheryl Cooley (guitar, vocals), Joyce "Fenderella" Irby (bass, vocals), Lorena Porter Shelby (vocals), Lynn Malsby (keyboards), and Robbin Grider (synthesizers, guitar). Their first big hit was 1984’s Meeting In The Ladies Room.

 

LAVENDER JANE 

Lavender Jane (image source: Alix Dobkin)

 

Lavender Jane were comprised of Alix Dobkin, Kay Gardner, and Patches Attom. They released Lavender Jane Loves Women in 1975. Dobkin went on to form Alix Dobkin Featuring the Lesbian Power Authority who released Living With Lesbians in 1976 and she released the solo, Alix, in 1980. Gardner released several solo albums before dying in 2002.

 

 

THE LONDON WOMEN’S LIBERATION ROCK BAND

 

The London Women’s Liberation Rock Band (image source: Women's Liberation Music Archive)

The London Women’s Liberation Rock Band were formed in 1972 by Alaine (guitar), Angele Veltmeijer (vocals and flute), Eleanor Thorneycroft (bass guitar), Frankie Green (drums), and Hazel Twort (vocals, keyboard).

MAIDEN VOYAGE

Maiden Voyage were Hetsilla Sharkey (flute, saxophone, keyboards), Leslie LaRonga (drums), Missy Wolcott (bass, keyboards, banjo), Nancy Pollock (guitar, trumpet, trombone), and Terry Sausville (keyboards, flute, trumpet). They released In New York in 1974.

THE MASCARAS 

The Mascaras were an obscure punk group who existed around 1977, when they Tony Wilson’s So It Goes.

水玉消防団 

 

 

水玉消防団 formed in Tokyo in 1979. Members included 天鼓 (guitar, vocals), カムラ (bass), 可夜 (piano, electric piano, organ), まなこ (guitar), and 宮本 (drums). They released Otome no Inori wa Da Da Da (1981) and 満天に赤い花びら (1985) before disbanding in 1988.

MO-DETTES 

 

Mo-dettes formed in London in 1979 — originally as The Bomberettes. They included Jane Crockford (bass), June Kingston (drums, vocals), Kate Korus (guitar), and Ramona Carlier (vocals). The one album wonders released the optimistically-titles The Story So Far in 1980. Melissa Ritter replaced Korus in 1981 and Sue Slack replaced Carlier in 1982, shortly before they disbanded.

MOTHER SUPERIOR

 

 

 

Mother Superior were a progressive rock band who formed in London in 1974. Their line-up included Audrey Swinburne (lead guitar, lead vocals), Jackie Badger (bass, vocals), Jackie Crew (drums, vocals), and Lesley Sly (keyboards, lead vocals). They released Lady Madonna in 1975 and disbanded in 1977.

MOTHER TRUCKER 

 

 

Mother Trucker formed in Hounslow, UK around 1974 and were comprised of Billie Simpkins (lead vocals), Freddie Barnes (drums), Jackie Ellender (bass guitar), Leslie Rice-Paddington (guitar), Ronnie McBurney (vocals) and were signed to Ember Records. They released a self-titled album in 1975.

NECESSARY EVIL

Necessary Evil were a British punk band formed around 1979 who existed until 1980.

NEO BOYS 

 

 

Neo Boys formed in Portland in 1978. The members were Jennifer Labianco (guitar), K.T. Kincaid (vocals), Kim Kincaid (bass), and Pat Baum (drums). Labianco was replaced by Meg Hentges. They released “Neo Boys” in 1980 and the Crumbling Myths EP in 1982. A compilation, Sooner Or Later, was released in 2013.

THE NEW HAVEN WOMEN’S LIBERATION ROCK BAND 

The New Haven Women's Liberation Rock Band appeared on the split 1972 LP Mountain Moving Day with The Chicago Women's Liberation Rock Band. The New Haven Woman's Liberation Rock Band’s side contained the songs “Abortion Song,” “Sister Witch,” “Prison Song,” “So Fine,” and “Shotgun.”

THE NIXE 

 

 

The Nixe formed in 1978, in Utrecht, Netherlands. Their line-up was comprised of Ilva Poortvliet (vocals), Marian De Beurs (guitar), Nikki Meijerink (bass), and Simone Luken (drums). They appeared on Utreg-Punx in 1980 and and released The Nixe EP in 1981. They broke up in 1984 but a self-titled compilation was released in 2008.

NOH MERCY

 

Nōh Mercy were a post-punk duo of Esmerelda (vocals, keyboards) and Tony Hotel (drums), who formed in San Francisco in 1977. They disbanded in 1980. A self-titled compilation was released in 2012.

THE NORTHERN WOMEN’S LIBERATION ROCK BAND

The Northern Women’s Liberation Rock Band formed in 1973 and were comprised of Angela Cooper (vocals), Angie Libman (drums), Carol Riddell (keyboards), Frances Bernstein (guitar), Jane Power (rhythm guitar), Jenny Clegg (bass), and Luchia Fitzgerald (vocals).

ÖSTRO 430

 

 

 

Östro 430 were a Neue Deutsche Welle group who formed in Düsseldorf in 1979. The original line-up included Martina Weith (vocals, saxophone), Bettina Flörchinger (keyboards), Monika Kellermann (bass), and Marita Welling (drums). Later members included Olivia Casali (bass), Gisela Hottenroth (bass), Birgit Köster (drums), and Ralf Küpping (guitar). In 1981 they released the Durch dick & dünn EP, in 1983 they released Weiber wie wir, and they disbanded in 1984.

OVA

Ova formed as The Lupin Sisters in 1976 and were Jana Runnalls (vocals, guitar, clarinet, drums, percussion, kazoo) and Rosemary Schonfeld (vocals, 12-string guitar, electric guitar, synthesizer, cabasa, drum programming, marímbula, log drum). They released Out of Bounds (1982) and Possibilities (1984).

PEACHES

 

Peaches, also known as The Vamps, were an Australian trio formed in Sydney in 1975 by Margaret Britt (bass,vocals). In 1978 they released a recording of Willie Harry Wilson’s “Substitute.”

 

PULSALLAMA 

 

Pulsallama were a no wave band which included members Andé Whyland, Ann Magnuson, April Palmieri, Dany Johnson, Jean Caffeine, Kimberly Davis, Lori Montana, Min Thometz, Stace Elkin, and Wendy Wild. They released “The Devil Lives In My Husband's Body” b/w “Ungawa Pt.II (Way Out Guiana)” (1982) and “Oui-Oui (A Canadian In Paris)” b/w “Pulsallama on the Rag” (1983). Magnuson went onto form Bongwater.

QUALITY STREET

Quality Street were a London band formed around 1979 whose members were Angele Veltmeye (saxophone), Maggie Nicols (vocals), Sally Beautista (guitar), and Vicky Scrivener (vocals).

THE RAINCOATS 

 

 

The Raincoats are a British post-punk group formed in 1977 and still active. The original line-up was Ana Da Silva (guitar), Gina Birch (bass), Paloma “Palmolive” Romero (drums), and Vicky Aspinall (guitar, violin). Palmolive was soon replaced by Ingrid Weiss. After releasing three albums, the band broke-up in 1984 but reformed a decade later after their albums were reissued in 1993 with liner notes by Kim Gordon and Kurt Cobain. In the new line-up, Aspinall and Weiss were replaced by Anne Wood and Heather Dunn.

 

 

THE ROCHES

The Roches were a vocal, folk-rock trio formed in Park Ridge, New Jersey by Maggie and Terre Roche. After singing back-up for Paul Simon on There Goes Rhymin' Simon, they released their only album as a duo, Seductive Reasoning, in 1975. Afterward they were joined by younger sister Suzy Roche.

THE RUNAWAYS 

 

 

The Runaways were formed in 9175 by Joan Jett (guitar, vocals), Michael Steele (bass), and Sandy West (drums). Steele left to join The Bangles and was replaced by many bassists, including Peggy Foster, Jackie Fox, Vicki Blue, Laurie McAllister, and Lita Ford (who also played guitar). Cherie Currie joined as lead vocalist in 1975 and, after departing in 1977, was replaced in that role by Jett. They played their last show in 1978 and broke up in 1979.

THE SLITS

 

 

The Slits were a punk band formed in London in 1976 by members who’d formerly been in The Castrators and The Flowers of Romance. The original line-up was Ari Up (Ariane Forster), Palmolive (Paloma Romero), Kate Korus, and Suzy Gutsy. There were line-up changes and The Slits weren’t always all-female (e.g. Budgie) but they primarily presented themselves as an all-female group. They released Cut (1979) and Return of the Giant Slits (1981) before disbanding in 1982. They reformed in 2005 and released Trapped Animal (2009), the year before Forster died.

SNATCH 

Snatch were a punk duo comprised of Judy Nylon and Patti Palladin. They formed in London in 1976 but the two bandmates were both American. After several singles and a collaboration with Brian Eno, they released a self-titled album — their only — in 1983.

SPOILSPORTS 

Spoilsports were Angele Veltmeijer (saxophone), Barbara Stretch (vocals), Carole Nelson (keyboards), Ruth Bitelli (bass), and Sheelagh Way (drums), who formed in 1978. They released one single, “You Gotta Shout” b/w “Love And Romance” in 1980, after which they broke-up.

THE STEPNEY SISTERS

The Stepney Sisters formed in York in 1974. The members were Benni Lees (bass, guitar), Caroline Gilfillan (vocals, drums), Nony Ardill (guitar), Ruthie Smith (vocals, saxophone), Sharon “Shaz” Nassauer (keyboards), and Susy Hogarth (drums). They disbanded in 1976. Their song, “Sisters” was included on the compilation Music & Liberation: A Compilation of Music From the Women's Liberation Movement (2012).

TOUR DE FORCE

 

 

 

Tour de Force were a British new wave quartet who were formed in the late 1970s by Bernice Cartwright (bass), Carol Stocker (vocals), Deirdre Cartwright (vocals, guitar), and Val Lloyd (drums, vocals). They released three singles, “Night Beat” b/w “Tour De Force,” “Beat the Clock” b/w “Undecided,” and “School Rules” b/w “We Don't Talk” in 1980 and ’81.

USCH

 

Usch (also known as Enola Gay) were a Swedish punk band formed in Stockholm in 1978. The original members were Hans Edström (guitar, vocals), Irene Liljeblad (bass, vocals), Jojje Jerngrip (guitar), Kicko (vocals), and Nike Markelius (drums, vocals) and they released Usch EP. In 1980, John Essing (guitar) and Toril Vigerust (guitar, vocals) played in the band and the following year the band released the single “Hatlåten” before disbanding.

UT 

UT (image source: UT/Music)

UT were a New York no wave band formed in 1978 by Jacqui Ham (vocals, bass), Nina Canal (vocals, guitar), and Sally Young (vocals, drums). They released three albums, Conviction (1986), In Gut’s House (1987), and Griller (1989). They were on hiatus from 1991 till 2010, when they returned to live performance.

THE WELDERS 

The Welders were a punk group formed in 1975 in St. Louis, Missouri. The original members were Caroline Fujimoto (bass), Kelly "Rusty" Draper (guitar), Jane Fujimoto (drums, keyboards), Julie (guitar), and Stephanie von Drasek (vocals). Julie left in 1977 and von Drasek in ’78 — their replacements were Colleen (vocals) and Lyla (drums), who remained until the band broke up in 1980 or ’81. Four of their songs, “P-E-R-V-E-R-T,” “Debutantes In Bondage,” “S-O-S Now,” and “Baby Don't Go” were released by Rerun Records in 2010.

WICKED LADY

 

 

 

Wicked Lady were a Dutch band who released three singles “Underneath the Neon Tonight” b/w “Manolito,” “Girls Love Girls” b/w “Daddy’s Little Rich Girl” and “Plastic Queen” b/w “Play the Game” in 1978, 1979, and 1981, respectively.

Y PANTS 

 

Y Pants were a one album wonder comprised of Barbara Ess (bass, ukelele, drum, vocals), Gail Vachon (keyboards, ukelele, vocals), and Virginia Piersol (drums, vocals), who formed in New York City in 1979. They released the Y Pants EP in 1980 and Beat It Down in 1982 before disbanding the same year.

*****

 Special thanks to Women's Liberation Music Archive

*****

 Eric Brightwell is an adventurer, writer, rambler, explorer, cartographer, and guerrilla gardener who is always seeking writing, speaking, traveling, and art opportunities. He is not interested in writing advertorials, clickbait, or listicles and jobs must pay more than slave wages as he would rather write for pleasure than for peanuts. Brightwell’s written work has appeared in Amoeblog, diaCRITICS, and KCET Departures. His work has been featured by the American Institute of Architects, the Architecture & Design Museum, the Craft & Folk Art Museum, Form Follows Function, Los Angeles County Store, Skid Row Housing Trust, and 1650 Gallery. Brightwell has been featured in the Los Angeles Times, Huffington Post, Los Angeles Magazine, LAist, Eastsider LA, Boing Boing, Los Angeles, I’m Yours, and on Notebook on Cities and Culture. He has been a guest speaker on KCRW‘s Which Way, LA? and at Emerson College. Art prints of his maps are available from 1650 Gallery and on other products from Cal31. He is currently writing a book about Los Angeles and you can follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.