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 Just Kids by Patti Smith

As a teenager in the late ‘90s, I was obsessed with all things 1970s. My generation idolized the peace and love era, from scouring thrift shops for the perfect bell-bottoms to begging our parents for stories about Woodstock. While the world was watching the millennium approach, all we wanted to do was look to the past.

And nothing resonated more than the music. Growing up, my parents would blast CCR or Joan Baez, Neil Young and Tom Petty. My first concert was a Crosby, Stills & Nash show in the fourth grade, standing on a stadium seat to see the stage better. While I eventually moved past my love of bell-bottoms, my love of old school rock and roll never truly left me.

Which is why I was so excited to see the trailer for the new Diablo Cody film, Ricki and the Flash.

The movie, out in theaters on Friday, stars Meryl Streep as Ricki, a woman who leaves behind her family in order to pursue her dream of rock-and-roll stardom. When she returns home to help her daughter through a divorce, she has to deal with the estrangements and bitterness she left behind. (She has a bit of consolation in the form of her band’s guitarist played by Rick Springfield.)

While the movie promises Cody’s quick wit and Streep’s unmatched talent, it also got me thinking. Everywhere I look, I see the aging male rock stars whose music I fell in love with as a kid: Neil Young arguing about Donald Trump’s campaign kick off. Steven Tyler mumbling his way through judging American Idol. Crosby, Stills & Nash selling out arenas year after year. But where exactly are all the aging female rock stars upon whom Ricki is based?

It’s not that they’re not touring. Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Patti Smith and Heart all have tours scheduled for 2015. But why aren’t they more in the media? Every music reality show is filled with their male counterparts, while female judges are usually pop stars—and few were even around before the 1990s.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were recently inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but as we previously pointed out, it was a long time coming. Out of 726 musicians inducted, only 66 have been women. I grew up listening to male rockers, sure. But there was also Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry, Grace Slick. Many have retired from the spotlight, but plenty are still around. And it seems like they haven’t been given the status they deserve.

As a society, we’ve never been great about carving out space for aging female artists. Amy Schumer recently shed some light on how hard it is for older actresses with her (very NSFW) skit, “Last F**ckable Day.”

The premise is hilarious, but the idea that there’s a specific moment where women stop being valued is all too real. It’s a topic I hope Ricki and the Flash will touch upon—now that Streep’s character is getting older, what does that honestly mean for her career? It’s a moment that all of my favorite female rockers have had to face as they’ve aged, and the lack of media coverage around those later years speaks volumes.

Recommended Reading:

 Just Kids by Patti Smith (Ecco)

book coverIn her critically acclaimed memoir, Smith recounts her early days in New York City and her relationship with Robert Mapplethorpe. Through lyrical prose and unflinching honesty, Smith describes their bohemian days at the Chelsea Hotel in the late ‘60s and ‘70s. Just Kids won a National Book Award, and for good reason—any fan of music, the ‘70s or just good storytelling should pick up this book.

Buy this Book!

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 Just Kids by Patti Smith
Genre: Fiction
Author: Patti Smith
Publisher: A&C Black
ISBN: 9780747568770
Rachel Carter

Rachel Carter grew up surrounded by trees and snow and mountains. She graduated from the University of Vermont and Columbia University, where she received her MFA in nonfiction writing. She is the author of the So Close to You series with Harperteen. These days you can find her working on her next novel in the woods of Vermont.

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