Documentary ‘The Punk Singer’ is Out

Now available to download on iTunes, and running in limited release in Los Angeles and New York, is The Punk Singer, a documentary about the life of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre frontwoman, Kathleen Hanna. An extension of third-wave feminism, Bikini Kill came to prominence in the early 90s, during a time when the mostly male-centric grunge movement was on the rise. To counteract the violence that often erupted during punk and grunge shows, during performances Hanna encouraged the women to come to the front and the men to go to the back.

The doc features interviews with various musicians (at Hanna’s request the number of male interviewees was kept to a minimum), including Hanna’s bandmates; Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth; Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker of Sleater-Kinney; Joan Jett, the Joan Jett; and Hanna’s husband, Adam Horovitz – better known as Ad-Rock of the Beastie Boys. Tamra Davis, the wife of Horovitz’s bandmate, Mike D, helped produce the movie along with director Sini Anderson (in her debut) and several other benefactors. The Punk Singer is one of many films that Kickstarter helped achieve its funding.

If you have an inkling of interest in Hanna, feminism, punk, women, punk-women, music, or any of the people interviewed in the film, head over to iTunes, or look up where and when The Punk Singer is playing on its website.