"This is my first book but I'm already halfway through my next one," laughs author Katherine Yeske Taylor, "I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. I guess I didn't realize until I got into it how difficult writing a book is; writing a book is different from writing an article. This book has been two years in the making which is pretty quick as far as books go but it's a lot more and different work than writing magazine articles."
Taylor, a well-published, knowledgeable music journalist has just finished her first book titled, "She's a Badass: Women In Rock Shaping Feminism" and Tuesday March 5 at 6 p.m. she will be having a discussion and Q & A book signing at Labyrinth Books located at 122 Nassau Street in Princeton, NJ. Joining her will be fellow music journalist and author Tom Beaujor.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty about the book, which exposes some of the true misogyny, discrimination and outright horrible behavior in the music industry told by the women who lived it; let's see where Taylor, a native Georgian, gets her love of music, why she chose the topic and how her own experiences have affected her and her career.
"I've been a music critic since I was 16 years old, so more than 30 years now," she began. "I freelance and contribute quite often to "American Songwriter" and in your state, I contribute to "Aquarian Weekly" quite a bit. I've written for "Billboard" and "Spin" so, yeah, whoever will take me (laughs). I do a lot of regional outlets and places across the country; I've been lucky to get pretty steady work across a wide range of places and I feel fortunate.Over the years I've done probably thousands of interviews and as I talked to the women in this business, I started hearing the same kind of stories over and over again about certain struggles they've had getting fair treatment within the music business. A couple of years ago, I was approached by a literary agent who had been reading my work; specifically he had read an interview I had done with Donita Sparks of L7 where she talked about some of these kinds of things and he said; "Have you ever thought about writing a book?" We kind of took it from there, I wrote up a quote all about women in rock and feminism and he took it to publishers and we got this deal with Backbeat Books. What was interesting to me was that there are plenty of books about women in rock and also a lot of books about feminism but there wasn't one that I could find that specifically combined those two things. So, I thought that it was a really important thing to address in a book finally and 'm really glad that I got these 20 women to agree to talk with me and they were extremely candid. There were a few instances within this book where they said, "I've never really talked about this publicly before" and I feel really honored because I think this a really in depth way to look at a topic for the first time. I hope it does well and so far it is; I'm informed by my publisher that the first run has already sold out and we have a second printing in the works and it has only been out for a week."
"I've always had an obsession with music; my parents listened to music a lot but I'd not say I come from an especially musical family. I'm not sure where it came from but I've always seemed to be more interested in music than most people. When I got into my teens, I tried taking guitar lessons, I took voice lessons and I really practiced a lot but it became clear that I didn't have that particular talent. No matter how much I tried, I was never going to be able to be a professional musician; it was obvious. However, growing up,every English teacher I've ever had said, "You have a gift for this, you should be a writer" and so being a music journalist seemed to combine these two things in a way that I could really excel in; a way where I couldn't excel as an actual musician. I think it helps me as a music journalist because I have a certain amount of understanding and a definite respect for the skill it does take to do what they do. I'm still in awe of anyone who can write a good song, to me it's almost like magic, I still don't understand how they do it. As many times as people have explained their songwriting process to me, I still think there is a magical quality to it and I think that helps me keep my motivation up to continue to do this. "One of my favorite outlets that I write for is "American Songwriter" and the reason I love it so much is because it's the one outlet where I'm truly allowed to ask in depth about the songwriting process; that's the whole point of that magazine. I can talk about it with people in a way that I can't for the other outlets and people love to talk about it; nobody has the same process, approach or method at all."
"I actually started off writing for my school newspaper and they wanted me to cover really boring stuff like student government meetings and I refused," she went on with a laugh."This was when Atlanta was really having a moment with its music scene; bands like The Black Crowes and Indigo Girls were really starting to take off and that's what I wanted to write about; those bands and a lot of the local artists that I thought were really great. So, I would call management companies and when they were done laughing at me because I was requesting to interview bands for my school newspaper, a lot of times they would say yes because they said that they admired that I had the guts to ask and most people are kind and they want to help. When I graduated from high school, I went to college in Athens, GA at the University of Georgia because it has a really good journalism school but it was also a town that was also having a moment. That is when R.E.M and The B-52s and bands like that were getting really popular. So, I just had the really good luck of getting my start in a couple of places that were having a musical heyday. I feel really fortunate that I was able to be in those places at that time."
It was also at this time when Taylor, either knowingly or unknowingly began the process that would result in what has now led her into becoming an author.
"I talk about it in the introduction to this book. When I started out, I had the double whammy of being female and being 16 years old and the established male critics in Atlanta where I got my start just didn't want to let me in the club and some were pretty nasty about it. So, when I hear these stories that women tell, I can unfortunately relate on a personal level because I've experienced some of these things. I had an older man corner me at a nightclub and say, "Do you write your own articles or does the editor write them for you?" In one case, I had a guy come up to me and ask me if I was, "Only getting assignments because I had slept with the editor" and I just always felt that if I had been a teenage boy that was doing this, I really think I would've gotten a different reception. I don't think people would have responded that way, I think they would have said, "Oh what a go-getter" but because I was a young female, I just didn't get the kind of respect that I felt I deserved because I had worked really hard to show that I could do the work at the level necessary to get these kind of opportunities and it was infuriating to have it dismissed like that without even giving me a chance. Fortunately, I think that has gotten better, as I talk to young women who are just starting their journalism careers now, I don't hear stories like that nearly as often. So, I think that is one of the areas that has improved fortunately."
With "She's a Badass: Women In Rock Shaping Feminism" now out and doing well, Taylor credits her open mind as part of the reason she is not only finding success with the book but with her career as a journalist in general.
"I listened to everything, when I took voice lessons; I really took voice lessons. I took opera for years and I obviously really loved rock. My dad was into classical music and blues music and he really exposed me to a lot. There really isn't a genre of music I dislike, I like some more than others but I think it has really served me well because as a freelancer I'm called upon to write about so many different things. One day I may be called upon to interview a leading country artist and the next day an up and coming alternative rock musician and I need to be able to knowledgeably approach both of those kinds of things and so I think it has really helped me in my career to have such a diverse background and interest in so many kinds of things."
So, stated earlier, it was a literary agent who came across her work and suggested she write the book. The book itself is not just a collection of past interviews and/or stories but is somewhat of an emotional rollercoaster as the tales from the ladies inside the covers are full of twists, turns, heartbreak and more but not all are of that variety.
"I will point out, this isn't just some kind of male bashing book," she explained. "The women do talk about times when they were treated badly but all 20 of them made a point of mentioning instances where men helped them in significant ways. I think the message is, we don't like it when we've been treated this certain way. Some of these issues are still kind of ongoing but they are also very positive about the things that have gotten better and the men who have been very helpful to them. So, it's not a bitter book by any means, I do try to point out through their stories things that still need improvement but I think it shows over the last 50 years that a lot of progress has been made."
"These are all new interviews specifically for this book. I started by approaching women that I have interviewed in the past, it seemed like a natural place to start; to send people articles and say, hey remember when I wrote about you this time? Wanna do it again only more in depth? That's how I got about two-thirds of the people in this book. Suzi Quatro and Ann Wilson, Gina Schock of the Go-Gos, Suzanne Vega and people like that. Once they signed on, I was able to get the other third of the women in this book who I'd never talked to before because they saw the other people who had already agreed to participate. So, it kind of snowballed and that's really wonderful because it was an interesting combination of people I was already familiar with and people that I'd never met before, so it was really interesting.I was really lucky that way because when I first got the book deal there were a couple of sleepless nights where I thought; what if I can't get enough people to do this? You just don't know; Suzi Quatro and Ann Wilson were the first two people to sign on to do it and of course when those two said yes, everyone else said, well if they're doing it then I'm doing it.What I really appreciate is these women really put their money where their mouth is; they're committed to helping other women.They got their success after some significant struggles and instead of having it make them bitter, it makes them determined to turn around and help the next woman in line and I really appreciate that."
"It is 20 chapters and each chapter is devoted to one female artist so that she can tell her story in depth. Each chapter is about 4,000 words which is the equivalent of about two magazine cover stories; it's pretty in depth. I just let people tell me their stories because I felt like it was really important to understand their backgrounds, where they came from and how that shaped their opinions on feminism and their careers. It was really eye opening to see how people came to the conclusions they've come to and dealt with the different experiences they've had and even people who I don't really agree with their opinions on things but when I heard their stories I can understand why they felt that way. There is a significant number of women in this book that don't want to be called "Feminists" at all and that's not because they aren't on board with female equality, they just have a problem with the connotation of that word or they may have a problem with the way certain women's movements have progressed; they think it might be too strident or they may think it's male bashing. They each explained their reasons and it's interesting to hear that; meanwhile, in the next chapter, the next woman says, "I'm a dyed in the wool feminist and I will never give up that title." So, it's interesting to hear all of these different and varied takes that people have throughout this book and I hope that anyone reading it will find at least someone in it who expresses views that are similar to their own because the differences and opinions really are so varied in it."
When asked if there were any stories that were either "Gut wrenching" or of a "Feel good" nature; her response was immediate.
"Lydia Lunch certainly had the most gut wrenching story," she said sincerely. "She was a pioneer in the punk and new wave scene in New York in the '70s and who still to this day continues to be a real trailblazer in those genres and spoken word as well. Growing up in Rochester, she was abused by her father, she was a teenage runaway who came to New York City at 16 years old, was homeless and really overcame a lot of trauma from a very difficult youth and it has made her a really tough person but also empathetic in her own way. Her chapter is very moving and sometimes a difficult read because some of the things she went through are just downright horrific."
"Gina Schock of The Go-Go's had the best in terms of a feel good story. She is a very exuberant person and she had very glowing stories about her childhood which sounds like it was quite idyllic. She moved out to L.A. from her native Baltimore and pretty quickly met up with her bandmates who would become The Go-Go's and she had a relatively quick rise to fame which has had its ups and downs with the band but overall it has been a really great experience for her and she is just a very upbeat person; that is a feel good chapter. So, it's interesting, some of these contrasts between the women and their experiences in life and how they adapted."
Surely when hearing these accounts and stories and having to translate them into a book, one's own feelings or opinions must come into play; or do they?
"I think that is where my actual formal journalism training came in. I have a journalism degree and they really hammered home that you have to be objective. Whenever somebody was expressing an opinion that was opposite of my own, I had to remind myself, my job here is not to editorialize, that is not the purpose of this book. My job is to be a conduit and tell her story, tell her truth as she sees it and step out of the way. I really tried to do that; as a human being, I'm not sure that it's possible, 100 percent to be like a robot and not let your opinions or feelings creep into things but I really made a concerted effort in this book to limit my own opinions to the introduction and let the women's shine through. Hopefully, people reading this book will not be able to tell my opinions about what they say at all."
"I ordered this book from oldest to youngest for a purpose; it starts off with Ann Wilson and Suzi Quatro and goes down to young artists like Fefe Dobson and Sade Sanchez of L.A. Witch and I did that on purpose to show how attitudes and things have changed over the decades or experiences have changed over the decades; or not. I hope people will see that things have gotten better and it is going in the right direction but there is still work that needs to be done. I think there needs to be improvement at venues; that is one of the things I've heard over and over again; there are many condescending attitudes towards women and hopefully it too will change. I'm very gratified to see that the prevailing opinion seems to be that this is something that needs to be discussed and it's a worthy topic and that's all I can really ask for; ideally, I hope this book will spark discussion that will lead to some people realizing that things still need to change to a certain degree and that it is a topic that is far from being solved."
March 5 finds her and Beaujour at Labyrinth Books and it is a free event which is open to the public; so what can we expect at the event?
"Tom Beaujor is a "New York Times Best Selling" author of a book called, "Nothin' But A Good Time" and he is going to have a discussion with me about my book, women in rock and feminism in general, so it should be really interesting. He is a well known music writer and not just an author who has had a lengthy career as well so it should be a great discussion. He will ask me questions, we'll talk back and forth and do a comparison and contrast between our books. I would certainly like to open it up to questions from anyone who comes and would like to know something and then I'll be happy to individually meet with people, sign their books and answer any questions that they may have been too shy to ask in front of the group. I think it is going to be a fun time; I'm going to bring my mom, she is the original "Badass" and I dedicated this book to her. So, come out and meet me and say hello to my mom (laughs)!"
The book can be found on all of the usual outlets, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, Bookshop.org and "Kat" can be found online and all social media platforms under Katherine Yeske Taylor Music Journalist.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
