idol worship: brody dalle

The Reigning Queen of Badassery. Frontwoman for the Distillers (a band who managed to remain pretty true to the punk spirit and sound even after the genre's inception into the mainstream/death in the early '90s) from 1998-2004; frontwoman for Spinnerette 2004-present; ex-wife of Tim Armstrong (Operation Ivy; Rancid; Transplants; also seriously badass, despite his relative success in mainstream venues); current wife of Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age; Eagles of Death Metal; producer of the Arctic Monkeys' latest album Humbug; ginger reincarnation of Elvis Presley (seriously, look him up - it's kind of uncanny)). 

Brody has long been a personal hero of mine. In a genre overrun by high-testosterone dudes, Brody injects an unapologetic (and desperately needed) dose of feminism, but she manages to do so not by flaunting her sexuality, or by undermining her male peers - which, it seems, many female artists feel the need to do in order to exert their womanhood - but by being only and defiantly herself. For lack of a less nauseating term, Brody just does her. She proves that chicks can not only keep up with the boys but can - shocker! - do it harder, faster, and better than them, too, all without having to bare their tits. 

This is a woman who honestly makes me feel proud to be a female and - dare I say it! - empowered. I know I'm not saying anything new when I say that there is a desperate need for more women like Brody in music and culture, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Girls need their heroes, and too few are worthy of filling that role.

Also, in my next life I would like to be reincarnated as Brody's daughter with Josh Homme (*which is not at all a creepy thing to say*), but I'll shut my fangirl mouth and let Brody speak (/howl) for herself.

"The Young Crazed Peeling" - kind of the Distillers' equivalent of a thesis statement. Note the Transplants shirt, which is kind of a cute tribute to her then-husband Tim Armstrong. Also note how goddamn punk she is.

To prove that Brody's voice is truly that awesome without the help of massive studio tweaking, here's the Distillers performing "Drain the Blood" and "Die on a Rope" live on Jools Holland.

The video to Spinnerette's first single "Ghetto Love" which is also one of my favorite songs ever. I can only describe it as slinky. Right? Also note the awesome hat which manages to look genuinely cool on Brody rather than cartoonish and/or desperate. Not many women could pull off a Lord Grantham-style top hat (Downton Abbey nerds -- you know what I'm talking about).

An acoustic version of my favorite Distillers song "Dismantle Me." Listen to that howl at the 2:05 mark -- that's pretty damn serious.