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The Making
of Punk Pretty Imagine the fervent swings and kicks of pubescent teenage boys and young men. They sport leather and dark clothing with spikes and chains, tattoos, mohawk and piercings. They skank rhythmically in a whirlpool of warm sweaty bodies. The clubs and/or spaces are small and equipped with tiny stages and dance floors and dim lights. There is no room to sit, just standing room only. Sound speakers are so huge they throb of the edge of the stage with the pulsating beats of punk bands. The young men push and shove each other to the sounds of electric guitars and zealous screams. The pit goers continuously skank, some out of breath and some exhausted. Heads are bobbing and jerking up and down in unison. Sometimes there's a laceration or two that breaks taut skin and blood seeps and splatters among the tribe of men. The teeth of some lead punk singers are cracked and damaged as a result of a microphone shoved toward their mouths by the pit goers. This is the ritualistic side of the punk scene. This is where I got the wind knocked out of me while shooting the female fronted band, All or Nothing, HC at the Troubadour in Hollywood, CA. However I kept shooting and kept my grip of the camera and ultimately used the footage in the completed documentary. Punk Pretty, like the rib of Adam, was extracted and formed from the sweat, zeal and conviction of the punk scene. Punk Pretty focuses on feminists.Whip swinging, tattoo sporting, cutting edge feminists. Since the inception of Punk Pretty I've never received so many pictures, poems, articles of and about vaginas, breasts, wombs, clits, etc. It was like I opened the flood gates of an underground sexual revolution. I was introduced to women from all over the world with zines and websites about reclaiming their sexuality and being a femme.This 50-minute documentary is the epitome of the diy (do-it-yourself) indie attitude. It features female fronted bands, all girl bands, female DJ's publishers, poets, and body piercers. Leather short pants, term papers, hot candle wax, whips, feminization, text books.. Uhhh... things you'd find in a adult store ... not quite. These items define the seasoned and degreed Renae Bryant. She's the lead singer of the punk band All or Nothing HC and was actually the first woman I had in mind to interview. Renae puts on raving performances. The first night I shot her at the Troubadour she wore a tank top that read "So much clit, she don't need balls." The bouncers at the entrance attempted to give me a hard time because I had a camera. There was no way that I was leaving without filming Renae. I came all the way from Long Beach and I was very excited. The bouncer eventually allowed me to enter the club when I agreed to leave after filming the band. Renae's energetic and hardcore lyrics define the depth of her character. I first met Renae two years prior to our Punk Pretty interview. I met her at this awesome vegetarian/coffee house called Luna Sol in downtown Los Angeles. Renae was giving a workshop on starting an independent record label, and I was in the adjacent room giving a workshop on the creative writing process. After both workshops ended, Renae and I exchanged business cards and that was it. We never contacted each other or saw each other until I dug up her card and called her. Renae's interview was among women with stilettos and chiffon robes covering black lace teddies. I was given a password to gain entrance onto the premises. I waited for an hour in the lobby of a high class dominatrix office. Candle lights adorned the office and halls. Ceramic dishes of pastel mints were placed all around the domain. I sat and waited in the lobby and witnessed men in business attire meet their femme fatales. I heard loud crashes and bumps upstairs and I tried to keep a straight face. The man upstairs was getting his buns whipped. I asked the receptionist if I could check my messages to see if Renae called. Well, she had call and said she would be late. Renae finally arrived and she took me to "the vault." No, my meeting with Renae didn't involve a spanking. Renae simply chose this room for its seclusion and sound proof walls. Blue lights were strategically hanging from corners of the walls. A huge mirror was opposite the entrance almost like a dance room for ballet, except for the cage and handcuffs hanging from the ceiling. Renae wore black leather pants, a fitted bright red T-shirt with Debra Harry on the front, and her hair wasn't curled but was silky and straight. She had another engagement to attend after ours. She looked exceptionally sophisticated. Oh, was it a secret that she was a dominatrix on the weekends? Not to the punk scene; however, I’d been oblivious to this information until then. Renae delivered an informative and powerful interview. For the record, Renae has declared herself a feminist and has started her own record label and zine called On the Rag Records. She's currently enrolled in graduate school. Her compilation "Put Some Pussy In Your Punk" is still receiving rave reviews and recognition. In
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