MovieChat Forums > The Punk Singer (2014) Discussion > my 2 cents

my 2 cents

posted 10 years ago by chaosroach
24 replies | jump to latest

I thought the title should include her name, like Kathleen Hanna: The Punk Singer or something. I had no idea who the title was about except that I happened to make the extra effort to read the description. I am not someone too familiar with her stuff, I wouldn't recognize the title as a song, but was interested because of her place in early 90's music, association with Kurt Cobain and memorable appearance in the Bull in the Heather video.

I had a thought that may sound harsh, but still true. I understand co-opting sex appeal as another tool to use in media and for her message, which was fine, but I think she may have been lacking some authenticity or maturity up to the diagnosing her illness. One of the difficulties with her lime disease was really how her doctor described it: Kryptonite to Superman, loss of hotness to Hanna.

She decided to stop Le Tigre and she told people it was cuz she was just bored and didn't feel like doing it anymore. She says she used that excuse to give her control rather than being submissive to the situation.

That action was totally human and understandble, but my thought was that if she had really been a person who was in touch with herself, which was part of her message with her work up to that point, she would've been honest up front. It's perfectly fine to be scared of disease, but the reason to hold her to a higher standard is cuz her 'brand' was about telling people 'how it is', 'keeping it real', 'not being full of *beep* like everyone else, etc... is it more punk to admit when you're sick or to act like you're just bored with everything to seem cool and in control?

At the end of the movie she says that she feels like when a man says something they're taken at face value, but when she as a woman says something there's the sense that she may be exaggerating. Well, lying about her condition may be why her word's not as trusted.

She's probably a better person for having had to suffer through a condition that didn't have a marketable spin. Stuff like having been abused by her father was certainly horrible, but it was something that could be turned into a 'hot button' issue to sing about and build a following. Singing about lime disease will never be hot even if it might be just as real or important.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] ccr1633 10 years ago

What you're basically saying is that the whole riot grrrl thing is nothing more than youthful feminist nonsense dressed up in punk drag disguise, and practiced by hypocrites.

[–] jtyroler 10 years ago

Did you miss the part where it took 5 years to diagnose her Lyme's Disease? Or how she was getting sick all of the time while in Le Tigre or when she was at a Planned Parenthood event in NYC, she couldn't hear or really speak? And, then be told by the ER physician that it was a "panic attack"?

How could she tell others what her illness was when all these specialists didn't know what was going on with her?

[–] chaosroach 10 years ago

So then you missed the part where she said she was bored of playing music and nothing left to say when it really was due to: "getting sick all of the time while in Le Tigre or when she was at a Planned Parenthood event in NYC, she couldn't hear or really speak? And, then be told by the ER physician that it was a "panic attack"? "

Try reading your own words next time?

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] jtyroler 10 years ago

You don't think that her saying that she was bored with music and had nothing left to say could have been a cover for not disclosing her illness? Haven't other writers and performers more or less done the same thing?

[–] chaosroach 10 years ago

I think you must have Lyme disease because you just repeated yourself and I'm not wasting time giving the same answer.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] sissywillard 10 years ago

If one is fortunate enough to make it to middle age and not develop a debilitating disease one will never comprehend the fear and concern for self-longevity. All bets are off. I think compassion is more important than focusing on whatever reason is given for someone to drop out of sight so that they can try to get their health back.

[–] serval26 10 years ago

Developing a debilitating disease with no diagnosis is horrid and I can't imagine trying to have a band and TOURING while dealing with that. A person going through those things at once could easily have conflicting emotions and end up contradicting themselves. Judging someone for how they acted in that sort of situation is ridiculous and a little too blatantly desperate to point out hypocrisy. If you don't want to offer her compassion/understanding, that's fine but find someone else to put under your microscope.

[–] mstwriter-861-462130 10 years ago

She has the right to keep private things private and deal with those issues in a way that is comfortable to her.

[–] chaosroach 10 years ago

No one is arguing whether she had the right. You judge a person by their actions. Her main claim to having credibility, a reason for people to bother listening to her and treat her like an artist, was in being an honest person who expressed her real life and feelings. But, as soon as it wasn't fun or easy to tell the truth, she pretended she was quitting for "cool" reasons, that she was just bored with everything, being a jaded rock star.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] supercalafragulistic 10 years ago

Well put, she does things out of convenience and uses people. Did she ever consider her bandmates when she threw in the towel. Why not put some of her money into more awareness of Lyme disease instead of making this egotistical film. It portrays Hannah as some kind of a hero and she is anything but. It's s easy to pop put albums and get the best medical care when you're swimming in cash.

[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] supercalafragulistic 10 years ago

I never said she became rich from her music. She became rich through marriage. I am sure they have a very nice portfolio. Lake houses do not come cheap. She would not be successful without Horovitz.

[–] mollys-lips 9 years ago

For all any of us know she has donated huge amounts of money towards Lyme disease. There are a lot of people who don't disclose to the public their charitable contributions.

[–] nativenewyorker88 10 years ago

Her husband is worth 75 million last time I checked. Don't know if that will qualify for the Fortune 500 list but a cool 75 mil is nothing to sneeze at. Just saying.

[–] mstwriter-861-462130 10 years ago

Anything but a hero? Get over yourself and your judgments. She IS a hero to many many people.

[–] rotten_vicious 10 years ago

That poster seem to have a big problem with Kathleen Hanna for some reason.

P�lsa: P�lsa has no fear, because he got a lot of beer.

[–] trippycheez 10 years ago

Dude. She's a human being, grappling with a debilitating and confusing situation in the way that felt right at the time. She is allowed to be both human AND influential and beloved. It doesn't weaken her message or anything she has done.

[–] chaosroach 10 years ago

It all depends on the personal criteria and the bar you set to qualify as a punk artist, for some it's just apparently lower than mine.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] lola_mento 10 years ago

You're an idiot if you think that omitting the truth about a HEALTH ISSUE invalidates everything that she did in the past

[–] lorem_ipsum_dolor_sit_amet 10 years ago

At the end of the movie she says that she feels like when a man says something they're taken at face value, but when she as a woman says something there's the sense that she may be exaggerating. Well, lying about her condition may be why her word's not as trusted.

Wow, do you realize that you're doing exactly what she says happens? Instead of taking what she said at face value, you're looking for something else, something that diminishes her and what she said.

[–] chaosroach 10 years ago

Well, yeah, it was called a lie - maybe that's why it mattered?

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable

[–] lorem_ipsum_dolor_sit_amet 10 years ago

So, she should have said, "I'm quitting the band because I have Lyme disease"? Two problems with that.

1. She hadn't been diagnosed yet.

2. Her medical issues are her own business.

And unless her former bandmates were offended, why do you care?

[–] mysticgirl35 9 years ago

I think your two cents are worth more like 1/4 of a cent - just my two cents.

Of course it would be a man who bitches about her. This is a woman going through an extremely debilitating disease! Did you watch the *beep* movie?! And she didn't know what she had, so what was she supposed to say? She didn't feel well - maybe part of her did think she was burnt out and that's why she said what she said about leaving the band.

Your stupid comment devalues everything else she ever did. She was, is and continues to be a pioneer and good for her for being awesome enough that a fellow artist recognized that in her and wanted to marry her. They seemed to be very much in love in the movie.

Hopefully you don't have any loved ones/relatives dependent upon you for any sort of compassion or support, because you're sorely lacking.

[–] chaosroach 9 years ago

Obviously punk is just something you buy at Hot Topic for you or wherever girls like you shop, I wouldn't know cuz I'm a nasty man.

Comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable