Network Awesome’s Web Programming ‘The Women of Punk’ Is…Awesome

by Erina Davidson

Last week, Network Awesome presented its four-day program, The Women of Punk, featuring videos of performances by punk legends such as Nina Hagen, Debbie Harry, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and L7. Bummed you missed it? Don’t be. All of the video series are stored in Network Awesome’s archives, so you can watch badass performances back to back with a single click. 

Network Awesome is an online TV network that programs 4-6 hours of daily programing. By stringing together and curating various YouTube videos, Network Awesome creates topic-specific programming that is comprehensive, unique, and just wicked cool. One of my favorite ‘collections’ is a series of videos on Vivienne Westwood; it starts off with a clip from a 1988 BBC interview with Sue Lawley, where the audience members and hosts laugh at Westwood as she proudly presents her collection. If they only knew.

Another personal favorite is ‘Collection: Girls Bite Back’. Network Awesome attempted to recreate, video by video, the 1980 documentary on female punk groups, directed by Wolfgang Büld. (Originally available on VHS, it is now out of print.) The segment starts off with Nina Hagen as a howling, painted goddess, then leads into a live rehearsal by Girlschool, who know how to tear it up.

If I had to choose one video to share, it would be this rare music video of the Mo-Dettes performing “White Mice.” I can’t get enough of the song, the hair, the dancing – hell, I want to BE in the Mo-Dettes. Watch the clip below. (That’s an order.)

[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0JCoMYpiA0 425×344]

Here’s a full list of the videos that were ‘aired’ from July 18th to July 22nd. You can watch them at any time by searching through Network Awesome’s archives:

The Women Of Punk – July 18-22, 2011:

MONDAY
Live Music Show – The Women of Punk vol. 1  (article by Jessica Hopper)
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk.

Doc – The Runaways
Recent interviews with many of The Runaways looking back on the wild times of the past.

Jem and the Holograms – The Beginning
(pending interview with series creator Christy Marx)
Slyly subversive 1984 cartoon about rival good vs evil all-girl punk bands.

Doc – Siouxsie and the Banshees
Archival interviews and concert footage from all eras of the iconic singer and group.

L7 – the Beauty Process
Amazingly weird film about L7 made by Nirvana Bassist Krist Novoselic.

Vivienne Dick – Beauty Becomes the Beast
No-Wave art film shot on Super-8 and preoccupied with female sexuality, relationships and ‘transgressive behaviour’. Staring Lydia Lunch, Lizzy Mercier, Klaus Nomi.

TUESDAY

Live Music Show – The Women of Punk vol. 2 (article by Kathryn Fischer aka Mad Kate )
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk.

Doc – Who is Poly Styrene?

Documentary on British musician, songwriter and singer for the punk rock band X-Ray Spex.

Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (G.L.O.W.)
Special feature on “Hollywood and Vine”, “Dementia”, and a few more of the Punk villains of GLOW.

Talk Show – Punk Women
Collected interviews from: Wendy O. Williams (Plasmatics), Ari Up (The Slits), Lydia Lunch (Teenage Jesus and the Jerks), Penelope Houston (Avengers), Gee Vaucher (Crass) & Cherie Currie (The Runaways).

Collection – 60 minutes with Kate Bush
Rare interviews, concert footage, and videos from this iconoclastic artist.

Red Aunts – Saltbox
In 1995, Red Aunts shot homemade videos for every song on their “Saltbox” album. These are the shambolic results.

WEDNESDAY
Live Music Show – The Women of Punk vol. 3 (article by Dr. Helen Reddington)
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk.

The Bags – Live in Hollywood 1978
(Interview with Alice Bag from The Bags)
Entire legendary concert shot on VHS. Watch Tom Waits get punched in the face!

Jem and the Holograms – Video Wars
A particularly cutting episode of the cartoon series.

Collection: Girls Bite Back
Startling interviews and live performances from an almost-lost 1984 documentary by Wolfgang Büld. Features Malaria!, Nina Hagen, Liliput, The Slits, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Doc – Coup D´Etat: Re-socializing Gender Roles

Follows cutting edge female musicians, comic book artists, film-makers and performance artists to convey how artistic expression continues to be used as a tool to create social change while articulating the problems of American society. Produced & Directed by T. Khyentse James, 2008 and features Kathleen Hanna, Miranda July, Sharon Jones and many others.

Live Music Show – The Women of Punk (2000 – present)
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk as it’s manifested today.  Features Bikini Kill, Team Dresch, Cobra Killer, Finally Punk, Erase Errata, All Girl Summer Fun Band, Mika Miko, Vivian Girls, The Need, Bleach03.

THURSDAY
Live Music Show – The Women of Punk vol. 4
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk.

Collection: Gudrun Gut + Malaria (Interview with Gudrun Gut)
Historic fixture in the German punk & industrial scene and influential radio show host and runs 2 women-centric record labels.

Collection: Vivienne Westwood
Interviews with the British fashion designer largely responsible for bringing punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream.

Collection: A Brief History Of Peaches (article by Candace McDuffie)
Rare interviews, concert appearances and getting to the bottom of “Peaches Christ Superstar”.

Doc – The Gits
The Gits were a promising band from Seattle, poised to explode on the national scene when powerful singer Mia Zapata was brutally raped and murdered. This is a heartbreaking look at the band and the aftermath of Mia’s murder.

Movie – Lovedolls Superstar

1986 indie movie following the all-girl punk band The Lovedolls, features cameos by a wealth of indie rock heroes like Jello Biafra, Redd Kross and Sky Saxon.

FRIDAY
Live Music Show – The Women of Punk vol. 5
Collection of Clips showcasing the varied women of Punk.

Doc – Blondie
Brutal documentary tracing the ups and downs of this great band that just happens to include Debbie Harry.

Patti Smith Live – Rockpalast 1979

April 22, 1979 special on the Patti Smith Group filmed live on German TV’s “Rockpalast” show. 13 songs in glorious color.

Vivienne Dick: She Had Her Gun Already (1978) (Interview with Vivienne Dick)
No Wave art film shot on Super-8 and starring Lydia Lunch and Pat Place.

Trailer Trash: The Women Of Punk
Compilation of Movie Trailers focusing on our week’s subject. Includes the films: Times Square 1980, She’s A Punk Rocker UK, Tank Girl, Liquid Sky and many more.

Movie – Ladies And Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains (feature article)
This excellent film shows Diane Lane as an angry teen who starts a punk band and attracts a cult following. The film was a flop at the time, but re-runs on TV influenced the Riot Girl movement. Also includes a behind the scenes documentary.

 

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