Kathleen Hanna on her new memoir: “I came out the other side feeling like I can move on”

nme.com:

Kathleen Hanna has spoken to NME about her brand new memoir Rebel Girl: My Life As A Feminist Punk – tackling her life and experiences with the riot grrrl movement, Fugazi and Courtney Love.

Having risen to fame fronting the legendary punk band Bikini Kill – who pioneered the riot grrrl movement with their fiery lyrics and electrifying live performances – Hanna worked to make the punk scene a safe and inclusive space for women.

Upon the band’s breakup, Hanna went on to front seminal bands Le Tigre and The Julie Ruin.Rebel Girl: My Life As A Feminist Punk – released this week – provides an in-depth look into the story of Hanna’s tumultuous childhood and the realities of being a feminist on the frontlines of the male-dominated punk scene; facing violence and antagonism that threatened at every turn.“I did an interview with Sarah Marcus, who wrote the book Girls To The Front and when I was telling her about some of the stuff, she was shocked,” Hanna told NME. “She thought that [Bikini Kill] were so loved and everybody because all these women came to the shows and they took their shirts off and they dance and they were so happy.

And I was like, ‘No there were five of those people’. At most of the shows, it was frat guys throwing chains in our heads.”One of the first stories shared in the book is of Hanna’s roommate Allee being assaulted in their own apartment.Following the horrific event and without hesitation, Hanna began volunteering at Safespace – a rape relief and domestic violence center in Olympia, WA – as a way to be there for her roommate.