In honor of Women’s History Month, this episode is dedicated to the great women in punk rock, many of whom have been overlooked and not given their due in what often seems like a traditionally “male” musical genre. 

But first, I revisit a discussion from last week about Joe Strummer’s “your dollar bill is your vote” philosophy and the fact that making and listening to music is a give-and-take proposition. In short, as much as I admire and genuinely love a lot of artists, I don’t and never will believe in hero worship. So, it’s okay (and sometimes good!) to disagree with your favorite artists.

After that digression, I talk about the many women who influenced punk and made great punk music despite the odds and despite the perception that punk was, in a sense, men’s territory. Among the bands I listened to and re-acquainted myself with in preparation for this week’s show: L7, the Donnas, the Slits (who famously toured with the Clash in the late ’70s), Wendy O. Willams and the Plasmatics, Veruca Salt, and the great Joan Jett.

Speaking of whom, Joan Jett is this week’s selection for the Great Artist, Good People segment, and I take a long look at her career with the Runaways and the Blackhearts, her longtime collaboration with producer Kenny Laguna, and her latest album with the Blackhearts, the very solid acoustic LP, Changeup.

And, as promised, here is my Women of Punk playlist:

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, “Bad Reputation”

L7, “Pretend We’re Dead”

Wendy O. Williams, “It’s My Life”

The Donnas, “Too Bad About Your Girl”

The Slits, “Typical Girls”

Veruca Salt, “Seether”

So please give this week’s show a listen and share your thoughts in the comments. And as Joe always said, “Without people, you’re nothing.”