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Violence Girl: East L.A. Rage to Hollywood Stage, a Chicana Punk Story
The proximity of the East L.A. barrio to Hollywood is as close as a short drive on the 101 freeway, but the cultural divide is enormous. Born to Mexican-born and American-naturalized parents, Alicia Armendariz migrated a few miles west to participate in the free-range birth of the 1970s punk movement. Alicia adopted the punk name Alice Bag, and became lead singer for The Bags, early punk visionaries who starred in Penelope Spheeris' documentary The Decline of Western Civilization.
Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.'s musica ranchera to Hollywood's punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice's feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad.
Violence Girl takes us from a violent upbringing to an aggressive punk sensibility; this time a difficult coming-of-age memoir culminates with a satisfying conclusion, complete with a happy marriage and children. Nearly a hundred excellent photographs energize the text in remarkable ways.
Alice Bag's work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music."
Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.'s musica ranchera to Hollywood's punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice's feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad.
Violence Girl takes us from a violent upbringing to an aggressive punk sensibility; this time a difficult coming-of-age memoir culminates with a satisfying conclusion, complete with a happy marriage and children. Nearly a hundred excellent photographs energize the text in remarkable ways.
Alice Bag's work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music."
382 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
90 people are currently reading
3921 people want to read
About the author
Alice Bag
4 books132 followersThe proximity of the East L.A. barrio to Hollywood is as close as a short drive on the 101 freeway, but the cultural divide is enormous. Born to Mexican-born and American-naturalized parents, Alicia Armendariz migrated a few miles west to participate in the free-range birth of the 1970s punk movement. Alicia adopted the punk name Alice Bag, and became lead singer for The Bags, early punk visionaries who starred in Penelope Spheeris’ documentary The Decline of Western Civilization.
Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.’s musica ranchera to Hollywood’s punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice’s feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad.
Alice Bag‘s work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.”
Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.’s musica ranchera to Hollywood’s punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to female-dominated transgressive rock bands. Alice’s feminist sympathies can be understood by the name of her satiric all-girl early Goth band Castration Squad.
Alice Bag‘s work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling Smithsonian exhibition “American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 24, 2012
With Violence Girl, I'm completely biased: Alice Bag is my hero. I will say that this book is written with nothing but heart. Each entry is like a short blog (one to two pages), and each chapter builds to show a transformation from Alice Bag's abusive childhood to Punk Rock Queen to educator. A lot of ground is covered very quickly, and that would be my only criticism. But even so, every important part of Alice's life is there for readers to observe and take whatever they want from it. Alice is completely unguarded.
My favorite sections of the book were the moments when Alice and her mom find refuge in each other, and the sections of LA Punk History. Violence Girl is rich with references to a very dynamic part of LA history, when the Punk scene echoed aspects of the Chicano Movement. And in a sense, Punk welcomed female leadership in a way that the Chicano Movement did not, which is how Alice came to have the spotlight on stage. I love how a becoming of age story and a Punk Memoir are the same thing.
My favorite sections of the book were the moments when Alice and her mom find refuge in each other, and the sections of LA Punk History. Violence Girl is rich with references to a very dynamic part of LA history, when the Punk scene echoed aspects of the Chicano Movement. And in a sense, Punk welcomed female leadership in a way that the Chicano Movement did not, which is how Alice came to have the spotlight on stage. I love how a becoming of age story and a Punk Memoir are the same thing.
October 31, 2015
The title of this book might give you the wrong impression. Yes, it is a memoir of a violent girlhood in a tough environment, but it's also deeply generous and humanistic and political. it's the story of a transition from raging and fighting and struggling to building up others and helping them to grow. I read Alice Bag's other book as a serial on her blog and was moved by the way she created a politics based on love of children and caring for them. Then, I got to see her perform and to meet her, and she really is, in person, just like she is here--so warm and kind and fierce.
February 25, 2013
For about the first third of Violence Girl I was in love with this book. First of all, I am a sucker for the format of the vignette memoir. Secondly, I appreciated the conversational and qualified tone wherein Bag admits that her memory may be faulty. This is how she remembers things and that means there are holes and occasional contradictions - and that's alright. Thirdly (and most importantly), I was enamored of the story of a Chicana girl's experience in the nascent L.A. punk scene in the 1970s, as I read this as part of my research for my dissertation.
The problem is, that despite Alice Bag's assertion early on that her participation is fandom and the punk subculture took the place of deeper engagement with Chicano/a culture that did not come until she was older, she does not really reflect on that aspect. My dissertation advisor recommended this book for my work in that area, but while there is enough for a brief exploration of this in one chapter, I wanted more.
That may not be a fair criticism, but as the memoir goes on, it begins to feel a bit overlong and filled with anecdotes that have more to do with dropping the names of the famous than her experience.
Overall, however, I did enjoy this look at the L.A. punk scene of the era and I particularly appreciated the point of view of a Chicana in a world that is too often characterized as supremely masculine, and despite that there is still plenty of anger, aggression and sex, but there is also tenderness, questioning, self-exploration and love.
One last thing, the use of photographs is a definite plus and helps give the memoir a personal touch that text alone would not have been able to accomplish.
The problem is, that despite Alice Bag's assertion early on that her participation is fandom and the punk subculture took the place of deeper engagement with Chicano/a culture that did not come until she was older, she does not really reflect on that aspect. My dissertation advisor recommended this book for my work in that area, but while there is enough for a brief exploration of this in one chapter, I wanted more.
That may not be a fair criticism, but as the memoir goes on, it begins to feel a bit overlong and filled with anecdotes that have more to do with dropping the names of the famous than her experience.
Overall, however, I did enjoy this look at the L.A. punk scene of the era and I particularly appreciated the point of view of a Chicana in a world that is too often characterized as supremely masculine, and despite that there is still plenty of anger, aggression and sex, but there is also tenderness, questioning, self-exploration and love.
One last thing, the use of photographs is a definite plus and helps give the memoir a personal touch that text alone would not have been able to accomplish.
March 22, 2022
alice bag is the epitome of girl - even though took me forever to finish the book, i really liked it. felt like i was alice's little personal accomplice
June 21, 2012
Violence Girl. Run out and buy, steal or get it at your local library! I just finished this powerful book, it kick-starts my summer reading fodder off on the right foot!
Alice tells us the no holds barred story of her life, from her upbringing in an East L.A. barrio, thru the Hollywood Punk ranks, and is a glam refugee as am I. The story of her life is an open book for all! Pun intended! I was amazed at just how in touch she was, and is with herself, and her life story that is far, far from over as of this moment.
Every chapter unfolded like a punk rock song to me, short, fast, pure impact, no muss, no fuss. Each one has an energy of it's own. Another aspect of her story that personally affected me, was I too, was raised with Violence in my home. A couple, few men passed thru our doors and I was the recipient along with my mother of their full on physical violence! So I can relate to say the least. Until I got old enough to stand up to the last one, it never stopped. Unlike Alice who's father would give her the mixed message of Love the day after his transgressions, mine never did. Her relationship with him wound down as his life was leaving him, she forgave him and told him as much on his death bed. WOW! Powerful stuff! Listen up!
I was inspired by her sheer and often times brutal honesty along with her forthrightness in the telling of her story, which is one of the best that I have read in many a great while. It started out with her being a little girl, raised poor and with the fucked up society that surrounded her, schools, kids, gangs,and the Catholicness as well. So, the punk rock of Hollywood, right down the freeway, the original burst of energy wasn't that big of a stretch I saw. From The Bags, Decline Of Western Civilization, Castration Squad and to the others that followed, the story is laid out now for our pleasure.
One of Punks first daughters, Alice contributed mightily to the California scene. After completing school she moved from her parents house in East L.A. to the Hollywood, eventually taking up residence at The Canterbury. These apartments were a magnet for many a young punk. The roll call of quite a few bands future members met there, rehearsed there and called it home. The self destruction of drugs, and some of the casualties that come along with the life, were hitting closer and closer to home. It was at this point that Alice made the decision to go back to her parents to live.
From her parents home, Alice still played in bands and participated in Punks bursting scene. The decision she made was out of self preservation. She continued with her education from their quarters as well as see her parents relations with each other change to softer and loving. So much for the saying that you can't go back home. Alice's experience proved otherwise.
Later down the line in her story, she went to Nicaragua to work with people of that war torn country who were seeking education, she was like a education fighter! I'm certain those who's lives she touched will always remember her.
Some of it was painful to read, but Alice isn't a solicitor of sympathy by far and away. Just the opposite, the fact that she gained a super power of sorts thru her many life experiences, and took her wisdom she gained and went back into the education system to help others that struggle as did she, once upon a time. The Children.
I had the good fortune to see Alice come thru Phoenix last month, and perform at a space right down the street from house, only a few blocks away! Between her performance and Violence Girl, my fuse has been lit once again.
Alice is quite active too on so many levels, and I can say, for this old punk I saw the original punk spirit alive and well in Alice!
Beg, borrow or steal this book by all means. Of course there's always a branch of the Public Library too.
Alice tells us the no holds barred story of her life, from her upbringing in an East L.A. barrio, thru the Hollywood Punk ranks, and is a glam refugee as am I. The story of her life is an open book for all! Pun intended! I was amazed at just how in touch she was, and is with herself, and her life story that is far, far from over as of this moment.
Every chapter unfolded like a punk rock song to me, short, fast, pure impact, no muss, no fuss. Each one has an energy of it's own. Another aspect of her story that personally affected me, was I too, was raised with Violence in my home. A couple, few men passed thru our doors and I was the recipient along with my mother of their full on physical violence! So I can relate to say the least. Until I got old enough to stand up to the last one, it never stopped. Unlike Alice who's father would give her the mixed message of Love the day after his transgressions, mine never did. Her relationship with him wound down as his life was leaving him, she forgave him and told him as much on his death bed. WOW! Powerful stuff! Listen up!
I was inspired by her sheer and often times brutal honesty along with her forthrightness in the telling of her story, which is one of the best that I have read in many a great while. It started out with her being a little girl, raised poor and with the fucked up society that surrounded her, schools, kids, gangs,and the Catholicness as well. So, the punk rock of Hollywood, right down the freeway, the original burst of energy wasn't that big of a stretch I saw. From The Bags, Decline Of Western Civilization, Castration Squad and to the others that followed, the story is laid out now for our pleasure.
One of Punks first daughters, Alice contributed mightily to the California scene. After completing school she moved from her parents house in East L.A. to the Hollywood, eventually taking up residence at The Canterbury. These apartments were a magnet for many a young punk. The roll call of quite a few bands future members met there, rehearsed there and called it home. The self destruction of drugs, and some of the casualties that come along with the life, were hitting closer and closer to home. It was at this point that Alice made the decision to go back to her parents to live.
From her parents home, Alice still played in bands and participated in Punks bursting scene. The decision she made was out of self preservation. She continued with her education from their quarters as well as see her parents relations with each other change to softer and loving. So much for the saying that you can't go back home. Alice's experience proved otherwise.
Later down the line in her story, she went to Nicaragua to work with people of that war torn country who were seeking education, she was like a education fighter! I'm certain those who's lives she touched will always remember her.
Some of it was painful to read, but Alice isn't a solicitor of sympathy by far and away. Just the opposite, the fact that she gained a super power of sorts thru her many life experiences, and took her wisdom she gained and went back into the education system to help others that struggle as did she, once upon a time. The Children.
I had the good fortune to see Alice come thru Phoenix last month, and perform at a space right down the street from house, only a few blocks away! Between her performance and Violence Girl, my fuse has been lit once again.
Alice is quite active too on so many levels, and I can say, for this old punk I saw the original punk spirit alive and well in Alice!
Beg, borrow or steal this book by all means. Of course there's always a branch of the Public Library too.
November 6, 2011
Alice Bag wrote her memoir Violence Girl as a series of blog posts. She doesn't consider herself a writer. In that sense, this is a DIY punk book!
Growing up in the 80's hardcore era, The Bags were not well known to me for some reason. I don't know if their records were out of print or what but I don't remember hearing them until after Bikini Kill started. At the time, the NW was extremely isolated and there were huge gaps in my knowledge of punk history, which was not yet well documented and largely accessible only in private collections and oral history. I don't really remember The Alice Bag Band from The Decline of Western Civilization for some reason either. I saw the movie a few times as a teen, once when it showed at Evergreen before I started going to shows (possibly when it came out?), but I mostly remember Darby and Black Flag. In the late 80's/early 90's Olympia got a video store or two and suddenly you could rent a handful of punk movies, which we circulated to no end (along with Over The Edge, which we watched constantly.) When I interviewed DC punk/artist/photographer Cynthia Connolly for Jigsaw in the mid-90's she talked about going to shows in LA and raved about how influential Alice Bag's was. That is when I started wanting to know more about The Bags and more about some of the female contributions to the early LA punk scene that I had missed out on by being too young and not living in California. So this book was a revelation to me. I wish it would have been around when I was a kid but it's really cool that it's available now.
Violence Girl doesn't talk about punk until you are already over a hundred pages into the story. I remember yelling on the couch: "SHE IS TALKING ABOUT PUNK ROCK!!!!" But the build up is great and the book totally pays off. Up until that point we get to know her as a misfit Elton John freak growing up in East LA not fitting into the Chicano/a community she was born into and we get the complicated story of her family, which was loving but also filled with violence. She writes about her experience with candid honesty, insight and humor. Another aspect of this book that I appreciated a lot was getting to hear about Alice Bag's life long interest in philosophy. One of the most exciting moments of the book for me was hearing her recount her falling out with Darby Crash, for philosophical reasons, who made fun of her because she believed in god. (She was raised Catholic, he was a Nihilist). When she performed and read from her book at the Olympia Timberland Library I hoped she would talk more about this but recognizing that someone probably doesn't want to talk about their dead friend in a public setting I didn't really want to bring it up in the Q&A so I just asked her to discuss philosophy a bit and she talked about how she has always been a very philosophical person, interested in exploring ideas and really analyzing what things mean. This tendency really comes through in her book, which is constructed as a series of anecdotes that are insightful as well as entertaining.
If you don't know about her Women in L.A. Punk site you should totally read everything on it, it's completely great and inspiring.
Growing up in the 80's hardcore era, The Bags were not well known to me for some reason. I don't know if their records were out of print or what but I don't remember hearing them until after Bikini Kill started. At the time, the NW was extremely isolated and there were huge gaps in my knowledge of punk history, which was not yet well documented and largely accessible only in private collections and oral history. I don't really remember The Alice Bag Band from The Decline of Western Civilization for some reason either. I saw the movie a few times as a teen, once when it showed at Evergreen before I started going to shows (possibly when it came out?), but I mostly remember Darby and Black Flag. In the late 80's/early 90's Olympia got a video store or two and suddenly you could rent a handful of punk movies, which we circulated to no end (along with Over The Edge, which we watched constantly.) When I interviewed DC punk/artist/photographer Cynthia Connolly for Jigsaw in the mid-90's she talked about going to shows in LA and raved about how influential Alice Bag's was. That is when I started wanting to know more about The Bags and more about some of the female contributions to the early LA punk scene that I had missed out on by being too young and not living in California. So this book was a revelation to me. I wish it would have been around when I was a kid but it's really cool that it's available now.
Violence Girl doesn't talk about punk until you are already over a hundred pages into the story. I remember yelling on the couch: "SHE IS TALKING ABOUT PUNK ROCK!!!!" But the build up is great and the book totally pays off. Up until that point we get to know her as a misfit Elton John freak growing up in East LA not fitting into the Chicano/a community she was born into and we get the complicated story of her family, which was loving but also filled with violence. She writes about her experience with candid honesty, insight and humor. Another aspect of this book that I appreciated a lot was getting to hear about Alice Bag's life long interest in philosophy. One of the most exciting moments of the book for me was hearing her recount her falling out with Darby Crash, for philosophical reasons, who made fun of her because she believed in god. (She was raised Catholic, he was a Nihilist). When she performed and read from her book at the Olympia Timberland Library I hoped she would talk more about this but recognizing that someone probably doesn't want to talk about their dead friend in a public setting I didn't really want to bring it up in the Q&A so I just asked her to discuss philosophy a bit and she talked about how she has always been a very philosophical person, interested in exploring ideas and really analyzing what things mean. This tendency really comes through in her book, which is constructed as a series of anecdotes that are insightful as well as entertaining.
If you don't know about her Women in L.A. Punk site you should totally read everything on it, it's completely great and inspiring.
September 25, 2011
Alice Bag's memoir is less about the first-wave LA punk scene that she was such an integral part of and more about family, growing up, finding yourself, and testing your limits. A discursive book written in short chapters, "Violence Girl" is a quick read, even though it's more than 300 pages long. Alice's voice shines through -- a thoughtful, confrontational, sometimes confused but rarely cowed woman, Alice goes from being an awkward, overweight teenager with an Elton John obsession and crooked teeth to being the lead singer of the seminal proto-hardcore band, The Bags. Along the way, she befriends and bemuses a bevy of LA scenesters like creepy impressario Kim Fowley; doomed, nihilistic Darby Crash of The Germs; the women who would become The Go-Gos; Patricia Morrison, who co-founded The Bags and would go on to be in both The Gun Club and influential Goth act Sisters of Mercy; even Tom Waits makes a cameo. But the book is more than a name-dropping trek across the glittery landscape of late-70s Los Angeles. It's about struggling with family and faith, it's about reconciling ambition with reality, and it's about how punk rock's D.I.Y. ethos helped a young woman define herself and claim her place in the world. While many in the early punk scene burned bright and died young, Alice Bag seems made of sterner stuff. Near the end of the book, readers get a glimpse of her post-punk rock trajectory -- she travels to Managua, Nicaragua at the height of US meddling in Nicaraguan affairs and finds a country stripped to the bone and surviving on little more than willpower and pride. I wish this section of the book had been longer, and I would have enjoyed hearing more of the tantalizing anecdotes she only hints at. A love affair with a prisoner? Rebuffing an invitation to dinner with Oprah? Tell me more! Ans that's what I take from this book: Alice's voice. Wise, wry, funny, bold, and honest, it's a voice I wanted to spend more time with. Violence Girl and Babylonian Gorgon -- Alice Bag is an undeniable original, and you'll enjoy your time with her. Well worth reading.
August 28, 2012
This book is a fantastic narrative history of Alice Bag. It is self penned, and starts with the beginning of her life and takes the reader through to her time in her punk band the Bags that most of us know through Decline of Western Civilization. The last chapters of the book cover aspects of her life now, and also stories of some of her post-punk/goth musical ventures that came after the Bags.
Her story is one that most of us can relate to, but anyone who has spent anytime in the LA punk scene will find particularly interesting. I think she does a good justice to the era by telling her perspective on what went down, and not obsessing on things like the drug abuse of the era that so many authors have a tendency to put their focus on.
This narrative also provides an excellent glimpse into the life of a working class Latina girl. I think it's a story that many could relate to even even they knew nothing of her musical exploits. Her frankness about her feelings towards her father, who was an abusive man, but still loved her was a refreshing change to the usual approach to this subject matter.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, fan of punk, or fan of narrative history, or just maybe curious about this era of Los Angeles.
Her story is one that most of us can relate to, but anyone who has spent anytime in the LA punk scene will find particularly interesting. I think she does a good justice to the era by telling her perspective on what went down, and not obsessing on things like the drug abuse of the era that so many authors have a tendency to put their focus on.
This narrative also provides an excellent glimpse into the life of a working class Latina girl. I think it's a story that many could relate to even even they knew nothing of her musical exploits. Her frankness about her feelings towards her father, who was an abusive man, but still loved her was a refreshing change to the usual approach to this subject matter.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, fan of punk, or fan of narrative history, or just maybe curious about this era of Los Angeles.
February 16, 2023
Another 1970s cool girl to add to my LA collection. My favorite thing!
Tbh Alice Bag wasn't even on my radar until I realized that my collection of LA cool girls was white af, I did some research & found ⭐️her⭐️, the coolest of the cool.
The child of Mexican immigrants, Alice grew up in East LA. She tried groupie life for a sec but ultimately, "some groupies had the same mentality as the cheerleader who just wanted to make the guys feel good. . . . there was a risk that could make a girl forget that she should also have goals of her own." <3
Annnd so she became a badass punk rock girly just as those were starting to become a thing in LA. Not only was she a female hanging around in a male dominated scene, she was completely herself always: a queer, feminist, Spanish-speaking trail-blazing icon.
Reading about the emergence of the LA punk scene was fascinating. Orange County boys will try to take credit, but Alice Bag set the record straight. LA was punk long before San Clemente boys started wearing wife beaters to mosh at parties. (Lol)
Took me a bit to finish, just because I read it on an iPad that I was pretending was a Kindle. Couldn't quite fool myself there. But I did enjoy it.
Keeping my reading era alive is hard work.
Tbh Alice Bag wasn't even on my radar until I realized that my collection of LA cool girls was white af, I did some research & found ⭐️her⭐️, the coolest of the cool.
The child of Mexican immigrants, Alice grew up in East LA. She tried groupie life for a sec but ultimately, "some groupies had the same mentality as the cheerleader who just wanted to make the guys feel good. . . . there was a risk that could make a girl forget that she should also have goals of her own." <3
Annnd so she became a badass punk rock girly just as those were starting to become a thing in LA. Not only was she a female hanging around in a male dominated scene, she was completely herself always: a queer, feminist, Spanish-speaking trail-blazing icon.
Reading about the emergence of the LA punk scene was fascinating. Orange County boys will try to take credit, but Alice Bag set the record straight. LA was punk long before San Clemente boys started wearing wife beaters to mosh at parties. (Lol)
Took me a bit to finish, just because I read it on an iPad that I was pretending was a Kindle. Couldn't quite fool myself there. But I did enjoy it.
Keeping my reading era alive is hard work.
August 14, 2022
i never thought i’d find a memoir written by a mexican american woman who was a big part of the early LA punk scene and now that i’ve read this i can say that it feels pretty fucking cool knowing there was a chicana at the forefront of LA punk
if you’re like me, a huge fan of music that probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for people like alice bag but never saw someone who’s hispanic in the scene, pick this memoir up asap!!!! because as a mexican american woman there’s nothing i love more than seeing someone like me being a total badass 💪🏼😏
if you’re like me, a huge fan of music that probably wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for people like alice bag but never saw someone who’s hispanic in the scene, pick this memoir up asap!!!! because as a mexican american woman there’s nothing i love more than seeing someone like me being a total badass 💪🏼😏
March 30, 2020
I really enjoyed reading about fierce & determined Alice Bag, growing up as a first-generation Mexican-American, the duality of loving a violent parent, rock-'n'-roll hero worship, the LA punk scene, and her 'reading is a revolutionary act' pedagogy, but the book got a bit repetitive & would have benefited from a mindful editor. (Also an index!) Would absolutely still recommend to diehard punk fans, feminists and educators.
April 20, 2020
Wonderfully empowering and inspiring. Really enjoyed it. Now I’m shopping discogs for Bags records. 🙃
June 18, 2024
Alice Bag is a wonderful writer with a fabulous story to tell, I could have read a few hundred more pages
June 29, 2018
Excellent book. Real, raw, unflinching, uncompromising, creative, and full of life - much like the LA punk scene in the '70s.
Read
September 4, 2021DNF. I couldn’t get into it.
August 15, 2024
I’ve been meaning to read this book since I heard an interview with Alice Bag. It’s easy to read and she has a great perspective.
December 16, 2022
actually one of the most amazing books i've ever read
June 12, 2018
What an exhilarating, joyous, transformative and truly stunning journey through the young adult life of a personal hero of mine :)
February 25, 2013
A really great read. I admit that I read this because I am a big fan of the early punk scene and knew a little about the Bags. I never did see the Bags (or any of her other musical collaborations), but I certainly was interested in what she had to say. This book is much more than about Alice, the punk rock singer - it's much more about Alicia and her journey through life. There is certainly a lot about the Bags and other early LA punk bands, but it is just part of the story and mot the focal point of the book. The underlying theme of Alice is the support of her parents and the how she dealt with her father who was abusive to her mother. For me, the book started slowly - it's over 100 pages before Alice start getting into what turned out to be punk. Her memories of the early punk scene are fantastic and resonate with all of us who came of age during those exciting time - the first time you heard a punk record (always the Ramones) - the first time you saw a punk band live. The Bags never achieved great success (even in the punk sense), but her time with the band (both good and bad) shows the creativity and chaos of those first couple of years of punk. Bands like X and Fear and people like Darby, Jello and Belinda Carlisle are all there, but the story isn't about music - it's more about Alice. She survives and avoids the drugs that decimated many people, returns and finishes college and finds her true calling in education. This book is a very honest story from a woman that realized what she wanted in life and found a way to accomplish it. Definitely worth reading... While reading the book I needed to acually listen to the Bags - there isn't a lot out there, bur the few songs that are available (Decline of Western Civilization soundtrack, the Dangerhouse compilations) show that the Bags were definitely a blast to listen to.
June 4, 2012
I did not set out to read this book. I walked into the library and the librarian aid was so happy to let me know they had a copy in stock of Violent Girl. I like the bands Alice Bags had played in (especially Cholita) but I am not one to read punk (or any type of music) auto biographies. But the librarian aid was acting like she saved the book just for me and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings so I check it out.
Well after the first few (very short) chapters I was hooked! Alice did not start out talking about the punk scean, she started by talking about her family, about growing up working class in ELA in a home full of violence, of going to school were the adults gave up on you and the other students welcomed the chance to be given up on. I loved the book, until she got to the part about punk history. That part bored me. It was not until she wrote about become a teacher, her teaching experience in inner city Los Angeles and Nicaragua that it because interesting again.
The writing style- the style and tone matched the emotional state Alice was in during the time being written about- raw and vulnerable during her childhood, flat and dead during the punk years and passion and thoughtful during her teaching/ young adult years.
Well after the first few (very short) chapters I was hooked! Alice did not start out talking about the punk scean, she started by talking about her family, about growing up working class in ELA in a home full of violence, of going to school were the adults gave up on you and the other students welcomed the chance to be given up on. I loved the book, until she got to the part about punk history. That part bored me. It was not until she wrote about become a teacher, her teaching experience in inner city Los Angeles and Nicaragua that it because interesting again.
The writing style- the style and tone matched the emotional state Alice was in during the time being written about- raw and vulnerable during her childhood, flat and dead during the punk years and passion and thoughtful during her teaching/ young adult years.
October 13, 2011
I love Alice Bag! She is so cool. Now that I'm done with gawking, I'll just say that I loved this book. I love that it's an autobiography. Her writing is really honest and welcoming. It's both smart and accessible. The chapters are short, so reading it is like meeting someone and getting to know all about their life through their stories and, at times, weaving their stories together to get a sense of who they are.
So many punk books are written by fanboys who are trying to prove what *they* know instead of providing information to the reader, so this is a welcome change. I love books about punk/artists/musicians where you actually get to learn what it was like and what it felt like behind the scenes. It helps inspire the D.I.Y. spirit to know the individual's doubts and risks they took along the way.
As well, this is required reading for punks. Punk (or LA punk in particular) was created by a diverse community of weirdos. Women and people of color were the originators of punk, and more people should recognize that. This feminist Chicana perspective on punk is much needed.
So many punk books are written by fanboys who are trying to prove what *they* know instead of providing information to the reader, so this is a welcome change. I love books about punk/artists/musicians where you actually get to learn what it was like and what it felt like behind the scenes. It helps inspire the D.I.Y. spirit to know the individual's doubts and risks they took along the way.
As well, this is required reading for punks. Punk (or LA punk in particular) was created by a diverse community of weirdos. Women and people of color were the originators of punk, and more people should recognize that. This feminist Chicana perspective on punk is much needed.
December 29, 2011
Being a fan of the late seventies west coast punk scene, I ordered this book based on the author's history in the Bags, a band I had only heard of in relation to other bands of the time. I have to admit that I expected this book to be similar to other punk tomes I have read: either a sloppily written oral history or a breathless tell-all about the crazy punk days. What I got was so much more. Violence Girl is a universal coming of age story of a bright young artist who is struggling to come to terms with her identity as a daughter, a woman, a chicana...and how she finds her voice and sense of purpose through her incredible experiences. I was blown away. Certain scenes made me catch my breath with their ferocity and then I would turn the page and find such heartbreaking tenderness and forgiveness that I was moved to tears. NOT your average rock and roll fairytale, Violence Girl has many lessons to teach. In fact, I turned around and ordered books for my entire high school advanced reading class. Get this book, share it with a young person. It will inspire you.
February 3, 2012
This book, being quick, visual, and overall well written, is a great read. Alice Bag's story is entertaining, for both good and bad reasons. Reading about LA punk's very first trials from an honest, crucial female figure was almost endearing (even with all of the unfortunate elements), and despite other reviews' claims on this, the punk scene gets a heavy number of pages.
One short coming of the book, though, is that the subtitle is fairly misleading. "A chicana punk story", I was expecting to read about how being chicana influenced her involvement and how she was received in punk. This story starts at her childhood and ends around her mid 20s. Her childhood clearly has a very chicana foundation, but once she enters the punk scene, this general tone of the book is lost. With the exception of her nickname "Gordita" from a friend in the scene, she makes little to no mention of her ethnic identity. The last 20 pages of the book attempt to bring the story full circle in this respect, but after some 150ish pages without mention, it feels rushed.
One short coming of the book, though, is that the subtitle is fairly misleading. "A chicana punk story", I was expecting to read about how being chicana influenced her involvement and how she was received in punk. This story starts at her childhood and ends around her mid 20s. Her childhood clearly has a very chicana foundation, but once she enters the punk scene, this general tone of the book is lost. With the exception of her nickname "Gordita" from a friend in the scene, she makes little to no mention of her ethnic identity. The last 20 pages of the book attempt to bring the story full circle in this respect, but after some 150ish pages without mention, it feels rushed.
July 22, 2014
An incredible journey through the early days of the LA punk scene and the life of the incomparable Alice Bag. Alice (Alicia Armendariz) recounts her life growing up in East L.A. in a monolingual spanish home, her abusive but loving household, difficulty with the education system, and lead singer (and founder) for the seminal punk band The Bags. It's an amazing story that gives a glimpse in the early Chicano civil rights movement, feminism (and misogyny) in L.A. and punk music, and the lives of pretty much every musician to come out of the L.A. scene. It doesn't glamorize the drug use or nihilism, nor does it preach against it, but rather does a fine job of describing what happened and how Alice grew and survived from the experience. The writing style reminded me a lot of YA (which is not a criticism since I've written YA) because of the strong voice of the character. I look forward to reading more from her and have heard she's at work on a second book.
September 29, 2013
A great personal and momentum filled memoir spanning Alicia's early childhood years from East L.A. to the tumultuous stages of the L.A. punk scene, this book took a glaring look at an individual who never compromised or gave up on her dreams of playing music or following her deep philosophical path towards self fullfillment. A great and inspiring read for musicians and fans of music everywhere! I give it a 5 out of 5 cowbell beaters on my list!
October 27, 2015
Gritty and honest look at the emerging punk scene through the lens of an East LA native and Hollywood outsider who became one of LA punk's defining voices. I could have done with less about Bag's background (it takes about 140 pages to get to band stuff) but lots of chisme about the sex and drug habits of participants in the early punk scene that I won't spoil here.
October 29, 2021
Really enjoyable. Gives a great sense of the early LA punk scene and just a great memoir in general tbh. However, I got turned off near the end of the book when Alice Bag details a relationship they had with a sixteen year old when they were 20. That shit don’t jive with me, even from punk legends.
September 7, 2018
Easy, digestible sections that still draw you in to the life story of Alice Bag and the intersections of culture, gender, race, sexuality, and punk rock and how it's not just for white men.
November 27, 2022
Hell yes!
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