Flick Chicks Issue #42

Move over, Runaways: these four bands deserve biopics

By Bryan Johnson
Published: June 1st, 2010 | 12:03am

The Runaways finally got their due with a biopic released this spring. But what about the other great plots that shaped the history of women in rock? Here are four bands that deserve to have their stories fictionalized on film.

X-Ray Spex (1976)

The Beginning: Inspired by a Sex Pistols show, Poly Styrene formed the band, who went on to play with the Buzzcocks and Wire.
The Drama: Poly ran away from her London home at age 15 and hitchhiked between music festivals before starting the Spex. It's rumored that in 1978, after Poly started experiencing hallucinations, her mother committed her. Later, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The Legacy: The definitive Germ Free Adolescents cemented the Spex' status as one of punk's most original and essential bands.

The Slits (1977)

The Beginning: Founded by Brits Ariane Forster (Ari Up) and Paloma Romero (Palmolive, who left Sid Vicious's pre-Sex Pistols band, The Flowers of Romance).
The Drama: Banned from many clubs, the Slits fought onstage and off, with audience members and one another. And then there's the romance: Palmolive dated Joe Strummer (before the Clash) and Ari's mother married Johnny Rotten.
The Legacy: The original Slits left behind three albums-including the seminal debut Cut, hailed as an important piece of punk history.

The Gits* (1985)

The Beginning: Mia Zapata and friends launched the Gits in Ohio before moving to Seattle, where they became a favorite of the burgeoning Northwest scene.
The Drama: On the brink of the band's mainstream breakthrough, Zapata was raped and murdered. The case remained unsolved for more than 10 years until the FBI identified and convicted the killer.
The Legacy: The Gits' recordings, including Frenching the Bully, showcase the frontwoman's striking blues-inflected voice. After her death, Zapata's friends created a self-defense center, Home Alive, that up until this year operated in Seattle.

Hole (1989)

The Beginning: Courtney Love founded Hole with Eric Erlandson after several other failed ventures, including a stint with Faith No More.
The Drama: There's plenty: Kurt Cobain, addiction, superstardom, overdoses, arrests, acting, Love's emancipation from Frances Bean, Twitter, and murder accusations.
The Legacy: The frontwoman's well-publicized personal life has kept Hole on the pop culture radar. The band left us with at least two classic albums-- Live Through This and Celebrity Skin (not to mention Love's performance in The People Vs. Larry Flynt).

*Editor's note: Director Kerri O'Kane released an excellent documentary on the band, 2008's The Gits, which is available on DVD from Adrenaline Records.