Oh man. I just love this video of Kathleen Hanna explaining the origin of “Smells Like Teen Spirit” I recently discovered via The Frisky.
Hanna’s rendition of the song is amaaaazing, of course, but what I really loved was the way she was able to point out how ridiculous so many dudes are when it comes to understanding and actually giving a shit about sexism.
Along with the story of how the classic Nirvana song came to be, Hanna shares that, while on tour with her band, in the 90s, she had to get a job as a strip club in order to get enough money together to fix the van that would enable the band to go on tour.
At about the five minute mark, Hanna talks about having to open for a band called “Mutton Chops,” whose lead singer came up to her to ask what “guys can do to help you feminists.”
It was later that night that this band came in to the very strip club Hanna was working at. So she ends up having to strip for these dudes who had, hours earlier, faked a kind of vague interest in feminism until it became inconvenient (i.e when they’re dicks came into question).
Isn’t it all too predictable? Oh yeah, yeah, feminism. Totally into it. So… Strip club?
Anyway, watch the video. She’s so rad.