Re: Visualize: Women Shredding

I loved the language this blogger unleashed in Visualize: Women Shredding. Even though the author is historically inaccurate about classical music "continuing to pretend women didn't contribute," I found Juiliane Shephard's use of modern day slang and allusions whole-heartedly amusing. In fact, Western music history courses consistently stress the importance of female contributions in Western music. Specifically, Hildegard of Bingen (Medieval composer/nun), Countess Eleanor of Acquitaine (patroness/troubaritz), and Clara Schumann (composer/virtuoso pianist) are among some of the most celebrated figures in all of music history.

In this blog Shephard compares and contrasts the attention male and female guitarists receive in an issue of Elle magazine. She wastes no time grilling Elle by stating, "the latest infraction to the female rocker canon..." How eloquent? Shephard pins the word "canon" to the "female rocker" donkey probably in vain hopes that her readers will pick up that classical music reference. Though, I would hardly cry foul to female musicians over Elle's mere mention of the guy rockumentary, It Might Get Loud.

Shephard, though, seems out for blood. She hacks at these male guitarists calling them, "a big old honking sausage party of fellows noodling on their fretboards in united male vituosity." Haha! What is so brilliant about this statement is that she ties a group of mis-fit hippie throw back guitarists into a pseudo-good ol' boys club. Some how making Eric Clapton, John Mayer, and Eddie Van Halen look like the MAN. Bravo!

Skillfully, the author places a link to the Top 20 songs of the 2000s where she writes "dude-festily/male-bondy activity." Almost like a subtle hint of dog crap masked almost entirely by the freshly mown lawn. Subliminal. Shephard also links the reader to Elle's article "Twelve Greatest Electric Female Guitarists."

Her sentences were generally run-on sentences such as, "In the spirit of it all, Elle did the 2nd most dude-festily/male-bondy activity after riffing: they made a list of the top 12 female electric guitarists (because not only can ladies shred, they can also be music nerds, go fig)." Her sentence style is pretty clear, but luckily her blog was so short. Otherwise, I might have grown weary of her style. In all fairness, I often find that I cannot quite phrase a sentence without trying to throw in the kitchen sink as well.

This particular blogger seems witty. I use the word seems because her lack of information about music history made me a tad bit skeptical. She also picked a rather shallow diving point from which to launch her poorly-researched remarks. The tone of her blog was disgruntled; she was trying to pick a fight.


http://www.thetripwire.com/news/2009/08/24/visualize-women-shredding/