In Alice Bag book “Violence Girl”, I feel that her upbringing from a poor labor family that had domestic violence helped her define her personality of being a defensive person. I feel that growing up In East Los Angeles helped her discover that she was different from the majority of the kids living in this area at the time. With gangs being a major part of growing up in this ghetto, it help her discover that she was different from the kids that need an extended family to care and protect them. With her family it help her discover the inner beast in her, with seen her own father almost beat is wife to death made her a strong person that would defined anyone she felt close to. Music also had a profound effect in her life, with talent like Elton john, Queen, and David Bowie, it help her discover that being different was not bad. It was just a way to express yourself. So music helps her find her passion and express the anger she had toward societies view on how women should be when performing.
After seeing Alice Bag’s Blog website I learned that you show just being up front and share your raw feelings and emotions. It’s a way of expressing yourself in a different aspect. This is not like singing on a stage or painting a mural, but its more about having the people that read your feel closer to you with really knowing the person. After reading some of her blog post and seeing in what manner she writes is helping me be less afraid of blogging and expressing myself.
After I searched You Tube I was amazed at the amount of material Alice Bag has on this website. It’s pretty cool know that this women was in the fore front of the birth of Los Angeles punk. I this it’s great that she has some interviews of her passed experiences. I really loved seeing the old videos!!! It reminds me of going to all the stoner rock shows I used to attend in the early 1990-2000. It was the best seeing up and coming bands making a mark not only here in Los Angeles, but it was gratifying know that I was one of the lucky ones that saw them before they became famous. I can really relate to this whole genre of music and reading!
After reading Alice Bag, I can say that Chicano Punk was a way in which people of Hispanic decent could use the words and the music to empower them to voice their distrust of hate toward the unjustified way they are treated and seen as. They along with other punk music of the day were an attack on society’s way of thinking and running things. They also were anti-establishment. I feel that Alice Bag came of age several times during this book. But the one area that sticks out for me the most is when Nickey slaps Alice and she gets that angry feeling that leaves her feeling like Alice in wonderland. She gets a flash back of her mother and father, and the violence that she saw as a young girl. I feel that this is where she came of age in life and transformed that anger into her stage persona. “You are either a tyrant or a victim…” little Alicia whispers to me in the darkness “…and you will never be a victim.” (Bag, P.219)
This book was definitely a coming of age blog book. When Nick slapped her, I feel like Alicia’s inner animal came out, the one she had tamed for many years. It is like Grand Master Flash said, “Don’t push me cause I am close to the edge.” Peoples up bringing has lots to do with how one reacts to events and in the case of Alicia, she decided to leave Nick before something more serious occurred. Thanks.