Don't you dare get your dick in a knot over me bringing up gender issues (because if you do, you're a fuckface), but I'm not gonna sugarcoat my opinion here: I'm not impressed by the embarrasing 100% complete lack of any female representation in this documentary short (as in, there is literally not a single female-identified person in this whole video except for maaaybe a quick glimpse of an audience member or something). I know it's just a silly little independent doc and perhaps I'm being a tad over-sensitive in that respect, but this video brings up a very important issue that is all too often glossed over. Microcosmic example of a macrocosmic problem (and not just in the Hamilton punk scene, obviously). The issue of sexism in punk (and music in general) is extremely important to me and understandably close to my heart, even if I'm not overly vocal about it all the time, and I'm going to discuss it even if it seems trivial to some people because actually, it's NOT a trivial thing.
Yes, many of the guys I know here are progressive and have feminist leanings and make a sincere effort to help quash sexism in our scene. They are allies, they are aware and self-critical of their own male privilege, they are intelligent and supportive of women's rights and are just awesome men in general. This is especially true of the incredible dudes I played with in my old band (Dismantle). But, because they are men and they still benefit from that privilege, they are still often blind to this problem because it is not presented to them almost every day of their lives. That's the way privilege works. Even if you support an ideal, it is still so easy to forget about others' struggles because you are not faced with that struggle every day the way they are.
There aren't many current female musicians in the punk/hc scene here, but there are some. As an obvious example, I personally was in two punk bands who were very active during this time period, including one that was part of this particular corner of the scene, with some of the dudes in this video. Example the second - since a scene is made of more than just musicians and bands, I'll bring up the fact that one of the two owners/punk savants of the record shop featured in this video is a woman. Pretty lame to just leave women out all together. If you really wanted to make a documentary that fully represented the Hamilton punk/hc scene, you might include some of the many insanely talented, fucking awesome female artists/photographers/
Also, I promise you, there aren't only 3 punk/hardcore bands in Hamilton. This perhaps should have been titled "Snake Charmer + TV Freaks + Born Wrong" instead of "Hamilton Punk and Hardcore," HOWEVER these bands are all excellent at what they do, work super hard, represent the fuck out of Hamilton and are full of rad dudes. Much, much love to all of those guys.
Worth watching to get a feel for things, but this is only scratching the surface of this city's vibrant, thriving and legendary punk scene. Rather than an actual documentary, this is more like a snapshot of a specific moment in time in Hamilton's punk history.
Still... more chicks next time. Thanks.
