Dissertation Part 2: Oh Bondage, up Yours!

Below is the second instalment (2/5) of a series of posts that will eventually make up an updated version my final year dissertation! Bare with, its a chunky couple of paragraphs!

X-Ray Spex: Oh Bondage, up Yours!

As I said in my introduction, despite appearances, I did manage to give some allusion that this essay was written by a literature student. The very relevant literary reference in this section is to Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s novel The Yellow Wallpaper, which if you haven't already read I cannot recommend enough (also it is super short and I think its free on iBooks). In this work Perkins Gilman uses a common literary trope, the deteriorating mental state of the protagonist due to a lack of stimulus, as a metaphor for the female experience.[1] This notion of bondage and intellectual starvation is often explored by feminist authors and was also a theme picked up by musicians during the “Punk” movement who chose to turn a more critical eye to their position as women in a patriarchal society. In a comment about how women are often erased even from their own experiences, Gilman leaves the protagonist of her novel unnamed. This also means that the experiences of her protagonist can be applied to a more general population, as it is not the story of one specific women, but of many women. However, as the process of naming things is a very powerful one I decided that I would spend a sentence discussing the name of each band I'm writing about.

Also, the process of naming in “Punk” culture was a significant one, and throughout the

How iconic can you get?

genre you find artists going by all sorts of titles.* I think prominent NY "punk" Richard Hell best summed it up in his statement about how choosing a name provided people with the opportunity to “invent yourself”.[2] For Marianne ‘Mari’ Joan Elliott-Said, who much like Gilman’s protagonist struggled with her mental health, the act of naming was not only a political statement but an exploration of her own identity.[3] This battle is best illustrated in the song 'Identity' which questions the representation of Britain’s diversity while also discussing the inner turmoil of self-acceptance.[4] I'll do this for all the songs I reference, but here I've included a link to X-Ray Spex's 1978 performance on Top of the Pops, and to be quite honest it's fabulous so I would recommend a watch! Anyway, back to it, the name Mari Elliot chose was ‘Poly Styrene’, because it was “a lightweight, disposable product.”[5] In one interview she said she found it while looking through the yellow pages, which is a fact I've always loved, as it is such a causal action and I love that element of happenstance. The choice to name herself something so plasticky connects to her obsession with and criticism for consumerist culture, most visible in ‘The Day the World Turned Day-Glo’. It was here that I found another opportunity for a literary reference, as Poly's criticism for the society she lived in reminded me of Anna Laetitia Barbauld (great name, am I right?) who's 'unpatriotic' criticism for the war of 1812 was met with so much sexist backlash that she retired from writing**. Ultimately the thing that connects these two otherwise polar opposites is the venturing into topics that are not considered 'traditionally feminine' or 'accepted topics for women authors', such as politics.[6] In 'The Day the World turned Day-Glo' each rhyming couplet tells the story of a dystopian Britain where Poly wakes to view the world through “Perspex windows” and consumes a “Wimpy bar” under “rayon trees”.[7] This acute eye for criticism is also reflected in her band name, X-Ray Spex, which illustrates her acknowledgement of social façades and an intention to see through them.[8] I would like to add the very important point that much of the “Punk” scene is criticised for being heavily white, which it was in most cases, and factions of the movement even joined hate groups such as the EDL. While Poly Styrene is the only non-white artist mentioned in this essay, her inclusion is not an act of tokenism but instead an important discussion of an iconic and influential figure. I will add a link to a Spotify playlist here (created by Ashrita Kumar) which highlights black artists in the "punk", rock, and indie genres, go have a listen!

Poly's illustrated lyrics

In the words of Poly’s daughter, Celeste Bell, Poly Styrene was an “anti-wonder woman” who was a “plastic princess” that refused to “look pretty or be quiet.”[9] A friend of mine was kind enough to purchase me 'Day Glo' by Celeste Bell and Zoe Howe which not only spurred my love for Poly Styrene but is also where I got a lot of this research from. Bell also recently released a documentary about her mum's life, which was so utterly heartwarming I teared up little. But yes, essentially Poly provided a space where alternative identities could be explored and where women could openly experience passions which could be ugly, violent, or even sexually perverse.[10] The lyrics that best illustrate this are those of the iconic track, ‘Oh Bondage! Up Yours!’ (one, two, three, four!!!). For historian Michelle Lee this song is “THE” feminist “Punk” anthem and praises X-Ray Spex for being “rebels with a cause”.[11] This description is particularly relevant and came about because due to Poly X-Ray Spex launched an exploration into “Punk” identity which delved deeper than purely creating “metaphors for potential anarchy”.[12] Thankfully for the sake of my degree, this process was also present in the works of underground author and innovator Kathy Acker, who created literary counterculture alongside the “Punk” movement, and meant I could add in another relevant reference to the actual subject matter of my degree. Much like Poly, Acker attempted to produce alternative discourse through a sense of “madness and sensual delirium.”[13] The song ‘Oh Bondage’ opens with Poly Styrene saying softly “Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard but I think…” followed by the yelling of “Oh Bondage! Up Yours!”.[14] The structure is simple with three quatrain verses broken by three choruses where each verse provides vivid imagery of domination, which harks back to what we discussed at the beginning of this section in the common usage of imprisonment being a metaphor for women's experiences in society. You can also draw a linguistic link here to the centuries of enslavement of Black people, Black women specifically due to the sexual implications, and the continued exploitation of PoC due to the racist power structures that started this process still being in place. This narrative is accompanied by the piercing sound of an unlikely instrument of “Punk”, the saxophone, played by Lora Logic, which creates the kind of piercing delirium explored by Acker in her alternative novels.

Let's break down these lyrics a little further. Throughout the verses Poly uses evocative verbs like “bind” and expresses a satirical wish to be a “victim”.[15] In this track, Poly uses

bondage as a metaphor for society’s masochistic relationship with women. During the "punk" movement there was a tendency to incorporate fetish wear into the overall aesthetic, this was arguably pioneered by icon Siouxsie Sioux, but Vivienne Westwood also had a hand in the popularisation of the look. For Sioux, it was an ironic gesture to highlight the male drive to dominate, as well as a stark reclamation of female sexuality.[16] However, when the men of “Punk” wore bondage wear it was seen as them subverting the system, when women donned it, it was viewed as another opportunity for objectification and sexual harassment. Grim. [17]

This acknowledgement of the accepted gender roles can also seen in the track ‘I Can’t Do Anything’ which illustrates the socialised belief that women cannot or should not “write”, “sing” or “talk”.[18] Ok, so, I admit this analysis makes the assumption that in this song the speaker and Poly Styrene are the same, and that the speaker is a woman. But even if the lyrics are generalised to a wider population it still describes how destructive societal expectations can be. The lyrics also describe how the character in the song cannot “spit”, “kick” or “go to hell”, reinforcing the stereotype that women are expected to be benevolent pacifists.[19] Now, whenever you encounter such a situation, be like Poly, scream at the top of your lungs (out loud or in your head, both work) “OH BONDAGE, UP YOURS!”.[20]

Another significant factor about Poly, is her voice. Fashion pioneer Vivienne Westwood discusses the voices of female singers who ventured into alternative genres as being confused, and describes them always “trying for something other than their real voice”.[21] Now, bare with for a moment, we're going to discuss an irritating Greek 'philosopher'. Aristotle believed that the high-pitched tone of a woman’s voice was indicative of her “evil disposition” and while reading such a statement in Classical literature is at first glance ridiculous, it’s diluted repercussions are visible throughout history .[22] The distrust of a high pitched voice has resulted in many men and women altering their voice to account for gender or sexuality, such as political pain in the ass Margret Thatcher who underwent vocal coaching in order to be more accepted in her chosen career path.[23] Professor of Classics Anne Carson traces this distrust in a feminine voice way back to the stereotype that women lack “logos” and therefore are assumed to be 'too emotional' to be allowed autonomy.[24] Sound familiar? However, the women of “Punk” did not see this stereotype as a disadvantage, and maybe we shouldn't either, as the consequences of suppressing your emotions are pretty nasty. In the words of feminist activist and pop music critic Ellen Willis, the anger in music can be just as inspiring and empowering for young women as it was for young men.[25] Ultimately, Poly Styrene posed a threat to British societal norms through many outlets, such as her acute eye for political criticism, her disregard for traditional “Punk” attire, as well as through her Scottish-Somali heritage. But in the specific case of what Westwood describes as a “wonderfully high-pitched” voice, Poly “cut through the glass ceiling” of what was expected from a female performer.[26] Shehnaz Suterwalla states that the screaming and howling native to “Punk” music is indicative of an aggressive presence, and that for men this was the sound of the frustrations of the working class.[27] For Poly however, it was the reclamation of a voice that society deemed undesirable and a declaration of agency.

* The origin of the word "Punk" is also a super interesting one, as it was first introduced by Shakespeare in a ballad and a play, and it was used to describe a "female prostitute". Then in the late 17th Century it had a minor rebranding and was used to describe a young, male protstitute, specifically one that was being 'kept' by an older man. This regeneration always amused me somewhat, as it's no secret there is a rotten vein of homophobia that runs through "punk" subculture, so it's a little funny that all these manky homophobes are proudly running around calling themselves homosexual prostitutes. Anyway, this definition of "punk"continued for a fair old while and was used in American prison slang, but soon became more generalised to refer to any sort of youthful, inexperienced, "lowlife". For more info on the word pls read this very enlightening article I was pootling through, I will link it here!

** Anna Laetitia Barbauld is kind of a legend really, as she was critical of how British society treated the poorer classes (see 'To The Poor') and was also an active critic of capture and enslavement of African peoples by European colonisers. I can't find a link for her poem "Eighteen Hundred and Eleven" however I will link you to the poetry archive page where you can hear some of her works being read by Denise Riley!

Citations

[1] Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Yellow Wallpaper, (n.p: n.pub, 1892), in iBooks,

<https://www.apple.com/uk/apple-books/> accessed 24.10.19 [2] Richard Hell, in New Musical Express, in Larry McCaffery, "The Artists Of Hell: Kathy Acker

And ‘Punk’ Aesthetics", [Accessed 10 April 2020]. p. 225 [3] Celeste Bell and Zoë Howe, Dayglo, 1st edn (London: Omnibus Press, 2019). p. 27 [4] X-Ray Spex, Identity (London: EMI, 1978) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Pst5K6uEPUc> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [5] Dayglo, p. 61 [6] N.a, ‘Art. VI. Eighteen Hundred and Eleven. A Poem By Anna Laetitia Barbauld London,

Johnson and Co, '1812’, The Quarterly Review, 8. (1812), p. 309, 313 [7] Poly Styrene, The Day The World Turned Day Glo (London: EMI, 1978)

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjVVhJ-INWQ> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [8] Dayglo, p.46 [9] Dayglo, p. 49 [10] McCaffrey, p. 222 [11] Lee, “The early punk movement—and the women who made it rock”, p. 43 [12] McCaffrey, p. 227 [13] Ibid. [14] X-Ray Spex, Oh Bondage! Up Yours! (London: EMI, 1978)

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=FYMObdOqcRg&list=RDFYMObdOqcRg&start_radio=1&t=0>[Accessed 10 April

2020]. [15] Ibid. [16] Charles Mueller, "Seduction And Subversion: The Feminist Strategies Of Siouxsie And

The Banshees", College Music Symposium, 57 (2017), 57 - 66

<https://doi.org/www.jstor.org/stable/26574462>. p. 3 [17] Lee, p. 42 [18] X-Ray Spex, I Can't Do Anything (London: EMI, 1978) <https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=SSuH1E4yZxA> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [19] Ibid. [20] X-Ray Spex, Oh Bondage! Up Yours! : Larissa Oliveira, "Punk Rock Feminism Rules Okay:

10 Times That Women Engaged In Political Issues Through…", Medium, 2017

<https://medium.com/@larissa_1/punk-rock-feminism-rules-okay-10-times-that-women-

engaged-in-political-issues-through-hardcore-32668cb9f0a6> [Accessed 10 April 2020]. [21] Dayglo, p. 61 [22] Anne Carson, Glass, Irony And God, 3rd edn (New York: New Directions books, 1995),

pp. 119 – 136 , p. 120 [23] Ibid. [24] Ibid. [25] Oliveira, "Why Feminism Needs Punk | Dissent Magazine" [26] Dayglo, p. 61 [27] Shehnaz Suterwalla, "Cut, Layer, Break, Fold: Fashioning Gendered Difference, 1970S To

The Present", Women's Studies Quarterly, 41.1/2 (2012), 267 - 284

<https://doi.org/www.jstor.org/stable/23611790>. p. 272