Story Christie Elizer

Is the rock n’ roll road a more daunting journey for women than their male counterparts? Christie Eliezer investigates.

"I can’t believe they did that to her, I was flabbergasted! My jaw was on the ground. That show was supposed to be about who had the best voice, not how they looked."

Sarah McLeod, singer with The Superjesus still gets annoyed when talking about that infamous incident last year on "Australian Idol" when judge Ian "Dicko" Dickson criticised contestant Paulini’s choice of dress, and told her her thighs were too big.

Sarah adds, " I didn’t particularly like that dress. Not because she was overweight, it was just a bad dress! Paulini is a good looking woman, and that (comment) was unbelievably rude and out of line. The blatant message was: if you want to be in the entertainment business, you have to be thin."

Admittedly, this seems more prone to pop singers and TV shows. The message Sarah would rather give female rockers is: "be healthy, look after yourself, because you need a lot of energy on stage. Don’t be obese, but don’t be a stick either."

Natalie Miller from Sydney band Brat agrees the Paulini comments were cruel and possibly not have been an issue if it had been a male contender. But she came from a background in TV, so she understands that TV is more concerned with glam and image. She says, "This is a harsh industry, and you need to get over it."

Do women in rock get a bad deal? "Am I pretty enough?" Kasey Chambers sang on her song, to radio programmers who consider her looks before playing her records. In "Powerless", Nelly Furtado wails at how her image was whitewashed.

So how much of the music industry is a boy’s club?

Sarah from The Superjesus says it probably is, but adds with a grin, "When I’m in the boy’s club, I act like them. Whatever they get up to, I’m right in there with them. (pause). I won’t give you an example, because that would get me in trouble!

"But I get treated exactly the same as everyone in the band. Sometimes you think, Hey I should get my own room because I’m a girl. Then you figure, Hang on, if it’s all for one and one for all...I don’t need any special treatment, I just rock up and play.

"I think you need to draw the rules and establish what you’ll put up with. A long time ago, and it’s only happened once, a roadie spoke to me in a sexist and derogatory manner. I threatened to kick him off the tour. He apologised and we’re mates now. You tell people how you want to be treated."

Katie Noonan from George agrees that "As you get higher up the music industry infrastructure, the key decisions are by males." But she says there are a lot of incredible creative women in the industry who have important roles. In her record company Festival Mushroom Records, she points out, the heads of A&R, publicity and marketing are female. "Women are great communicators and networkers which is what the music industry is about," Katie explains.

Agrees Brat’s Natalie, "I’ve never encountered a problem as being a woman. Maybe I go through life with blinkers, but I don’t think I do. The music industry is a hard road for anyone. It has a boys’ club feel about it but there is definitely a place for women in there, like there is in any job. Men and women have their own roles."

Rock music has come a long way since the days when women sang nice songs, wore nice dresses, and sang in girl groups packaged by a male producer. After all 40 years ago, a woman’s place in society was definitely second class. The guitar, shaped like a woman’s body, was something to be shook, rattled and rolled. The playing of drums was everything about power, strength and masculinity.

In the early ‘70s, things changed. Suzi Quatro, the brassy leather clad bassist who fronted her own band, bawled "I wanna be your man!" All-girl bands like Fanny, Girlschool and the Runaways started, although they were probably still seen as novelty acts. Carole King and Joni Mitchell were great songwriters who introduced a "female" language to rock music — more picturesque, more feminine, and more in touch with their feelings.

By the 1980s, Australian bands like Do Re Mi and the Go Betweens featured strong aspiring women who were equal as creators of the music.

Deborah Conway, who was singer with Do Re Mi, and these days releases solo records through her own record label, says her experiences have been positive ones. Even though, she chuckles, when Do Re Mi’s "Man Overboard", a ground breaking hit single about female desires, hit the charts, someone did tell her that she should start applying a bit of lippy and maybe shave her armpits!

Through time, movements like Rrrriot Grrls and performers like PJ Harvey, Chrissie Hynde, Bjork, Tori Amos, Madonna, Norah Jones, Alanis Morissette and Ani Di Franco, to name just a few, changed the rules forever. They write songs, produce, lead bands, take solos, and are in control of their art and their marketing.

But is rock music reflecting society today? Are women under-represented? Are the success stories exceptions than the rule?

Studies of elementary school band show that early choices are split by sex. Singing is considered a "girl" thing. Maybe it’s because teen guys get shy because their voices are changing. Maybe singing is considered passive while learning an instrument is not. In school orchestras, guys gravitate to brass or percussion, and females to flute and upper register woodwind. Is it possible that, despite all the "girl power" slogans, girls subconsciously go for instruments where they could sit daintily, not hold on to a huge awkward instrument or distort their faces?

How are girls marketed? Are they treated as equals in musician magazines? How about their race? Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton and Norah Jones have Asian blood in them. But little is made of these in their marketing, except for Jones and that’s because her dad was legendary Indian sitar maestro Ravi Shankar.

In May, a seminar at the Ausmusic Forum in Melbourne looked at the role of women in rock. The seven speakers — who came from backgrounds of performance, record labels, management, publicity, accountancy, sound engineering and venue management — agreed that women have made their mark on every aspect of the Australian music industry.

Women can combine motherhood with careers. More and more companies are learning to hold flexible hours. Even going on the road means you can take your children with you, because there will always be someone that you meet — whether your booking agent or an office assistant or a journalist — who’ll be happy to babysit for you. The one problem is that many live venues have yet to set up areas backstage which can be used as temporary childcare creches.

George’s Katie and Tyrone Noonan are children of opera singer Maggie Noonan. Remembers Katie: "My mum has been a musician all her life, and motherhood was equally, or more important than her career. When I have kids, they will always be first priority and my career will be based around them. Women are incredible creatures, we can always balance our priorities and time management."

THEIR ROLE MODELS

Natalie: " Deborah Harry, the ultimate cool chick, glamour and with the X-factor. Brat had the fortune of supporting Blondie when they were here, and she exudes sexuality and coolness even at her age."

Sarah: " PJ Harvey. Incredible voice, writes and produces her own songs, has an incredible presence, and is unique. She goes out on the limb and does what she does with conviction."

Katie: "I love Annie Lennox. I bought her Revenge album in 1986, and I still find it a significant album. She is an amazing woman, an incredible songwriter and a very beautiful singer. I also love Ella Fitzgerald, the queen of jazz, and a gorgeous curvy mama, and Bjork because she’s unique. Tori Amos writes music that is mature and advanced but still commercial. Her personal lyrics are inspiring."