Review: “What Are You Doing Here?” Is A Defiant Examination Of Heavy Metal & Black Women In Rock
By: Latonya Pennington
One of the most distinct memories of alienation I've experienced is walking into homeroom in high school with the alternative rock band Linkin Park loud in my earbuds and hearing the Black kids behind me go, "What the fuck is she is listening to?" To them, a Black person listening to rock is as strange as if I suddenly sprouted two heads. I never thought any other Black person understood why I was drawn to rock until I discovered Laina Dawes' book What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman's Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal while browsing the website Afropunk a while back.
In the book's introduction, Dawes states that the purpose of the book is to delve into how Black women musicians and fans maneuver through the hardcore, punk, and heavy metal scenes amid the race and gender issues that are prevalent. This book does this wonderfully by discussing these scenes from angles such as Dawes' personal experience, the history of Black rock musicians, and the lack of good marketing and promotion for Black female rock artists. Supporting each chapter are quotes from other Black music journalists and scholars, Black female rock musicians, and a survey that Dawes dispersed among Black rock music fans.
Chapters that I especially found interesting as a music fan were titled "Metal Can Save Your Life Or At Least Your Sanity", "I'm Here Because We Started It", and "So You Think You're White?" Even though the "Metal Can Save Your Life" chapter focuses on why Dawes and other Black music fans and musicians are drawn to heavy metal, the things discussed could be applied to my experience with rock music. It justified my music taste by affirming the emotional release and positive energy I feel whenever I listen to a band or music artist that moves me.
Meanwhile, the latter two chapters mentioned refutes the notion that Black people who perform or listen to rock music are distancing themselves from their Blackness and Black culture. By discussing the history of Black rock musicians and the racial segregation of rock music, Dawes demonstrates that rock music is Black culture and that it is possible to reclaim it. Furthermore, Dawes quotes scholar Patricia Hill Collins to explore how the judgment of Black female rock musicians and fans is related to the “double conscious” Black women experience: how they are seen by others becomes at odds with how they see themselves.
The only issues I had with this book was the lack of a bibliography for the writers and musicians featured and a formatting issue where the introduction and the survey were repeated. As a music fan, I would've appreciated a separate section where every music artist mentioned in the book had a bio with who they were, what band they were affiliated with (if they weren't a solo artist), and their most recent music. If I didn't already have a music playlist of Black female rock artists, the musician bibliography would've been a good way to discover some new music.
All in all, I recommend this to any music fan, but especially those who are interested in rock and Black rock musicians.
What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal By: Laina Dawes
2012. Bazillion Points: 224 pages; Kindle $7.95
Latonya Pennington is a prolific freelance pop culture critic and poet. They’ve written articles for places such as Gamercraft, Brian Mills Press, and Comics MNT. Their poetry has been published at The Asexual Journal, Color Bloq, and Fiyah Lit Magazine among others.
