I really enjoyed reading more about some of my favorites--Liz Phair, Tanya Donelly, Hole. It gives a nice overview of the rise of women musicians in the 1990s. The author Tanya Pearson teaches gender theories, so she has a number of interesting theories as to why the popularity of women rockers quickly receded. The consolidation of radio led to Clear Channel owning a lot of stations and making them all homogenous. As a result, a lot of left-of-the-dial stations that would be more prone to playing women or minority rockers, disappeared. The homogenous stations that remained often would only allow 1 woman to be in heavy rotation at a time. So if they were playing No Doubt, that meant all the other women were shut out. Pearson points out that there was no restriction on the number of dudes being played, so the success of Pearl Jam didn't prevent them from paying Creed or Nickelback.

Pearson hints that this has paved the way for the increased misogyny we're seeing today.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a free e-galley in return for this honest review.

I love women in rock (the '90s era). Mostly I read this book because of the interviews by some of my favorite artists like Shirley Manson, Liz Phair, Louise Post, and Nina Gordon. The problem I had with this book was the author's writing style. Tanya Peason is a good journalist, but as a non-fiction writer, I found her prose frustrating. Her prose is very long-winded, and she has no problem tooting her own multiple times. I wanted to hear more about the upbringing of my favorite female artists. Most of the time we are so busy learning about Pearson's chaotic upbringing instead. This book is in need of an editor. This book is too long and left me feeling aggravated more anything.

Big thanks to Hachette Book Group and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Tanya Pearson’s excellent book Pretend We’re Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ’90s, documenting the rise, fall, and re-emergence of women in alternative rock. I really enjoyed this book because I not only remember listening to a lot of the artists and bands that Pearson interviews for the Women of Rock Oral History Project, but Pearson’s analysis of the trajectory of Women in Rock really challenged my thinking about music, the music industry, and how styles and trends in music emerge and go away. Furthermore, she intersperses her interviews and analysis with her own experiences as a fan, musician and scholar who seeks to document and champion the many influential women in rock (especially from the 90s) who have somewhat been forgotten or pushed away as music trends have changed.
Pearson’s book is divided into two parts- one documenting the rise of women in alternative music, and looks at some specific artists and bands, including Liz Phair, L7, Babes in Toyland, Hole, Veruca Salt and Throwing Muses. Her introduction outlines her own experiences with 90s alternative music and her reasons for championing the women of this often misrepresented and undocumented time period that has proven to be incredibly influential to many current musical artists, styles and trends. She also clearly defines grunge/alternative music, which is great because I feel like there is no real consistent definition, and while many of the artists and bands who participated in the book are often lumped into this amorphous category, Pearson makes it clear that the bands and artists are very different. It’s especially important when Pearson raises concerns about why women were shut out of radio play in the late 90s and post 9/11. The second part of the book details that period of decline, which Pearson attributes to various factors like the backlash against feminism, the development of a more corporate type of feminism that has been marketed and sold as an ideal, changes in the music industry with promotion of pop music and boy bands, and the promotion of masculine, jingoistic music after 9/11.
I loved learning about the background of these bands and artists because it is so interesting to see how many of them turned to music in difficult times, either to escape or as an outlet for emotions, or that some of them, like Tracy Bonham, came from musical families. Furthermore, Pearson also discussed how the “grunge” trend helped to usher in a new kind of feminism that wasn’t necessarily part of the mainstream music nor part of its industry. She largely credits this with bands like Nirvana (especially Kurt Cobain) and Sonic Youth (especially Kim Gordon); although the book doesn’t focus on the Riot Girl scene, Pearson does connect this musical scene with the increased focus on feminism and inclusion of women. Other chapters discuss some of the challenges that women in rock faced. I found this fascinating since I didn’t necessarily question the press’s portrayal of women in rock. However, hearing their words and experiences made me realize the kind of double standard they faced, and if they challenged perceptions or tried to correct the narrative, they were often labeled. In fact, no matter what they did, it seemed like the press had labels already for these artists to fit into, whether it was Liz Phair, L7, or Courtney Love. They all seemed to fit stereotypes and categories of different types of women, even though they were trying to be authentic or possibly challenge these stereotypes. Furthermore, because these artists did not fit into the more conventional (or conservative) roles for women, they were often criticized or faced unfair accusations; some like Kristin Hersh or Courtney Love even lost custody of their children due to interviews they conducted. I forgot about that incident with Courtney Love, and it was pretty shocking to look back and realize this kind of double standard. Other chapters in the first half of the book detail the rise of women in rock in the ’90s, and tie their increasing popularity to upliftment of women from that year and the kind of advocacy and awareness that women brought to rock music. It’s really interesting to read these chapters as we approach another presidency that seems regressive to women’s rights and ideals, and the kind of culture war that seems to reignite around conservative handwringing as differences emerge and progress is made. I forgot how much happened in the 90s to advance women’s rights and prominence in areas like music and politics, but it is also kind of depressing to see that there’s just this continued need to raise awareness and challenge the changes brought about by the Dobbs’ decision. However, it’s good to know that there are artists who continue to push boundaries and challenge assumptions, and that music, even though it may not always be welcoming to women, does provide an outlet and a voice for many women artists. Furthermore, it seems like many of the women in rock from the ’90s have influenced today’s artists who have more opportunities to record and self-release or share their music with others.
The second half of the book was both disheartening and interesting to read—I actually can’t think of another word, but I do want to mention that many of Pearson’s hypotheses about the reduced role that women in rock had in the early 2000s really challenged my assumptions about music and society, and many of the factors that can potentially influence their participation in popular music. And like most events, there’s no one clear event or factor that led to this reduction, but rather many different events in society ranging from changing tastes in music to the attacks of 9/11 that all altered women’s roles in rock music. Even though I continued to listen to artists like Liz Phair and Hole, I didn’t actively seek them out, and I also didn’t listen to the radio as much at this point, especially as the iPod made its way into my life. Regardless, I can see how many of these events probably did lead to the gradual decline of women in rock, to the point where some artists complained about labels just telling them to stay low. Liz Phair’s experience of being moved from label to label, despite having a critical success with whitechocolatespacegg kind of shows the level of disrespect and disregard that female artists faced. Other events like Woodstock ’99 were representative of the sad shift towards rap-rock and the kind of influence this had on music. I really don’t remember hearing much about Woodstock ’99, and I haven’t seen the recent documentaries, but it was pretty crazy to read about what happened. As Pearson notes, only a few women were asked to participate. While there’s not really a direct correlation, this kind of event and the participants involved mirrored a lot of what was happening on the radio and in the industry, moving from a slightly more egalitarian music genre like grunge, towards more of a hegemonic cockrock that was popular in the 70s and 80s. This also forced artists like Liz Phair to recalculate their approach, and with pressure from their labels, find other genres and sounds that their fans might retaliate against. I think Pearson helps to promote empathy for these artists, showing that those who didn’t really conform to the popular styles were often dropped from their labels, and those who did often faced backlash from their fans. It’s a kind of dilemma that all artists face, especially those who might try to find a different style or approach to their art. For me, the biggest revelation was the idea that after 9/11, there was this need for masculinity in music. I definitely remember the post 9/11 patriotism, and I found much of my escape in CDs and iTunes, as well as searching out indie and punk rock in Kazaa and Limewire. While I wasn’t paying much attention to what was on the radio, I can totally see how this was the case. It was just shocking to hear execs and others mention that there were too many female artists being played or on a label. Despite presenting some sour notes, Pearson does end with some hope, sharing how there’s been a resurgence of ’90s music, and especially with women in music. She cites artists like Miley Cyrus and Olivia Rodrigo, who had the Breeders open for her, who have covered or incorporated ’90s female artists into their work. I’ve noticed the influence in other artists like Soccer Mommy, Japanese Breakfast, and Beabadoobee who have this kind of really great rock and pop sound that takes me back. I also loved learning more about the Women of Rock Oral History Project, and the continuing effort to reshape the narrative of women in rock.
Some of the more powerful writing in this last section was saved for the critiques of capitalism, corporations, and the kind of limited choices we have in politics. This was especially true in the ’90s, when there wasn’t too much of a difference between Democrats and Republicans. Pearson emphasized how some bills that Clinton signed led to deregulation in the media, allowing corporations like Clear Channel to buy up radio stations and concert venues, pretty much eliminating choice for many people. She also explores how this kind of corporatization and limited choice selection has created a kind of watered down version of feminism that really is more like surface level advocacy than anything that might affect change. It reminded me of Jia Tolentino’s writing in Trick Mirror and how the ideal woman is really like a corporate/media creation. This last section is really powerful and critical, and it was some of my favorite parts of the book. Not necessarily because it was uplifting, but rather because it is a reminder of the need to continue to fight and challenge, and how music can be a force and art to convey those messages.
While this was an exciting and fun read, one thing I noticed was that some of the quotes were reused in certain parts. It wasn’t a big deal, but I came across this a few times and was wondering if I had re-read a certain part. The other part that I wish this book had was more analysis between the quotes. It was great to hear from the artists for extended periods, and the sections were organized according to themes in music, but I felt like this book would have benefitted from some additional analysis of the points that the artists made and the concerns they raised. There is some analysis in many of the chapters, and some chapters were mainly analytical or reflective based on Pearson’s experiences (which were also cool to learn about—she has a really amazing and empowering story). However, I would have liked to see more of that analysis evenly distributed. Maybe that will be in her dissertation. One final point about Pearson’s experience in higher education, I hope that after she finishes her dissertation and continues on with research, she considers developing a kind of book of pedagogy or some kind of teaching guide about using feminist music in the classroom. I’m not sure that there are many books about this topic, but it would be a really cool book to read and use for teaching. In any event, this is a great book, and if you are a fan of music, especially ’90s music, this is a must read.

A well written book. I really enjoyed the perspectives of the artist who created the music that I still listen to today. I will highly recommend this book.

A compelling read for 90s music fans. I never thought how women in music were backgrounded a lot after 9/11, but Pearson and her interview subjects provide a lot of insight into a time period in music that was pivotal to a generation (X) of women. Loved hearing stories directly from those involved and it made me pull out all my high school albums.

Tanya Pearson is pretty similar to me. We’re born the same year (1981) and therefore had our pivotal youth cultural experiences at the same times.

Tanya talks about coming of age to the grunge, indie rock and alternative scenes and how, our age bracket just missed the scenes middle stages - when bands like Hole, The Breeders, Veruca Salt, Belly, Liz Phair and L7 were still playing smaller venues and bars. We were there for the explosion of amazing bands coming into the mainstream, though. And our experiences were particular because it was pre-internet, and MTV/Much Music were huge influences back then. You knew what songs were big because you saw the videos play, over and over again. You also tuned in to various radio stations to tape your favourite songs if you hadn’t bought the tape or CD yet.

Tanya joined bands and recreated some of the female 90s rock sounds in doing so — something I might have badly attempted only a couple times before dodging out. And though I dreamed of being a rock journalist, too much had changed by the time I finished high school.

Suffice to say, something really interesting was happening with mainstream music in the 90s and contrary to what seems to be the belief now, this was not a rock scene dominated by men. Unconventional women, in fact, were everywhere and 90s grunge, indie rock and alternative rock was really female heavy.

And then over night all the women had vanished.

I remember all of this so well, but I didn’t have the knowledge back then to understand why women suddenly disappeared from radio and TV seemingly over night when just before it there was a huge emergence of female centred and female led alt rock bands, and even bands that weren’t indie/alt rock but fuelled this kind of rebellious energy.

Some blame a backlash within the culture, that record labels that were predominantly indie started consolidating and buying each other out, and that meant these bands were no longer being headed by people with a love for the art they were distributing, now it was record execs whose only interest were dollar signs and who were stifling after the initial wave. Some blame 9/11, that men became paternalistic and thought these strong, unapologetic women made them seem weaker to “enemies”. This book explores all the pivotal bands from this era and how these scenes started and ended.

This is my first completed ARC and admittedly the way its put together is pretty questionable. I wanted to put my editor cap on and fix a lot of how the book is laid out. I guess its not the finished copy so maybe they’ll move some things around and better organize it to highlight certain quotes and separate Tanya’s passages better from the bands she interviews, remove the repetitive statements, etc.

Apart from that I enjoyed reading so many of these people I grew up on speak about their experiences from back then. It made me miss that era and remember how amazing it was. I’ve been playing Belly’s Star nonstop for days and just discovered Kim Deal’s solo album from November(?). Also I’ve made a playlist for those who don’t know what that sound was like and for those who do & miss them (it's linked in bio)!

Out January 28th!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEPK6UaODHo/

*Pretend We’re Dead* is an anthem of celebration and reflection, a deep dive into the powerhouse women of ‘90s rock who set the world on fire with their talent, only to be pushed into the shadows all too soon. Tanya Pearson’s work pulls back the curtain on a golden era of music, with unfiltered interviews from icons like Shirley Manson, Liz Phair, and Kristin Hersh. It’s a heartfelt exploration of how these trailblazers fell in love with music, broke through barriers, and made their mark with fearless, feminist, and often deeply political lyrics.

This book had me reminiscing about my teenage years, when I’d blast *Seether* by Veruca Salt in my room, feeling invincible. Those women weren’t just rock stars; they were role models, unafraid to challenge the status quo and fight for their space in a male-dominated industry. Pearson dives into the highs and lows of their journeys, weaving in stories about the impact of Woodstock ’99, the rise of corporate radio, and the cultural shifts post-9/11 that forced many of these artists out of the mainstream.

It’s not just a history lesson—it’s a reminder of the fire and fearlessness that these women brought to the stage. Reading this felt like rediscovering a favorite mixtape, full of raw emotion and nostalgia. If you’ve ever been inspired by the grit of women in rock, *Pretend We’re Dead* is a must-read. It’s a love letter to the era, and it left me wanting to dust off my old CDs and crank up the volume.

Tanya Pearson is only seven years my senior, so I can certainly relate to her perspective and narrative voice here. The introduction is a bit lengthy, but it effectively explains the significance of this particular era in rock music, and highlights how the music and culture influenced Pearson personally and creatively. Each chapter begins with a short explanation of what was occurring in the industry as a whole. Then related excerpts from interviews follow. Pearson interviewed several artists for this project, including Melissa Auf Der Mar, Donita Sparks, Louise Post, Patty Schemel, Shirley Manson and more. The result is eye-opening! As a longtime fan of many of these bands, I found this fascinating and well-constructed.

My thanks to NetGalley and Hachette Books for an advanced copy of this book that offers a history of the 90's music scene from the women artists who the charts, and how much of their contributions have been erased and ignored, but not from the ears and hearts of fans.

At one time Goddesses strode the earth, sharing air time with male bands, adorning covers of various magazines, with MTV showing videos and record labels fighting to find the next female band. The big thing about women in rock was that they did this mainly by themselves. Starting small, gaining a following, working their songs, and working together. And the music was great, and eclectic in ways that following the nineties was astonishing. These women rock stars had a mix of styles, a mix of tastes, even a mix or professionalism. Some were trained musicians, and some had picked up instruments the day of their first show. Their was an honesty to their music, again something that is rare today, and to their sound. A mix of again professional, and in some cases directly into a tape recorder. Working in a music store I was amazed by the different people who came in looking for these bands, people we hadn't seen before, buying singles, buying imports and bootlegs. And then suddenly the music didn't die, it just faded away, as America went through some stuff, and suddenly Disney princesses became the music of choice, along with bro rock and nu metal. Even the way to get music changed, and the challenge of finding a band could begin and end with a few types of a keyboard. Women in rock went from shouting out loud, to an echoing silence, one that still confuses those involved in music at the time. Into this silence comes Pretend We're Dead: The Rise, Fall, and Resurrection of Women in Rock in the ’90s by Tanya Pearson, who offers an oral history told by the people who played, of music in the 90's what it was like, what the music industry made of it, and what was taken away.

The book begins with a little personal history about the author, describing her bona fides as a lover of music. Pearson discusses growing up in the era, how Pearson found music, and how in many ways this kind of music made changed Pearson's life. After a long time of being lost, Pearson founded the Women of Rock Oral History Project, starting as just discussions but becoming a repository of knowledge about the music of the 90's and the people involved in it. Starting slowly the project has grown, and by discussing the musical careers of different key players Pearson has come to a lot of interesting theories about why these musicians have been both maligned, and ignored. Pearson has interviewed many famous names, Liz Phair, Shirley Manson, Tanya Donelly, Kristen Hersch, and others and found that while their music was different in many ways, their stories all seemed to share a common theme. Journalists who were angry that girls were rocking. That various media groups made more money on feuding girl rockers that female bands sharing tours. Record label indifference, even when albums were selling out of the stores. And of course stories that only seem to happen in the world of rock n roll.

A book that is a bit memoir, musical history and study of feminism. The book was set up well, following almost the rise and fall, and the nostalgia wave that seems to be the music industry now. I loved hearing about and from bands that I used to love, and even more loved sharing when I worked in the music store. Many happy memories of listening to these bands, though i wish they had more happy memories. The entertainment industry is a savage place, and some of their stories can be disturbing. I have long given up on rock journalists, and I have to say the way the media covered these bands was just awful. However anyone who read Rolling Stone in the 90's would know this.

Pearson has done a really good job in brining this all together. The stories are all interesting, and the mix of Pearson's life with what was going on a music gives the narrative a nice personal feel. One can understand how this music changed lives, maybe even saved them. A book fans will like, something music historians can argue about on their podcasts, with a lot of good memories tossed in.

Thank you Tanya Pearson for writing the book about so many of the women who have influenced my life.

So many books have been written about the men of the 90s music era but so little about the women. Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, PJ Harvey, my queen--Liz Phair. It's about the rise of women against men in power. it's political, it's musical, it's excellent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Engaging, accessible, and nostalgic. A recommended purchase for collections where music and pop culture titles are popular.

I’m not a fan of being told what I’m not going to read by an author. It sets a tone of not being told a full story. This author starts by saying “I’m not interested in sex, drugs, and rock and roll”, this is a look at the feminist culture. As much as it’s not what she’s interested in, the full story of women in rock includes sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I wasn’t looking for gossip or dirt, I just wanted the full picture.

This isn’t the worst oral history I’ve read, but it seems to follow a stricter narrative than most others. I didn’t hate it, but I just felt like the author was trying to prove a point rather than letting the story be the story.

I’d recommend this to certain people.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions are my own.

This was a fun trip down memory lane and an interesting look behind the scenes of the record industry in the 90s. I know the book focuses on “rock” bands, but it could have used a few more voices, especially from solo women in alternative music like Tori Amos, DiFranco, PJ Harvey, etc. it also felt like the drug use and and infighting that was so prevalent at the time was largely pushed aside as a reason that a lot of these bands aren’t around. Small criticisms though for a book that remains an interesting read throughout and offers up lots of discussions for fans. Slightly scholarly, Pearson does a really good job of never being too dry and keeps the pace going and pages flying.

Thanks to he publisher and Netgalley for an early peek.