So.........What do you think of this cover?
Me, I think it's fine. I only wish that Revolver would change the title of their annual issue, monthly pictorial and calendar to "Talented Female Musicians in Metal" or at least "Hottest Women in Metal."
The "Chicks" is, well, sexist but more importantly to me is that it this issue suggests that the women involved in the scene are only there because they are hot. Granted, both the women (Lizzy Hale from Halestorm and Grace Perry of Landmine Marathon) on the cover are pretty 'hot' but a) I've never heard of either band except from a random music review. They aren't on my music radar but my personal tastes don't go that way, so I don't know how good their respective bands are; and b) if these were fantastic musicians but were overweight and ugly, you know these women would not be gracing the cover of any magazine whose main target demographic is young white men between 18-30.
I bought this today because of the special issue to check it out and as of writing this, have barely cracked it open (I was also looking forward to reading the album review for Converge) so I don't have an opinion. Also, buying Revolver is pretty damned expensive in Canada ( they just raised their issue price) so I'm not compelled to buy it every month.I'd Rather buy Decibel, which is more my speed. However, I did hear that unfortunately, the monthly magazine is going bi-monthly in 2010, which is sad but not surprising, as Metal Edge and Metal Maniacs and several other non-music publications went under this year. Revolver is owned, I believe, by the same company that runs the successful UK publication Metal Hammer, so I'm guessing that's why they have survived a bit longer. I was sorry to hear that, though.
I have been interviewed twice in the past couple of weeks. In one, I told the interviewer that sexism in the metal scene did not bother me as much (I just think it is stupid and says more about the sexists than the women) as racism and the lack of black folks in the scene. I told her (and I soon regretted it) that I had rarely even been perceived as a woman - that my ethnicity had always been more of an issue than the fact that I have breasts. I have always been pretty much an outsider in the scene but as long as my writing comrades and the people in the scene that I know, really like and respect on a professional level respect me as a writer, that is what matters most. Me being sexualized and being thought of as attractive as a white girl half my age, is really not.
I've always been a bit skeptical of Revolver because even though I certainly do not promote female metal musicians being sexualized versus discussing their craft, they need to but some flava up in there! I know that they have had some female Asian musicians, like Dr. Mikannibal from Sigh, but what about Alexis from Straight Line Stitch? And her band is in the radar zone, for chrissakes.
Oh - I forgot. White boys don't like that 'ish.
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