Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/498400
photography by DaviD henry Five years before Voices Carry made Aimee Mann a star, she was a punk rocker at Boston's legendary club The Rat. Even though I have a terrible memory, I remember this photo. It's my old band, The Young Snakes. We had been together for about three months, but we were, like, 20 years old, so three months seemed like a long time. It was me, Doug Vargas on guitar, and Dave Bass Brown on drums. We had this weird art-punk- rock thing going. Boston was an interesting scene back then. This was at The Rat, but there were so many venues around town—like, 35 back then in 1980. I quit my job because we could perform at so many places around town. I was living in a shitty little place but still able to make a living playing gigs. We went to gigs in a Checker cab—seriously. We loaded it up with drums, two amps, and then the three of us piled in and drove off to a gig. I wore whatever, you know? I bought stuff from thrift stores. The shirt I'm wearing is a pajama top from a dollar-a-pound shop, with jodhpur riding boots that I found in some old store. I just threw everything together. I never dressed overly feminine. I didn't think about gender at all. I wasn't thinking about the fact that I was one of only a few women playing. I was drawn to the music people were creating. I was inspired by men and women: David Bowie, Nina Hagen—she was so crazy, just balls out. I loved her. She had this faux-operatic voice, a crazy vocal thing that I loved. The Young Snakes lasted a couple of years. It was a special time in Boston. What I found in underground music was that anything goes—no rules. Ironically, I was stultified by that. There was no melody, no strong beats or grooves. That's why I ultimately went into a popular direction for those things. 'Til Tuesday hit it big around '83 and '84. What I would like to see with today's female artists is that they be driven without the desire to be famous or the need for attention. I'd say go against the temptation to be overly sexual or physical. It's just not that interesting, and it overshadows everything else. It can work, but it really should be all about the music. It's all about who you are. Who are you? BC ThaT's aimee wiTh a Double "e" Grammy-winninG sinGer/sonGwriter Aimee mAnn—famous for her velvet acid voice and tomboy sensuality—reminisces about her days in boston's punk scene 35 years aGo. 6 bostoncommon-magazine.com FRONT RUNNER