New Documentary "Pretty Ugly" Tells the Story of The Lunachicks

This article was originally published on Write Through the Night

The 80s and 90s were filled with so many iconic female-led punk rock bands, from The Go-Gos to Bikini Kill to Babes of Toyland. One of these rock bands that does not get the recognition it deserves is the Lunachicks, a New York City-based rock band that performed from 1989 to 2001. With the new documentary Pretty Ugly: The Story of the Lunachicks, the band is finally getting their due.

It’s so crucial that stories like these get made into documentaries. The Lunachicks aren’t going to be preserved in magazines or radio transcripts like their male peers because of the sexism in the music industry. In Pretty Ugly, they make a point to talk about the reception the band received from music media. They weren’t allowed to be in magazines if another woman-dominant band had been in it the month before, and they were frequently cut from playlists so that it didn’t become too girly. Although the Lunachicks and bands like them have always had fans, it’s only now that their success is being catalogued. 

What makes the Lunachicks stand out is the true friendship between the three main members of the band, Gina Volpe, Theo Kogan, and Sydney “Squid” Silver. They met as teenagers and founded the band at just seventeen years old, using their experience dropping acid and wandering through the streets of New York to inform their style and lyrics. It’s adorable that they’re lifelong friends who were able to overcome the pressures of touring and being in business together, despite all of the stresses that came along with it. As one of the women said in the film, friendship at that age is “as important as any lover” and it’s clear they lived that philosophy throughout their early adult lives as well.

The other people in the band are equally impactful. Sindi is a slightly older girl who met the trio when they were still teenagers. She was edgy and brought an older sisterly confidence. Becky, the first drummer the band found, was incredible from the start. She had a stage presence and star power the others didn’t at that point. She also started dating Squid and was a heroin addict, resulting in her eventual firing from the band. Chip, the replacement drummer they found, is now a lifelong best friend of the original trio. Chip is now genderqueer or transgender and takes testosterone, but pronouns were not clearly stated.

In present day, Becky and Sydney are both sober, and that speaks to a lot of the struggle of existing on the road during that time. Heroin use was rampant, and once someone started taking it they often couldn’t stop. 

The rocker ethos of Lunachicks both put them in harms way and protected them. They were frequently performing concerts for men who screamed at them to take their tops off. When one woman crowdsurfed into the audience, she was quickly stripped naked and assaulted by men in the audience. These terrifying interactions led them to be strong and oftentimes confrontational to protect the women in their audience. Theo would stop concerts to scream at men and do her best to prevent them from hurting girls who were just trying to enjoy the music. It’s very much the same as Riot Grrrl “girls to the front”, but the Lunachicks were there first, screaming at concerts and making feminism a central tenant of their brand.

I appreciated the honest conversations about what they wanted as a band, selling out, and how differing perspectives ultimately forced many of them apart. The reality is that being a musician is not an easy job, and I like that the dynamics of that are explored. There was also honest conversation about being a woman, tensions around wearing makeup, and being a queer person in a predominantly straight male environment. It was interesting to hear the truth of these experiences.

It wasn’t just the band members themselves who gave their perspectives. Interviews with members of the Go-Gos, The Offspring, L7, and other rock bands from the time gave a well-rounded view of the scene. 

I am grateful for the Lunachicks and what they did for women, women in music, and queer people who needed to be seen on stage. This documentary was a powerful look at what that experience was like from the inside and how these people reflect back on their experiences over 20 years later.

I received a press copy of this film from the publicist. The documentary will be released April 24th.