Alison Mosshart

"Rock is, among other things, a potent means of expressing the active emotions—anger, aggression, lust, the joy of physical exertion—that feed all freedom movements, and it is no accident that women musicians have been denied access to this powerful musical language. I think it's crucially important for female performers to break that barrier and force rock to reflect their experience and aspirations." - Ellen Willis

It's no secret that I'm a rather huge fan of Alison Mosshart. But on the train home after being simply blown away by the Kills at Terminal 5 Friday night, I started trying to pick apart just why.

If you happen to follow me on Tumblr, my obsession with Alison Mosshart is no secret. The witchy-haired singer/guitarist/all-around rock superheroine from The Kills and The Dead Weather probably occupies more space on my Tumblr than anyone aside from David Bowie and Paul Simonon of the Clash (about both of whom, more later). Videos after the jump!

 

The Kills have not stopped moving since the March 2008 release of their latest album, Midnight Boom. They have bounced back and forth from the US to Europe to Australia on tour, had their bus stolen out from under their noses in Texas, played gigs with The Gossip and The Raconteurs and made music videos for half the tracks from Midnight Boom. Yet they are still accessible, even in this latest bout of explosion into rock royalty status. Alison "VV" Mosshart blogs every few days about the journey they’ve taken, going into smoky detail about venues, friends they’ve seen, meals they’ve eaten and sleep they haven’t had, often signing off with a "we love you" or "cuts and kisses" to the fans she isn’t even sure are reading. It is an intimate and special glance into Mosshart and Jamie "Hotel" Hince’s road ragged existence, but just as their lyrics say, they continue to go steal ahead. Read more after the jump!