Seat At The Table

by Amy Raphael

'Fascinating and illuminating' STYLIST 'Perceptive and candid' IRISH TIMES 'A fascinating, brilliant book, full of joy, rage, a love of music' THE SKINNY 'Variously optimistic, troubling, joyful, illuminating, fierce and thoughtful' GUARDIAN INTERVIEWS WITH WOMEN ON THE FRONTLINE OF MUSIC, from KATE TEMPEST to MAGGIE ROGERS, CHRISTINE AND THE QUEENS to IBEYI. Writer and critic Amy Raphael has interviewed some of the world's most iconic musicians, including Courtney Love, Patti Smith, Björk, Kurt Cobain and Elton John. In 1995 she wrote the critically-acclaimed Never Mind the Women Rewrite Rock , which included a foreword by Debbie Harry. More than two decades on, the music business has changed, but the way women are regarded has not. In this new book, A Seat at the Table , Raphael interviews eighteen women who work in the music industry about learning to speak out, #MeToo, social media, queer politics and the subtleness of everyday misogyny. Featuring interviews CHRISTINE & THE QUEENS
IBEYI
KATE TEMPEST
ALISON MOYET
NADINE SHAH
JESSICA CURRY
MAGGIE ROGERS
EMMY THE GREAT
DREAM WIFE
NATALIE MERCHANT
LAUREN MAYBERRY
POPPY AJUDHA
KALIE SHORR
TRACEY THORN
MITSKI
CATHERINE MARKS
GEORGIA
CLARA AMFO

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Feminism, Essays, Cultural

304 pages, Paperback

Published June 6, 2019

Reviews

[Melve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hyggelig nok. Grunn. Anbefaler den ikke.

[Holly Cruise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A set of interviews, conducted in 2018-19, with various women involved in different areas of music and genres, each carried out by Amy Raphael, and presented as first person accounts.

A book like this can only ever be as good and interesting as the subjects, and is dependent on what they have to say in response to the interviewer. It's a testament to Raphael that she has chosen such a range of interviewees so well as pretty much every chapter contained something interesting to read.

The book got off to a great start with Raphael's introduction in which she writes about how women in music have been written about in the past (often badly) and the slew of recent books by and about women in music which is rectifying this. It was telling to me that of the books she mentioned, I've read and loved 75%, and the other 25% can safely go on my 'to read' list as a result.

Then it's the interviews. Some of the interviewees were musicians I already follow and have read stuff from before (Nadine Shah, Christine, Lauren from Chvrches, and especially Tracey Thorn whose own books are superb). Some were names I know of but not much about. And some (composer Jessica Curry, producer Catherine Marks) I knew not at all.

I was surprised to find that I got the most from the interviews with people who aren't 'pop' style musicians. Curry, Marks and DJ Clara Amfo were not only really engaging and interesting, but were writing about stuff I am not that familiar with in terms of their jobs.

And yet, there were things they talked about which resonated with other interviews. Curry's experiences of gamer knobhead sexists could be paired with Lauren Mayberry's experiences as a musician who has spoken out against internet trolls. Some of Mark's comments about making it in producing were more reminiscent of what Tracey Thorn and Alison Moyet had to say about coming through as musicians in the 80s than Maggie Rogers' experience of being erroneously portrayed in the media as having been "discovered" by a male star.

The interconnectivity of the experiences were really interesting and well presented. At no point did I feel like Raphael was hammering anything home didactically; instead her selection of interview content was beautifully curated. Most of the stories contained within have strands which ring true for women in many other areas not just music... although this book also taught me that Kae Tempest knows everyone and is delighted to help their stars to shine, which might not apply yet to my career, but who knows?

[Serena Malone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for my diss, realised it wasn’t actually relevant but finished because it was such an enjoyable read. Great perspectives about women in the music industry and I want to read her first book. :))

[stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

meh

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this so inspiring. Amy Raphael interviewed 18 women in the music industry and this book is the stories from those interviews told from a first person perspective. So many of the women in this book didn't have a role model to look to and just had to forge their own paths despite the difficulties of the music industry compounded by the endless misogyny.

Some of the book is pretty depressing, such as Jessica Curry's description of being a woman in the gaming world and the disgusting harassment she is subject to that has made her want to leave the industry.

Other parts are really liberating. I loved the discussion around appearance including Chris (Christine and the Queens) reporting how someone had said to her (Chris now uses he/him pronouns but was using she/her in the book and was seen as a woman at the time which is relevant, hence me still using them) "do you really think you're interesting enough to look at for 45 minutes? you're not even fuckable" as if that's the point of her being on stage!!!

A great read and a great insight into some of the stuff that isn't always clear on the surface. Also gave me a looooong list of artists to listen to.

Fuck the patriarchy!

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Music writer and critic Amy Raphael has interviewed some of the world’s most iconic musicians and in this book reflects on “how the music business has changed but the way in which women are regarded has not”. She has also interviewed eighteen women musicians such Christine and the Queens, Kate Tempest, Tracey Thorn and Ibeyi about what they’ve experienced, the role of social media and the #MeToo movement. A very good and interesting read and while it’s depressing that things haven’t changed as they could have done, the strength and individuality of these women is inspirational.

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting set of interviews with women in music. Some I already knew of and had read about (Tracey Thorn, Alison Moyet) and others I will definitely be checking out (Georgia, Nadine Shah, Christine and the Queens). Interviews with producers and radio show hosts were equally fascinating, and I found classical composer Jessica Curry's interview especially sobering. I must remember to seek out this author's previous book of interviews with female musicians.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important book. So many of these artists were shy or anxious (Emmy The Great, Jessica Curry, Maggie Rogers) or had to forge their own path (Christine & the Queens, Ibeyi, Kate Tempest, Lauren from CHVRCHES). The interview with Clara Amfo was my favourite. Any female musician or aspiring young woman should read this immediately.

[Genevieve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good, loved the introduction and ngl kinda wanted something similar at the end, as it felt very abrupt but maybe that was the desired effect. Loved reading about the artists I loved and discovering new ones, just interesting to read the stories of so may different women.

[Esther Huntington-Whiteley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would be perfect for a bigger music lover then me, but as it is I only recognised a few of the names and even fewer of the references

[tayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

very very insightful and helpful at understanding what the industry is like!

[Sammi Ingamells · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great for research and quotes regarding popular music and women. Thought it was an ok read and not as provocative as I was hoping.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was really interesting to get to learn about musical artists I had never heard of before, but I feel the book suffers from its structure. Each section being a biography/interview of a different artist, there are definitely standouts. Unfortunately, this means quite a few of the chapters were uninteresting, which made it hard to find motivation to finish the book.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew this would be a five star read before I even started it.
So many women I admire are in this book and I have discovered some new people who's work I will definitely check out. Nothing said in this book really shocked me, which is wrong. Sexism and racism is everywhere in the music industry. However, it is so important these accounts are printed and published so people can have their eyes opened to the discrimination women face in the music industry.
This has given me a lot to think about and is a really important book.

[Ella Patenall · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with a variety of women interviewed. Gave good insight into the music industry and how people have 'made it' as well as the challenges they face. Would love to see her do another version in the future.

[Louise Smillie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The various artists on this all give great advice.