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Stephanie Phillips, who grew up in Wolverhampton, recalls initially enjoying the same mainstream chart hits as her peers. However, alongside artists like TLC, Aaliyah, and Destiny’s Child, she developed a strong affinity for rock, indie, and punk music. For Phillips, this alternative music scene provided a vital outlet during her shy youth, though she often felt the need to conceal her enthusiasm. She explained, “There was always this idea that black people weren’t really into alternative music, or punk,” reflecting the pressure she experienced to keep her musical tastes under wraps. In her new book, she reveals, “When I first got into alternative music I felt like I was betraying my race, and had to keep my love of rock practically secret.” This feeling stemmed from societal expectations about how she should engage with her cultural identity, noting that being deeply invested in punk was regarded as unusual for a black person.
In her book *We Were Here*, Phillips delves into the significant contributions of black musicians to rock ‘n’ roll, punk, and alternative music, emphasizing that black artists have continually influenced these genres despite being frequently overlooked or excluded. She points out that while some histories imply otherwise, “when you look back, there was so much there.” The phrase “black weirdo” resonated with her own experience and how others perceived her involvement in the punk community. Pauline Black, lead vocalist for the ska and 2 Tone band The Selecter, shares a similar perspective. Black reflects on her own unique position within the music world and the difficulties she faced, stating, “Although what I do still comes from the genre of black music, I was one of those weirdos in a way because I come from a folk background, and you can’t get much whiter than that.” She also highlights the narrow expectations within black culture regarding musical interests, saying, “If you want to be a punk, and are black and a woman it’s very difficult.”
Phillips explores in her book the impact of influential artists ranging from Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Jimi Hendrix to pioneering punk groups like Bad Brains and Pure Hell. She insists that black musicians have always been central to the development of rock and its many offshoots, stating, “They’re also essential to the creation and continuation of so many different genres that came off of that.” Despite this, her observations extend to contemporary challenges, pointing out that black artists frequently remain marginalized. She offers the example of Nova Twins, who had to secure a bank loan to finance their debut album, which garnered critical acclaim while still facing difficulties in obtaining label support. Reflecting on her own career with Big Joanie, Phillips comments on the personal toll of these obstacles, “You do have to work harder. It can be exhausting.”
Now living in Birmingham, Phillips actively participates in events promoting the dialogue sparked by her book. One such occasion includes a conversation with Pauline Black at Warwick Arts Centre. Black expressed interest in Phillips’s story, noting, “She would have grown up a generation behind me, so her experience would have been different, but I don’t think the industry had changed significantly by the time she formed Big Joanie.” She praises Phillips’s accomplishments with both her band and her writing, concluding with an encouraging sentiment: “So it’s ‘up the weirdos’, is what I say.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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