‘La Bâtarde’: the book that inspired Viv Albertine’s artistry
“We have no doubt that the Slits are great and are going to change the world,” writes Viv Albertine in her memoir, Clothes Clothes Clothes. Music Music Music. Boys Boys Boys, reflecting on the moment that she was accepted into the band, knowing that they possessed something special. Arising out of the first wave of British punk, Albertine joined several other young women, including the rambunctious 14-year-old Ari Up, to become members of the first all-female punk outfit.
The Slits really did have a monumental impact, both on punk music and women in the industry. They acted outrageously, played songs about feminism, shoplifting and romance, wore unusual outfits and tore up every stage they played with the kind of confidence that was typically reserved for male musicians. People were shocked by the Slits, which only showed the band that they were doing something right.
As boundary-pushers and musical innovators (they were one of the main bands to incorporate dub and reggae influences into their punk sound), they went on to influence a legion of musicians in their wake, such as the seminal riot grrrl movement of the early 1990s. The Slits released two albums, Cut and Return of the Giant Slits, before splitting. Although a third album arrived in 2009, Trapped Animal, only two original members – Ari Up and bassist Tessa Pollitt – featured on the record.
After the Slits, Albertine explored filmmaking and began directing music videos, started a family, battled cancer, reignited her love for music with a solo career, temporarily reunited with The Slits, and even acted in a few films. Albertine detailed these various endeavours in her memoir, which is both heartfelt and humorous. Her writing is bitingly honest, with Chapter One, ‘Masturbation’, beginning with the lines “Never did it. Never wanted to do it.”
The musician explained in an interview with BBC that she was greatly inspired by Violette Leduc, specifically her memoir La Bâtarde, which is a refreshingly raw look at a woman’s inner life. She explained, “It was probably the first time I came across such straightforward, right-to-the-heart, to-the-gut writing – but very clean, clear writing – which I absolutely love,” adding, “She wrote about sex, she wrote about her internal thoughts, and it’s absolutely compulsive the way she writes.”
Leduc was born in 1907 and began writing in the ‘30s, and was spurred on by existentialist writer Simone de Beauvoir. While the latter remains one of France’s most prominent writers, Leduc’s name often falls to the wayside – her incredible contributions to literature overlooked. She was daring with the topics she often chose to write about, such as female sexuality (including lesbianism) and incest.
Albertine admires how honest all of Leduc’s work was, explaining, “She didn’t feel she was attractive so she wrote a lot about that, about how ugly she thought she was. It’s incredibly perceptive.” She also takes inspiration from Leduc’s lack of formal education as a writer, having failed the Baccalauréat, similar to how Albertine failed the Eleven Plus, according to the guitarist.
“Maybe that’s another reason for the way she writes and why the meter of her prose really resonates with me. If you are an autodidact you probably do write more in the rhythm of speech rather than having learnt prose,” Albetine added.