Leap Day Leap Year - its all about Girl Power

There's some kind of co-mingling of the spinster tale from the Li'l Abner comic strip character Sadie Hawkins and the occasion of Leap Day/Leap Year and catching a man that creates the wacky tradition of the Sadie Hawkins Day Dance and the tradition that allows men to propose marriage to men on February 29 (marrying on that day is bad luck in the Greek culture... though one of my best pals married on that day in 2004 after 13 years of co-habiting and they are happier than ever. Tradition, superstition - go figure)... yes, its a mixed bag of culture, pop literature, tradition and superstition that verifies what my gender has known all along... if you want something, just GRAB IT!


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Pleasant Gehman, pictured above with Billy Idol and in the other shot with Belinda Carlisle, is one of those ladies, who from the get-go, always pursued what she wanted with a passion and fervor, whether it was being the first one in Los Angeles to meet & greet Billy Idol and feature him on the pages of her fanzine as a result of the near-monopoly we had on his time... or the creation of that zine itself which lead to a long and respectable writing career which was capped off by Pleasant being honored by her hometown last fall for her literary contributions to its culture.

So, because its Leap Day, Leap Year and Sadie Hawkins lore is a buzzword today, Punk Turns 30 is once again celebrating the Greatness of Girls in punk rock. Is it a coincidence that the vague entities that anoint the months of the year with labels (February is Black History Month, for example; April is Earthquake Awareness Month, at least in California) have labeled March as Women's History Month? (Because if its not Leap Year, then February 29 is March 1) Regardless, in the end, you win! My Punk Rock Gift Shop dot com will be featuring great specials on collectible images of the go-getter girls of punk rock all month long!


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Belinda Carlisle, whom I have known since we were in high school, is another one who saw what she wanted and did not let anything stand in her way. She also transformed herself from a street punk with cred into an international pop star with a rabid fan following, becoming more beautiful along the way.



The next Punk Turns 30 photo exhibit tour date is on March 28 at Mac's Bar in East Lansing, Michigan. Its a rock n roll show with The Gore Gore Girls, contemporary garage/punk's answer to the girl group tradition and Chrome Spiders, the latest rock n roll project from Tom Potter of Bantam Rooster, Seger Liberation Army, Dirtbombs and Detroit City Council fame, to name but a few...

The exhibit is a special edition of the Unguarded Moments: Backstage and Beyond collection - LADIES ONLY! We will be showcasing images of female punk rock icons from Blondie's Debbie Harry to Chrissie Hynde, Poison Ivy, Belinda Carlisle, Joan Jett, the B Girls and more! Yes... sometimes a dude is in the photo! You'll be seeing punk rock ladies' men such as Billy Idol, Stiv Bators and one of my oldest, dearest friends, Kid Congo Powers.

Keep your eyes on the prize!