The curious connection between Courtney Love and ‘School of Rock’
Men have famously dominated the rock genre, with the pervading misogyny in the music industry making it harder for women to succeed. While the pop landscape has been significantly more welcoming of women – from Madonna to Taylor Swift – rock remains largely male-dominated. This is not because women aren’t interested in rock. Instead, the structural barriers, lack of opportunities and offputting attitudes of many male musicians and rock fans all contribute to the gender imbalance at the heart of the genre.
Over the years, several significant female rock musicians have emerged into the mainstream, giving young girls and women hope for widening the gender gap. Artists like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Pixies/The Breeder’s Kim Deal and PJ Harvey demonstrated their musical prowess in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming positive sources of inspiration for many budding female musicians.
Then there was Courtney Love, who rose to prominence in the 1990s as the lead singer of Hole. The musician blended femininity with a raw punk edge, screaming her lyrics in babydoll dresses, embodying the notion that rock music didn’t have to be a strictly male pursuit. Her style and music, often exploring feminist themes, became hugely influential to many young girls and women. Love’s success signalled that presenting in a feminine manner didn’t have to be sacrificed to become a respected musician.
Love was keen for other women to embrace the freedom of making music. She once shouted, “I want every girl in the world to pick up a guitar and start screaming. I strap on that motherfucking guitar and you cannot fuck with me. That’s my feeling.” In the mid-1990s, she discovered the Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, run by Stephanie Bourke, an Australian school that fostered the talents of budding musicians, especially young girls.
When Love found out about the school, she decided to lend a helping hand. Bourke recalls receiving a call from the Hole frontwoman. She said: “The first thing she said was, ‘How many girls have you got down there who sound exactly like me?’ I thought it was a prank call! But then she said, ‘I’m going to help you out, I’m going to send you some guitars!'”
The school was attended by Brody Dalle, who cites Love as one of her biggest inspirations. Dalle’s band Sourpuss was given the opportunity to play at Australia’s Summersault Festival, and shortly after, she formed The Distillers, with whom she found widespread success. Dalle’s accomplishments only emphasise the importance of well-funded and attentive music education.
Bourke states: “I just like to support everybody, I want everyone to enjoy it, and to be the antithesis of the pressure that you get elsewhere, when there’s an exam and an assessment at the end of every task – that’s not why we do what we do. Music’s like eating chocolate, you don’t need a reason.”
The school, which produced many bands of various young ages, partly inspired Richard Linklater’s 2003 movie School of Rock. Although screenwriter Mike White cites The Langley Schools Music Project as the main inspiration for the film, Jack Black, who played the musician-turned-substitute teacher, was alerted of the Rock ‘n’ Roll High School’s existence while visiting a bar in Australia, providing an additional source of influence.
The movie follows Black’s Dewey Finn, who forms a rock band consisting of fourth-grade students with the aim of winning a Battle of the Bands competition. Well-received by critics and audiences alike, Linklater’s film celebrates the powers of music, something championed by the Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, which has helped plenty of young kids, especially girls, find confidence and expression through their instruments.
