The
meaning of “Scrunti” Scrun-ti = A young female, usually but not necessarily. A
virgin. Usually considered good looking & accessible. Origin: Dean/Don
Lipke and the Kenosha Punks. It’s stupid labeling, but not necessarily sexist
(scrunt-guys too). Those who use “scrunti” to mean “slut” are entitled to their
(mis)interpretations, but it is & never was slut in it’s original meaning
in K-town. -Arche-Type Morality Issue 10, c. 1984
Sarah
Bibb was A.S.F.’s original drummer and Eric Van Leuven was essentially her stunt
double. While Sarah appeared on some of the early recordings, Eric appeared on the LP and played most of the live shows. The running joke was that A.S.F. was an
all girl band except for the drummer. The band even recruited Denver Skin, Dan
B. for one of their last tours before they relocated to California.
Below,
Sarah recalls her years in A.S.F. and thoughts about the scene.
 |
| Label from A Sure Fuck EP. Image courtesy of Roger Morgan. |
How did you find your way into A.S.F.?
I met Leslie first...when I was 13 or 14. She
and Kevin (Dead Silence) drove me to a Dead Kennedy's concert in Denver. A guy
I knew from Trade-a-Tape hooked me up with the ride because I didn't know
anyone with a car and was desperate to see the DK’s. Later that year I was hanging
around Leslie and Tracie and heard them talking about wanting A.S.F. to be all
girls and all they needed was a girl drummer. I shyly raised my hand and said,
"I have a drum set". That was pretty much it. I think within
days we moved my drums and started practicing. Kathy probably found her way
into the band much the same way around the same time. All of a sudden we were
an all girl band and instant BFFs.
Scrunti?
I think Tracie coined the word SCRUNTI back
in Kenosha. She had a lot of funny made up words for things.
 |
| Notebook drawing. Image courtesy of Kat Parker. |
The band had a unique approach compared with
other Denver area bands at the time in that it wasn’t simply reactionary to the
mainstream politics of the day; i.e. pointing fingers at the Regan
administration. The issues the band wrote and sang about came from a personal
angle, issues of feminism. Did the band have an agenda or was A.S.F. simply
commenting on what it was like to exist in the context of the college town of
Boulder?
Leslie and Kathy seemed more interested in
politics and thoughtful discourse about that stuff. I wasn't involved in
any of the song writing unless we were drunk, riffing on things like farting
and Loni Anderson. I was a kid and so happy to feel like I belonged somewhere
that the rest was gravy. But I think any female in Boulder at that time
felt harassed constantly by frat boys. I had lots of uncomfortable times
waiting for the bus near campus. It was relentless and I think they were pretty
out of control. Big campus. Big jocks. Scary stuff.
Constant Harassment?
Yes, constant harassment. Boulder was a very
safe place except all girls pretty much expected to get raped or harassed by
boys and the FRATS were relentless, entitled dicks.
 |
| Damsels In Distress LP cover. Artwork by Leslie Mah. Collection of the author. |
Big Women?
It was a reaction to the GBH song, as I
recall. After the record came out they came to Denver to play and we were all
so excited to see them and I think they told Tracie they liked our song. Pretty
cool...they were huge. There was lots of sexism, but that was surely not unique
to Denver or any scene. In the early days at Kennedy's Warehouse we were
welcome to slam with the boys and it was all one great little happy family of
punks. As the scene grew, it was harder to feel welcome as a girl.
I always thought A.S.F. embodied the punk
spirit of just getting up on stage and belting out the tunes any which way. I
recall people being critical of that approach. Some said that the band was
sloppy and they didn’t play their instruments well. Did you ever face such
criticisms? What was the band’s reaction?
Well...we did practice! If I had more
than one sip of alcohol I lost what little ability to play drums I had, so
Tracie would play drums and then Kat wanted to sing so I would "play"
guitar. It was so fun but no one ever showed me a single chord! But I was drunk
so it didn't matter. BUT THEN when we played our big show at Kennedys I
was NOT drunk and when we switched instruments and I suddenly had a guitar in
my hands I realized, OH SHIT, I have no idea how to play this!! I look
absolutely terrified in those pictures...I just sawed on it. I'm sure it
sounded terrible.
How did you hook-up to do your first EP with
Roger of Unclean Records?
I don't remember exactly, but I think Roger
might have been a roomie of Leslie. Roger was around a lot and such a great
guy.
 |
| Lyric sheet insert for Damsels In Distress LP. Collection of the author. |
How was it when you first got into the scene
and when you left?
It was a great little scene when I started
going to shows. We had so much fun slamming with the boys. If I got knocked
down someone would help me up. It was really fun and not scary. I remember
my last show in ’85 or ‘86; it was in that weird room at the CU Stadium-a
locker room or something. I watched a group of young skinheads swarm on a guy I
knew and beat him on the dance floor. It was terrible and I just walked out.
That was it for me. I never put myself in a crowd like that again. I still have
crowd phobia and only go to shows where I know the venue and know I can watch
safely from a distance.
Did you feel a difference between the Denver
and Boulder scene?
Sarah: I always thought of it as one scene.
There were so many great bands! We went to shows every weekend in Denver and
sometimes in Boulder. Same bands... only the venue determined if it was a
Boulder show or a Denver show. I never felt there was any
difference.
When did you leave the band and why?
I think I left the band because I didn't want
to play any more shows. Eric played the shows even while I was still in
the band. Also, I couldn't go on tour with the girls. I was in Jr.
High! I did go into the studio with them for the 45. That was hilarious
and fun.
Did you play and music after A.S.F.? You
moved to LA then to Portland? What have you been up to these days?
I was a pretty terrible drummer and sold my
drums at some point in High School. I left Boulder in 1987 and moved to LA to
become an actress and clothing designer. In 2007 I moved to Portland and opened
a store and small factory to manufacture my clothing line. I love music
and entertain myself in private with a guitar. I made my girlfriend, Donna,
teach me Iron Man recently; that was fun.
 |
| A.S.F. always played with their friends bands. Flier courtesy of Pete Flye. |
Reflections?
I have nothing but great memories and think
it makes my life on paper sound even cooler. I don't really talk about it to
anyone so most of the people in my life have no idea that I was in a band, but
when it comes out it's a super fun factoid. I loved those girls with all my
heart and they truly saved me in my most difficult teenage years. Leslie and
Tracie were the best moms I could have hoped for and I really don't know what I
would have done without them. I met a lot of cool people and saw a lot of great
music and made some great memories.
faction
ReplyDelete