Mixed gender groups

[blueeyedgirl]

Over a pizza, an AWOL Interferencer and myself debated whether your mixed gender groups can work. Can blokes and chicks remain platonic in bands or will they always end up shagging behind the Marshall stacks? Can you fuck up a band without fucking in the band? From ABBA to Fleetwood Mac to the Go Betweens, are all such bands just doomed????

I can think of 2 where the hands stayed on the instruments:

Pulp.

And the Carpenters

 

[bono_man2002]

Well Jack and Meg of the White Stripes celebrated divorce by releasing an Album!

 

[socceroo]

The Smashing Pumpkins had their problems. I can't think of an example that didn't have trouble.

 

[TheQuiet1]

The Cardigans are the only other ones I can think of (I'm assuming The Corrs won't count? )

 

[bono_man2002]

[B (I'm assuming The Corrs won't count? ) [/B]

....Uh...thats just wrong when I think of it....

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Well I did say the Carpenters.....

 

[annie_vox]

Arcade Fire never had problems so far, am I right? (Though Win and Regine are married but still there could be problems anyway).

I can't think of other bands now...

 

[dudeman]

i'm in a mixed gender rock band (girls on bass/vox and drums, dudes on guitars/vox) and it works just fine.
we're small-time, to be sure. but i can honestly say there's no temptation. we're also more like 30 in age, not 21, so i reckon we're a bit more mature.

anyway, i think mixed gender groups can work just fine.

 

[Screwtape2]

Fleetwood Mac has lasted almost 40 years so I'd say it can certainly work.

 

[BonoIsMyMuse]

Were there problems in Talking Heads? I honestly don't remember.

There has been talk that Frank Black and Kim Deal from the Pixies were together briefly, but I don't think that's what broke the band up the first time around. The four of them work very well together musically, but there's a lot of awkwardness between them otherwise. For instance, during their reuinion, Kim was traveling on a separate bus with her sister Kelly. They were working on material for a new Breeders album and Kim was working hard to stay sober, but that's still kind of weird.

Those interested in the Pixies should check out the documentary about their reunion tour released last year, LoudQUIETloud: a Film About the Pixies. You'll see what I mean about things being so awkward between them now.

 

[Aygo]

The first thing that came to my mind... ABBA

 

[Ormus]

The alt-country band, "Mojave 3" (previously the shoegazing "Slowdive"), are mixed gender and haven't had that problem, as far as I know.

"My Bloody Valentine" was also platonic, but didn't last because Kevin Shields is a completely insane perfectionist.

"Lush" was also platonic, and only ended when their drummer committed suicide, unfortunately.

"Cocteau Twins" were the exact opposite of that, but even when Robin Guthrie and Elizabeth Fraser's relationship ended, they still had a good number of years of great music afterwards.

I guess I find myself mentioning a lot of shoegazing-related bands here, because they're the only genre of music that seemed to have a lot of mixed-gender groups off the top of my head.

 

[corianderstem]

How about The Velvet Underground? The drummer was a woman. As far as I know, she wasn't shagging Lou and the others.

I'm not counting Nico, by the way. She doesn't count as a band member as far as I'm concerned. She was like a guest star on the first album and then went away.

 

[TheQuiet1]

Well I did say the Carpenters.....

Does that mean that by not including The Corrs in your first post you know something about The Corrs that the rest of us don't?

 

[Zoots]

The Cranberries

although, I have no idea what they're upto!

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Does that mean that by not including The Corrs in your first post you know something about The Corrs that the rest of us don't?

Well if there was some "brotherly lurrvin" going on, that would only make them more interesting! They're dull enough as they are.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Fleetwood Mac has lasted almost 40 years so I'd say it can certainly work.

And that's cos they all stopped shagging each other!

I need to know bands which keep it platonic. Good suggestions so far, I had forgotten about Lush for one.

 

[lmjhitman]

in addition to the arcade fire...

broken social scene
stars
metric
the new pornographers

so far so good with the above lot. though i don't know how those guys can stand it. there are some really amazing women represented there.

 

[AtomicBono]

my band is mixed gender... they're two of my best friends but I'm not into either of them like that and they both have girlfriends. back when we had a singer though, well that was a different story

good thread... interesting bands brought up. Velvet Underground I think it'd be the same in bands as it is with friendships. Can a guy and a girl honestly just be friends? Sure.

 

[Bono's shades]

Were there problems in Talking Heads? I honestly don't remember.

There were, but I always heard they were caused by David Byrne's ego, not by the presence of a woman in the band. BTW, I read somewhere recently that Tina and Chris are still married after all these years.

 

[pepokiss]

no doubt

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

no doubt

What about Gwen and Tony Kanal?

 

[Dorian Gray]

yeah yeah yeahs?

 

[Dorian Gray]

in addition to the arcade fire...

broken social scene
stars
metric
the new pornographers

so far so good with the above lot. though i don't know how those guys can stand it. there are some really amazing women represented there.

unless kevin drew and feist go down the tubes... in which case BSS either disbands, or makes a fucking great break
up record

 

[lmjhitman]

um, kevin drew is married, but not to leslie feist.

 

[LMP]

I'm married to Leslie Feist.

 

[lmjhitman]

see?

 

[thatsnotmypuppy]

What about Roxette?

Marie and Per are both happily married to other people, have had very successful solo projects and still work together as a duo. Though they are definitely a non-issue these days in the USA (and arguably the UK and Australia), their last few albums have sold in the miliions throughout Europe and Asia. They are huge in South Africa and China as well.