Liz Phair - "Exile in Guyville"

Liz Phair's "Exile in Guyville" was released on June 22, 1993.  It is said to be a direct response to the Rolling Stones' classic, "Exile on Main Street", which is largely felt as a metaphoric retort to the male-dominated rock industry, rather than a verbatim song-by-song comeback.  As Phair describes in the interview clip below, she was tired of being defined as the "girlfriend of the band" and of the dismissive views and disrespect felt because she was not part of the "boys club" of rock and roll.
The album opens with the track, "6'1"".  Phair transforms herself in the chorus - "And I kept standing 6'1", instead of 5'2", and I loved my life, and I hated you" - into a woman who is able to stand up for herself against a man who "falls into bed too easily with the beautiful girls who are shyly brave". This embracing of a strong, larger-than-life persona sets the stages for the songs to follow.  In "Girls! Girls! Girls!", she takes "full advantage" of every man meets, and gets away with what "the girls call murder".  I'm not sure exactly what this refers to, but it is clear that she is a woman who should not be messed with.   But as Phair aludes to when reflecting back fifteen years after the album's release, there is also a certain amount of vulnerability felt throughout the album:

"When I listen to it now, I kind of feel much more of the sadness that was in there than I did at the time.  I thought I sort of passing on my toughness and selling it, and people bought it.  But now listening back to it, I can see how totally vulnerable I was, and how it is very clear how unsure of myself - it shows.  But it's endearing." - Liz Phair, Pitchfork Interview 2008

 

To me, this duality between toughness and vulnerability is exemplified in tracks such as "Mesmerizing" and "F*** & Run", which both reveal a complex character who is strong, yet self-conscious.  A woman who is tired of abusive relationships and one night stands and longs for a committed partner, "I want a boyfriend.  I want all that stupid old shit, letters and sodas."

Overall, "Exile in Guyville" represents the new era of feminism emerging out of the 90's.  This was not Carole King's "Natural Woman", this was a new voice all together. Phair was not afraid to use language and allude to her sexuality in ways that had not been done before. The album still stands out for these reasons, but it also stands out on merit alone as a solid rock album.  It has achieved status as a lo-fi masterpiece among rock fans, but minimalism and production quality aside, the album is full of swagger and possesses the rock and roll quality that lives up to its predecessor "Exile on Main Street".  Mick and Keith should be proud to hold such company.

Liz looks back 15 years later:



For more on Exile, read Carrie Brownstein's essay on the album from her former days as a NPR blogger.