Rock of Pages: Rose Marshack • Play Like a Man
Play Like a Man
by Rose Marshack
(University of Illinois Press)
Following decades of fan engagement through road diaries and groundbreaking podcast predecessor Radio Zero, Poster Children bassist Rose Marshack has gathered stories and experience for this fast-paced and wide-ranging but well-balanced rock/tech/spiritual memoir. Hard-won lessons, road stories, tech geekery, entertaining anecdotes, and lessons from the Buddha are plentiful.
Marshack relates practical knowledge gained about things like whether to throw your best guitar into a crowd or provoke hostile Midwest audiences during opening sets with bands such as Public Enemy. She speaks with authority and experience on the presence of women in the music industry and on stage in particular, and the slow struggle toward any sense of normality after decades of work by predecessors for acceptance. She describes the balancing forces of martial arts and her love of teaching technology at the university level.
Anticipated scenes include the pitfalls inherent to working with a beloved but vulnerable independent label like Twin/Tone. Next comes navigation of life on major label Sire while maintaining an independent spirit and managing not to go bankrupt thanks to uncommonly wise and practical stewardship. Rule number one: never take tour support from the label. Habit: treat your fans appropriately as an actual community and sleep on a benevolent stranger’s floor rather than racking up hotel bills when you can. Overarching rule: Engage the authentic experience to the fullest degree.
The indie rock band’s DIY ethos has extended to all areas. Poster Children funded their own recordings and tours, ran label 12 Inch Records to elevate other great bands from Champaign like Hum and Steakdaddy Six, and developed innovative Enhanced-CD content, including a handmade video game during their stint on Sire. Marshack describes arranging screen-printing lessons and equipment access from a supportive manager at Champaign’s Weiskamp Screen Printing in order to save costs on manufacturing t-shirts, the lifeblood of many independent touring bands.
For those who encountered Poster Children during the late ‘80s and early ‘90s on hometown turf in Champaign, Illinois, there are tales of local characters, including venue owner George Chin, whose summary of career-saving geometry and legal wrangling “hypotenuse save my ass” has become the catchphrase for a local David-vs-Goliath-style legend. Other local friends mentioned or quoted include scene-establishing promoters Josh Gottheil, Chris Corpora, and Ward Gollings, as well as peers from bands including the Didjits and Menthol.
Marshack honors the bonds that extended beyond state lines with bass sisters like Candice Belanoff from the band Walt Mink, Barb Schiff from House of Large Sizes, and Heidi Ore of Mercy Rule, all of whom contribute anecdotes. Kim Gordon of Sonic Youth is identified as a collective role model, with the tale of Marshack’s first close encounter upon arriving for a Poster Children gig at famed NYC venue CBGB.
Attributes that set Poster Children apart from many other post-punk bands made them relatable to a base of music-loving math, tech, and engineering students across the country. The band members were and remain geeks of the highest degree. Marshack waxes rhapsodic about encountering the Plato system at the University of Illinois during the dawning days of internet-based communication. She describes weekend warrior trips out of state by the band, returning bleary-eyed on Monday morning to resume programming flight simulators at Frasca International in Urbana, Illinois. The band was among the first to prioritize regular listserv engagement and website outreach to fans in the early ‘90s, expanding their reach beyond touring boundaries and establishing a lasting connection to Poster Children’s sustaining audience. Radio Zero followed in 1999, five years before the term “podcast” was coined.
There’s also plenty of light shone onto beloved band brothers, including partner and singer-songwriter-guitarist Rick Valentin. There are stories of van conversations to pass the miles, ranging from philosophical and intellectual to bizarre and hilarious. The coping mechanisms developed for dealing with other humans in cramped quarters day after day make the band sound as much like a family as listeners might have guessed. Gurus along the path toward enlightenment include engineer Steve Albini and Minor Threat/Fugazi frontman (and Dischord Records co-founder) Ian MacKaye.
Poster Children’s run on the 1995 touring version of Lollapalooza is recalled, playing on a vibrant sidestage alongside other underground heroes, including Pavement, Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo, and the Jesus Lizard. This was during the months following the release of Junior Citizen, with its wistful should-have-been-a-hit single “He’s My Star.” The band made a valiant but vain attempt to muster label and radio support for the worthy song. “So, this is what it was like being on a major label, but not really playing along with the game,” writes Marshack.
A conjunction of events along the road prompts a story of the connection between “He’s My Star” and David Hasselhoff and a broader Learning Experience (setbacks are dubbed “Learning Experiences” by the band) about “pursuing the Golden Nugget.” Struggle and frustration are found at practically all levels up the ladder. Marshack acknowledges the pitfalls of social media and the danger of self-absorption, while her observations underscore the Buddhist axiom “ego causes suffering.” The book is embedded with the author’s experience while learning to shed ego and attachment and the serenity found while effectively becoming an ascetic during long touring runs. It seems that Marshack’s happiest experiences arise when she’s untethered to anything but band family, free of possessions, and heading across countless miles with an open mind and heart to meet whoever and whatever the day brings.
As for the book’s provocative title, it becomes clear that “play like a man” was intended as a genuine exhortation from a trusted mentor and never as an insult. Marshack’s jazz trumpeter (and dentist) father would repeat the phrase during Marshack’s childhood piano lessons in order to remind her that she never need settle for being considered second-rate at anything or succumb to societal stereotypes. She already possessed the power to command any instrument or stage alongside heroes and peers regardless of gender. Thankfully, Marshack took those lessons to heart and eventually embarked upon the 35+ year career that is celebrated in this stirring memoir.
Poster Children perform at Bottom Lounge on May 27, 2023.
– Jeff Elbel
Category: Columns, Featured, Rock of Pages
