Phoebe Bridgers on her abortion, me too and misogyny in the music industry
“It’s super safe,” she continues, reflecting on her own experience. “Bravo to Planned Parenthood. I was very tight during that.
Beyond defending abortion, Bridgers has made a point of criticizing politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantiswhose administration designed the “don’t say gay» policies for students. She led a chant of “F**k DeSantis!” at a sold-out show in May in Tampa. “Everyone ready to say ‘gay’ to threesome?” she asked the crowd of thousands, who shouted back, “Gayyyyy!”
Bridgers has spoken to numerous media about his affection for his fans, many of whom are young and gay. She told the Tampa crowd, “I like going to places with a particularly fucked up government, because the young people are so angry and cool.”
On the Punisher closer “I know the end,” Bridgers begins quietly, crescendoing into a wall of sound, moaning until you hear his raspy voice. It’s a song written to shout with your friend in the car at the futility of the world, at the ego of men, at the ugliness of our government. A song to be angry.
Bridgers’ anger also seeps into his lyrics, especially on the tracks by Punisherreleased in the early months of the COVID pandemic, the subject matter of which ranged from political wrangling with her the ex’s mother (“ICU”) at to bury a Nazi (“Garden Song”). (A more obvious example welcomes you to the first track to Stranger in the Alps“Smoke Signals”: “All our problems, I’ll fix ’em/With you riding a shotgun, speed up ’cause f**k the cops” — a line that gets a warm welcome on its live shows, in my life.)
“I didn’t think writing about the murder of a Nazi was a political statement, it was just something I thought about,” she replies casually when I ask her if she intentionally incorporates politics into her lyrics. . “So [for “ICU”]… These tearful political conversations are the worst. That’s when I become the most hateful. And I think being hateful is fine, actually.
It is not difficult to understand what she means. It’s not about being cruel; it’s about being ready to pick a side. And Bridgers seems more than ready.