meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Woman's Hour

Late Night Woman's Hour: Viv Albertine

Woman's Hour

BBC

Society & Culture

4.13K Ratings

🗓️ 30 March 2017

⏱️ 46 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Lauren Laverne interviews Viv Albertine at the Free Thinking festival for the first edition of BBC Radio 4's Late Night Woman's Hour to be recorded in front of an audience.

Writer and film maker Albertine reflects on being the guitarist in pioneering all-female punk band The Slits, whose 1979 album Cut is frequently voted one of the most influential albums of all time. But - as she outlines in her autobiography Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys, Boys, Boys - she hasn't always had an easy relationship with her punk past, and when her daughter was born, Albertine initially didn't tell her about her part in the punk revolution. Following the breakup of The Slits, Albertine briefly worked as an aerobics instructor before going on to film-making, acting (she took a lead role in Joanna Hogg's 2013 film Exhibition) and a solo recording career (debut solo album The Vermilion Border was released in 2012). When her autobiography was first published, with its frank reflections on (amongst other things) masturbation, sex, the punk ethos, IVF, and marriage, Albertine confessed to journalist Alexis Petridis that she worried "have I gone too far? I always go too far."

In a frank and funny conversation, Albertine reflects on the resurgence of feminism after the 'desert' of the 1980s, the vital role her daughter played in her decision to return to music, and the advantages of not caring too much what people think.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know.

0:04.6

My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds.

0:08.4

As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable

0:14.3

experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC

0:20.4

makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars,

0:24.6

poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples.

0:29.7

If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected,

0:33.0

find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds.

0:36.0

Should I welcome Viv Albertine to the stage then.

0:41.5

Viv, come on! Can we?

0:43.0

Can we all admire Viv's boots for a moment because they are extremely

0:59.1

spesh? Well, welcome to late night woman's hour with me, Lauren Levern, recorded live at the Free Thinking Festival.

1:06.9

My guest this month is no stranger to performing live as a member of the Slits.

1:11.3

Viv Albertine joined forces with bandmates Ariup, Palmolive, and Tessa Pollitt

1:16.2

and made one of the most influential albums of all time. Cott, a pioneering fusion of punk, punk, dub and feminism.

1:23.1

The band's impact was huge,

1:24.9

though the slits were together for just a few years.

1:27.4

Albertine went on to be a filmmaker

1:29.5

and spent time away from work raising her daughter

1:31.9

before a solo album

1:33.0

2012's The Vermilion Border and acclaimed memoir,

1:36.4

Clothes Clothes Clothes Music Music, Music, Boys Boys,

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.