Carrie Brownstein Explained

Carrie Brownstein
Birth Name:Carrie Rachel Brownstein
Birth Date:27 September 1974[1]
Birth Place:Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Module:
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Years Active:1993–present
Current Member Of:Sleater-Kinney

Carrie Rachel Brownstein[2] (born September 27, 1974) is an American musician, actress, writer, director, and comedian. She first came to prominence as a member of the band Excuse 17 before forming the rock trio Sleater-Kinney.

During a long hiatus from Sleater-Kinney, she formed the group Wild Flag. During this period, Brownstein wrote and appeared in a series of comedy sketches alongside Fred Armisen that were developed into the satirical comedy TV series Portlandia (2011–2018). The series went on to win Emmy and Peabody Awards.

Sleater-Kinney eventually reunited; as of 2023, Brownstein was touring with the band as well as in support of her new memoir.[3]

Early life

Brownstein was born in Seattle, Washington, and was raised in Redmond, Washington.[4] Her mother was a housewife and a teacher, and her father was a corporate lawyer. They divorced when Carrie was 14, and she was raised by her father.[5] Brownstein has a younger sister, Stacey. Her family is Jewish.[6]

She attended Lake Washington High School before transferring to The Overlake School for her senior year.[7] [8]

Brownstein began playing guitar at 15 and received lessons from Jeremy Enigk. She later said: "He lived in the neighborhood next to mine, so I would just walk my guitar over to his house. He showed me a couple of open chords and I just took it from there. I'd gone through so many phases as a kid with my interests that my parents put their foot down with guitar. So [the instrument] ended up being the [first] thing that I had to save up my own money for and maybe that was the whole reason that I actually stuck with it."[9]

After high school, Brownstein attended Western Washington University before transferring to The Evergreen State College. In 1997, Brownstein graduated from Evergreen with an emphasis on sociolinguistics[10] and stayed in Olympia, Washington, for three years before moving to Portland, Oregon.[11]

Music career

Excuse 17

See main article: Excuse 17. While attending Evergreen, Brownstein met fellow students Corin Tucker, Kathleen Hanna, Tobi Vail, and Becca Albee. With Albee and CJ Phillips, she formed the band Excuse 17, one of the pioneering bands of the riot grrrl movement in the Olympia music scene that played an important role in third-wave feminism.[12] Excuse 17 often toured with Tucker's band Heavens to Betsy. The two bands contributed to the Free to Fight compilation. With Tucker, she formed the band Sleater-Kinney as a side project and later released the split single Free to Fight with Cypher in the Snow.

Sleater-Kinney

After both Excuse 17 and Heavens to Betsy split up, Sleater-Kinney became Brownstein and Tucker's main focus. They recorded their first self-titled album in early 1994 during a trip to Australia, where the pair were celebrating Tucker's graduation from Evergreen[13] [14] (Brownstein still had three years of college left). It was released the following spring. They recorded and toured with different drummers, until Janet Weiss joined the band in 1996. Following their eponymous debut, they released six more studio albums before going on indefinite hiatus in 2006. In a 2012 interview with DIY magazine, Brownstein said that Sleater-Kinney still planned to play in the future.[15] On October 20, 2014, Brownstein announced on Twitter that Sleater-Kinney would be releasing a new album, No Cities to Love, on January 20, 2015, and would tour in early 2015. At the same time the announcement was made, they released the video for the first single from the album. The single, "Bury Our Friends", was also made available as a free MP3 download.[16]

Critics Greil Marcus and Robert Christgau deemed the band one of the essential rock groups of the early 2000s.[17] [18] In 2015, Stereogum Chief Editor Tom Breihan called them the greatest rock band of the past two decades.[19]

Other work

Brownstein and former Helium guitarist/singer Mary Timony, recording as The Spells, released The Age of Backwards E.P. in 1999.

Also in 1999, Brownstein, Lois Maffeo, and Peter Momtchiloff released a single ("The Touch"/"Louie Louie Got Married") on K Records as The Tentacles.[20]

In summer 2009, Brownstein and Weiss worked together on songs (produced by Tucker Martine) for the soundtrack of the documentary film !Women Art Revolution by Lynn Hershman Leeson.[21]

In September 2010, Brownstein revealed her latest project was the band Wild Flag, with Janet Weiss, Mary Timony, and Rebecca Cole, formerly of The Minders; according to Brownstein, about a year earlier, "I started to need music again, and so I called on my friends and we joined as a band. Chemistry cannot be manufactured or forced, so Wild Flag was not a sure thing, it was a 'maybe, a 'possibility.' But after a handful of practice sessions, spread out over a period of months, I think we all realized that we could be greater than the sum of our parts."[22] They released a self-titled album in September 2011.[23]

In 2011, they toured for a second time[24] and played at CMJ Music Marathon.[25]

Accolades

In 2006, Brownstein was the only woman to earn a spot in the Rolling Stone readers' list of the 25 "Most Underrated Guitarists of All-Time".[26]

Writing career

Brownstein began a career as a writer before Sleater-Kinney broke up. She interviewed Eddie Vedder, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Karen O, and Cheryl Hines for The Believer magazine.[27] Brownstein has also written a couple of music-related video game reviews for Slate.[28] [29]

From November 2007 to May 2010, Brownstein wrote a blog for NPR Music called "Monitor Mix";[30] she returned for a final blog post in October, thanking her blog readers and declaring the blog "officially conclude[d]."[31]

In March 2009, Brownstein was contracted to write a book to "describe the dramatically changing dynamic between music fan and performer, from the birth of the iPod and the death of the record store to the emergence of the 'you be the star' culture of American Idol and the ensuing dilution of rock mystique";[32] The book, called The Sound of Where You Are,[33] was planned to be published by Ecco/HarperCollins.[31] In an April 2012 interview on Marc Maron's WTF podcast, Brownstein said she was no longer working on the book.[34]

Brownstein's memoir, Hunger Makes Me A Modern Girl, was released on October 27, 2015.[35] The book was published by Riverhead Books, an imprint of Penguin Books USA.[36]

In 2020, Ann Wilson, lead singer of hard rock band Heart, announced in an interview that Brownstein was writing the script for a Heart biographical film.[37]

Acting career

See also: Portlandia and The Nowhere Inn.

Brownstein has acted (what she calls a "mere hobby")[38] in the short film Fan Mail, the experimental feature Group, and the Miranda July film Getting Stronger Every Day. Brownstein and Fred Armisen published several video skits as part of a comedy duo called "ThunderAnt."[39] She also starred opposite James Mercer of The Shins in the 2010 independent film Some Days Are Better Than Others.[40] The film had its world premiere at SXSW on March 13, 2010.[41]

After their ThunderAnt videos, Brownstein and Armisen developed Portlandia, a sketch comedy show shot on location in Portland, for the Independent Film Channel.[22] [31] [42] The two starred in the series and wrote for it with co-creator Jonathan Krisel, a writer for Saturday Night Live.[43] The show, which featured appearances of some of the characters from ThunderAnt, premiered in January 2011.[44] The series received positive feedback[45] and concluded after its eighth season in 2018.[46]

From 2014 to 2019, Brownstein played the role of Syd in the Amazon Studios original series Transparent.[47] [48]

In 2015, Brownstein portrayed Genevieve Cantrell in the Todd Haynes film Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith's novel The Price of Salt.[49] However, the majority of her scenes were cut due to the film's length.[50] The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2015.[51] It began a limited release on November 20, 2015.[52]

Brownstein has also appeared as a guest on Saturday Night Live,[53] Curb Your Enthusiasm,[54] and Man Seeking Woman,[55] among other shows.

Brownstein starred in and wrote the screenplay for The Nowhere Inn, a 2020 tour mockumentary thriller, with Annie Clark (St. Vincent).

Personal life

Brownstein was outed as bisexual to her family and the world by Spin when she was 21 years old. The article discussed the fact that she had dated bandmate Corin Tucker in the beginning of Sleater-Kinney (the song "One More Hour" is about their break-up).[56]

In 2006, The New York Times described Brownstein as "openly gay."[57] In a November 2010 interview for Willamette Week, she stated that she identifies as bisexual. She says, "It's weird, because no one's actually ever asked me. People just always assume, like, you're this or that. It's like, 'OK. I'm bisexual. Just ask.'"[58] In a 2020 article, the Los Angeles Times noted that Brownstein and Annie Clark (who performs as St. Vincent) "dated years ago."[59]

Since working together on ThunderAnt, Brownstein and Fred Armisen developed what Brownstein has called "one of the most intimate, functional, romantic, but nonsexual relationships [they have] ever had."[60] According to Armisen, their relationship is "all of the things that I've ever wanted, you know, aside from like the physical stuff, but the intimacy that I have with her is like no other."[61]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2001Getting Stronger Every DayVariousShort film
2002GroupGrace
2003Fan MailJoShort film
2007Girls RockHerselfDocumentary
2009Light Tiger EyeWomanShort film
2010Some Days Are Better Than OthersKatrina
2011–2018PortlandiaVarious characters77 episodes; also co-creator, co-executive producer, writer and director
Peabody Award (2012)
Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety (including talk) series (2013)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series (2012–14; 2016)
Nominated—Writers Guild of America Award for Comedy/Variety (including talk) series (2014)
Nominated—Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (2015)
2012VancouvriaPhoto extraEpisode: "Big City Survival Class"
2012The SimpsonsEmily (voice)Episode: "The Day the Earth Stood Cool"
2012Saturday Night LiveCameo as herselfEpisode: "Martin Short/Paul McCartney", "What Up with That?" sketch
2013Saturday Night LiveCameo as herselfEpisode: "Ben Affleck/Kanye West", "It's a Lovely Day" sketch
2014–2015TransparentSyd FeldmanRecurring character
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2015)
2015CarolGenevieve Cranell
2015Man Seeking WomanDoctor at Chill AcresEpisode: "Branzino"
2015ArcherDoctor Sklodowska (voice)Episodes: "Drastic Voyage: Part 1" and "Drastic Voyage: Part 2"
2016Saturday Night LiveCameo as herselfEpisode: "Fred Armisen/Courtney Barnett", "The Harkin Brothers" sketch
2016The Realest RealShort film; director and writer[62]
2017Curb Your EnthusiasmMaraEpisode: "Foisted!"
2018Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on FootSuzanne
2018TagTherapistUncredited[63]
2018The OathAlice Button
2019Mrs. FletcherDirector: "Parents' Weekend", "Invisible Fence"
2019–2021ShrillDirector: "Date", "Ribs", "Will"
2020The Nowhere Inn[64] HerselfAlso writer
2022MinxDirector: "Mary had a little hysterectomy"
Irma VepZeldaMiniseries
RebootDirector: "New Girl"
TBAFairy Godmother[65] Director

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll . 2001 . Touchstone . 896 . 9780743201209 . November 17, 2021.
  2. Web site: Works written by Brownstein, Carrie Rachel. ASCAP. October 26, 2010. January 10, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160110202325/http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=results&searchstr=1546476&search_in=c&search_type=exact&search_det=t,s,w,p,b,v&results_pp=25&start=1. dead.
  3. Web site: Phillips. Amy. Sleater-Kinney Return! New Album No Cities to Love! 2015 Tour! "Bury Our Friends" Lyric Video!. Pitchfork.com. October 20, 2014. 23 October 2015.
  4. Naomi . Zeichner . Interview: Carrie Brownstein on Portlandia . . The Fader Media Group . New York City . January 19, 2011 . April 2, 2012.
  5. Web site: Paul . de Barros . Carrie Brownstein: the Northwest's funny girl . . . Seattle, Washington . March 3, 2012 . April 2, 2012 . March 5, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120305205812/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2017567613_pacificpcarrie04.html . dead .
  6. Web site: Meet Carrie Brownstein: A Triple Threat . JWA.org . Jewish Women's Archive . March 28, 2013 . November 17, 2013.
  7. News: Paul . de Barros. Cover story—Full Frontal Fun: Watching Carrie Brownstein in 'Portlandia,' we have to laugh at ourselves. Seattle Times. Seattle Times Company. Seattle, Washington. March 4, 2012 . 9.
  8. News: Marc . Matsui . Eastside spotlight: Overlake School . Seattle Times. Seattle Times Publishing Company. Seattle, Washington. December 17, 2002 . February 29, 2012.
  9. News: Hannah . Levin. Rock of the Decade . . Index Newspapers, LLC. Seattle, Washington. Sleater-Kinney.Net . May 2005. September 28, 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070928200213/http://sleater-kinney.net/index.php?go=library_rock_decade . January 12, 2011.
  10. Web site: Julianne. Shepherd. Get Up. Pitchfork. Condé Nast. New York City. August 28, 2006. May 21, 2012. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304200839/http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/6413-get-up/. dead.
  11. News: Nicole. Brodeur. Carrie Brownstein comes home to a changed Seattle . The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Seattle, Washington. November 2, 2015. November 6, 2018.
  12. Web site: Katie. Rife. Riot grrrl grew up on Sleater-Kinney's Dig Me Out. The A.V. Club. Onion, Inc.. Chicago, Illinois. April 4, 2017. November 6, 2018.
  13. News: Eat 'em And Smile. Spin. Caryn. Ganz. June 2005. Sleater-Kinney.net. August 13, 2007. September 28, 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928200242/http://sleater-kinney.net/index.php?go=library_spin_june05. dead.
  14. News: Record Bin: How Sleater-Kinney used punk rock to break social stereotypes on "Dig Me Out". 2017-09-23. Nooga.com. 2017-09-23. en-US. September 23, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170923171422/http://nooga.com/209202/record-bin-sleater-kinney-used-punk-rock-break-social-stereotypes-dig/. dead.
  15. Web site: Carrie Brownstein: Sleater-Kinney 'Will Just Start Playing Music Again' . Thisisfakediy.co.uk . September 14, 2012.
  16. Kory. Grow. Sleater-Kinney Reform, Share Powerful New Song, 'Bury Our Friends'. Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. New York City. October 20, 2014. May 18, 2017. October 22, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141022083330/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/sleater-kinney-reform-share-powerful-new-song-bury-our-friends-20141020. dead.
  17. Web site: Barbara. O'Dair. A conversation with Robert Christgau. Salon.com. Salon Media Group. San Francisco, California. May 9, 2001. 18 July 2015.
  18. News: Sasha. Frere-Jones. Sister Saviors: Sleater-Kinney returns. The New Yorker. Condé Nast. New York City. January 19, 2015. July 18, 2015.
  19. News: Tom. Breihan. Premature Evaluation: Sleater-Kinney No Cities To Love. Stereogum. Eldridge Industries. Los Angeles, California. January 11, 2015. July 18, 2015.
  20. The Tentacles – The Touch. Discogs.com. September 7, 2020.
  21. Carrie Brownstein Talks Sleater-Kinney, Acting, Writing, and More. Pitchfork. Condé Nast. New York City. March 25, 2010 . Carrie. Brownstein. Tom Breihan. May 18, 2017.
  22. Web site: Carrie Brownstein: 'I Have A New Band' . September 22, 2010 . All Songs Considered blog . National Public Radio. October 26, 2010.
  23. Web site: Wild Flag's Debut Album in Stores . September 14, 2011 . Merge Records.com . September 19, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110919130145/http://www.mergerecords.com/blog/2011/09/stream-wild-flag%e2%80%99s-debut-album-on-npr%e2%80%99s-first-listen/ . September 19, 2011 . dead . mdy-all .
  24. News: Elizabeth . Weil. Carrie Brownstein, Riot Grrrnup . . New York City. December 29, 2011 . January 1, 2012 .
  25. News: Jon. Caramanica . Wild Flag Is What Passes for an Inspirational Supergroup at CMJ . . New York City. October 19, 2011 . January 1, 2012 .
  26. The Twenty-Five Most Underrated Guitarists . . October 1, 2006 . December 28, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110302131602/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/the-twenty-five-most-underrated-guitarists-20071001. March 2, 2011.
  27. http://www.believermag.com/contributors/?read=brownstein,+carrie Contributors: Carrie Brownstein
  28. Carrie. Brownstein. Rock Band vs. Real Band. Slate. The Slate Group. New York City. November 27, 2007. November 6, 2018.
  29. Web site: Carrie. Brownstein. Wii Will Rock You!. Slate. The Slate Group. New York City. November 19, 2008. November 6, 2018.
  30. https://www.npr.org/blogs/monitormix/2007/11/welcome_to_monitor_mix.html Welcome to Monitor Mix
  31. Web site: A Final Word From Carrie Brownstein. October 6, 2010 . Monitor Mix (blog) . National Public Radio. October 26, 2010.
  32. Web site: Matthew Thornton. Book Deals: Week of 3/16/09 . March 16, 2009 . Book News. . October 26, 2010.
  33. Web site: The Sound of Where You Are . Monitor Mix (blog) . December 17, 2007. National Public Radio. October 26, 2010.
  34. Web site: Episode 267 - Carrie Brownstein. WTF with Marc Maron Podcast. April 2012 . en-US. 2019-11-01.
  35. Web site: Kreps. Daniel. Carrie Brownstein Pens Memoir 'Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl'. RollingStone. March 14, 2015. 23 October 2015. July 28, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170728073129/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/carrie-brownstein-pens-memoir-hunger-makes-me-a-modern-girl-20150314. dead.
  36. Web site: Riverhead Overview. Penguin.com. 23 October 2015. October 16, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151016231134/http://www.penguin.com/meet/publishers/riverhead/?ref=2B4575AB81AF. dead.
  37. Web site: ANN WILSON REVEALS HEART BIO-PIC IS IN THE WORKS . We Are Classic Rockers . 28 November 2020.
  38. Web site: Carrie Brownstein Talks Spells, Book, Sleater-Kinney. November 2008. Pitchfork Media.
  39. Web site: Thunderant . Thunderant . February 29, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191115104416/http://thunderant.com/ . November 15, 2019 . dead .
  40. Web site: EXCLUSIVE CLIP: WATCH CARRIE BROWNSTEIN IN "SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS". IFC.com. Melissa. Locker. April 26, 2012. December 29, 2015. October 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191029201538/http://www.ifc.com/shows/portlandia/blog/2012/04/exclusive-clip-watch-carrie-brownstein-in. dead.
  41. Web site: SXSW '10 McCormick's Sad Valentine "Some Days are Better Than Others. Indiewire.com. Indiewire. March 11, 2010. December 29, 2015.
  42. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1780441/episodes?season=1 Portlandia (TV Series 2011–) - Episodes - IMDb
  43. Web site: SNL Fans Prepare for 'Portlandia' . August 6, 2010 . . October 26, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100816225629/http://www.ifc.com/blogs/ifc-now/2010/08/snl-fans-prepare-for-portlandi.php . August 16, 2010 . mdy-all .
  44. Web site: Before There Was 'Portlandia', There Was 'Thunderant'. October 7, 2010. IFC Channel. October 26, 2010. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101013024254/http://www.ifc.com/blogs/ifc-now/2010/10/thunderant.php. October 13, 2010. mdy-all.
  45. Web site: Portlandia. Rotten Tomatoes. December 29, 2015.
  46. Web site: Wagmeister . Elizabeth . 2017-01-15 . 'Portlandia' to End With Season 8 in 2018 . 2024-05-04 . Variety . en-US.
  47. Web site: Carrie Brownstein gives us the scoop on her character Syd in "Transparent". AfterEllen.com. Trish. Bendix. September 26, 2014. December 29, 2015.
  48. News: 'Transparent' Season 2, Episodes 2 and 3: Pool Parties and Provosts. NYTimes.com. Rachel. Syme. December 14, 2015. December 29, 2015.
  49. News: Ford. Rebecca. 'Portlandia's' Carrie Brownstein Joins Cate Blanchett in 'Carol'. 21 May 2015. The Hollywood Reporter. April 9, 2014.
  50. Carrie Brownstein: Fill in the Blank . . Bonnie . Stiernberg . January 6, 2015 . April 6, 2018.
  51. Web site: 2015 Official Selection . Festival-Cannes.com . April 16, 2015 . December 29, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150418084150/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/61306.html . April 18, 2015 . mdy .
  52. Web site: Carol Poster Premiere: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, and the Fall's Most Acclaimed Romance. Vanity Fair. September 2, 2015. December 29, 2015.
  53. News: Watch Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein in SNL's Southern Rock Supergroup. IFC. 2018-07-10. en-US. October 29, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191029224633/https://www.ifc.com/shows/portlandia/blog/2016/05/fred-armisen-carrie-brownstein-southern-rock-snl. dead.
  54. Web site: Carrie Brownstein and Larry David Fight About Constipation in New "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Trailer: Watch Pitchfork. pitchfork.com. September 11, 2017. en. 2018-07-10.
  55. News: Man Seeking Woman: "Branzino". Kulzick. Kate. TV Club. 2018-07-10. en-US.
  56. http://www.undertheradarmag.com/sleaterkinneylastreview.html Sleater-Kinney Last Show
  57. News: Jon . Parales . Jon Pareles . Sleater-Kinney May, or May Not, Be Bidding New York Farewell . . August 4, 2006 . November 6, 2018.
  58. News: Aaron. Mesh. Aaron Mesh . Mock Star . Willamette Week. November 3, 2010. November 3, 2018. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20101210153820/http://wweek.com/editorial/3652/14707 . December 10, 2010.
  59. Los Angeles Times article: "Annie Clark, St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein all meet at 'The Nowhere Inn'."
  60. Rachel. Rosenblit. Portlandia's Comedy Chemistry. Elle. January 9, 2012. dead. https://archive.today/20130122100438/http://www.elle.com/print-this/portlandias-comedy-chemistry-2?page=all. January 22, 2013. April 6, 2018. mdy-all.
  61. http://www.wnyc.org/shows/heresthething/2012/sep/10/transcript/ Fred Armisen: Transcript
  62. Web site: Carrie Brownstein's Short Film Trailer For Kenzo Features Kim Gordon & Mahershala Ali —Watch. . 13 July 2016. Indiewire. 23 July 2016.
  63. Web site: Review: 'Tag,' You're It. Playing the Long Game Into Middle Age.. The New York Times. A.O. Scott. June 14, 2018. August 12, 2018.
  64. Web site: Noah. Yoo. St. Vincent and Carrie Brownstein's New Movie The Nowhere Inn to Debut at Sundance 2020. 4 December 2019. Pitchfork. 1 January 2020.
  65. Web site: Anita. Busch. 'Portlandia's Carrie Brownstein To Make Feature Directorial Debut On MGM's 'Fairy Godmother'. 18 May 2017. Deadline Hollywood. 22 August 2019.