In this oral history Alice de Buhr discusses learning the drums in second grade, growing up in a small town, and coming out as a queer woman in high school. She talks openly about the homophobia she experienced in her hometown and how she left for California. De Buhr recalls her first year in California and how she eventually met Jeanne and June Millington and subsequently joined the Svelts, which eventually became Fanny. She talks about the band’s dynamic and creative process, their record label, and being marketed as a novelty. De Buhr discusses how the band closeted themselves in interviews and how she was affected by her own internalized homophobia. She recounts her experience touring with Fanny, meeting David Bowie, and her favorite memories. De Buhr describes her career after Fanny, and openly talks about addiction. The interview concludes with her thoughts on the visibility of women in rock, Fanny’s role in rock history, and aging.
Alice de Buhr is a drummer best known for her work in Fanny, the first all female band to record an album on a major label. De Buhr lives in Arizona with her partner. The documentary Fanny: The Right to Rock was released in 2021.
Learn more at: WomenofRock.org
Alice de Buhr interviewed by Tanya Pearson for the Women of Rock Oral History Project on October 6, 2016 in Tucson, Arizona
The Women of Rock Oral History Project is a collection of digital interviews and written transcripts, housed at the Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College—one of the oldest women’s history archives in the United States. Started by Tanya Pearson in December, 2014, WOROHP documents the lives and careers of women in rock whose work and careers have been underrepresented or omitted from rock journalism and historical scholarship. With a collection of publicized and accessible primary source documents, the Women of Rock Oral History Project seeks to facilitate a more comprehensive, inclusive, and accurate cultural history.
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