The Music Book Podcast

084 Adele Bertei on the Women of No Wave

Marc Masters

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 46:40

On this episode, Marc talks with Adele Bertei, author of "No New York: A Memoir of No Wave and the Women Who Shaped the Scene," released today, March 31, 2026. It's an insightful and super-entertaining chronicle of Bertei's journey through New York music and art in the late 70s, including her time in Contortions and The Bloods as well as her solo career. It also delves deep into so many figures of the scene that Bertei worked and associated, particularly women such as Lydia Lunch, Nan Golden, Vivienne Dick, Patti Smith, and so many more.

As she writes, "I wrote this book to dig deeper. What truly set No Wave apart from other artistic movements of the 1970s and early '80s? The women. They didn't just participate. They set the tone – and they lit the fuse...resisting tired stereotypes and reinventing according to our individual artistic visions...dismantling art's male-dominated paradigms, we ignored the boundaries of gender and genre."

We hope you enjoy Marc's conversation with Adele Bertei!

Podcasts we love

Check out these other fine podcasts recommended by us, not an algorithm.

Transmissions Artwork

Transmissions

Aquarium Drunkard
Kreative Kontrol Artwork

Kreative Kontrol

Vish Khanna / Entertainment One (eOne)
Life of the Record Artwork

Life of the Record

Life of the Record / Talkhouse
Agony Shorthand Artwork

Agony Shorthand

Agony Shorthand
Rock Writ Artwork

Rock Writ

rockwrit
The Sonic Cloth Artwork

The Sonic Cloth

The Sonic Cloth
Tabs Out Cassette Podcast Artwork

Tabs Out Cassette Podcast

Mike, Dave, and Joe
The Watt From Pedro Show Artwork

The Watt From Pedro Show

Mike Watt (solo artist, Minutemen, fIREHOSE, Iggy Pop and The Stooges) playing some tunes and doing some spiel. Assisted by brother matt and coming to you from the wild kingdom at the pleasure point, in San Pedro California! TWFPS www.twfps.com
REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE Artwork

REVOLUTIONS PER MOVIE

Chris Slusarenko
Beginnings Artwork

Beginnings

Andy Beckerman