Be the President ... or Better Yet, a Great Guitarist
by Anne Leighton
I look up to people who make their rock and roll dreams come true from honest hard work. To me, they are role models. Denny Colt would probably tape her picture by the words "role model.” That's because she set out to make things happen in her career, despite the fact that people said, "You can't do music—you're a girl."
In fact, she spoke up for herself when I issued a request for role models. I agreed, because her fans have been cheering her at gigs, especially the Van Helsing's Curse shows she does backing Dee Snider, or her own band, Tang. "It's a 'dreams do come true' kind of role model," she said, explaining that she has "persevered against the odds."
At every Van Helsing show across the country, teenage girls gather around to meet her, ask her about technique, performance and the music business. Some say, "I've never seen a female do what you do; you're an inspiration." Colt says, "It makes me feel terrific." She listens to them talking about their dreams. And the funny thing is, even though she's been in the music business for about 20 years, she totally relates to their feelings.
Colt has had to break through barriers, including the desire for respect (translated as "work”) for her musicianship. "Guys and girls are visiting my website [www.dennycolt.com] and sending me e-mails,” she says. "It's very special with the girls, because when I was growing up and playing drums in the third grade, my teacher took me aside and said he was going to give me a C because 'girls don't play drums.' Even though I was devastated, I continued playing drums with rock bands."
In junior high school the concert committee also spewed stupidity. They told Colt's band they weren't picked because they had a girl in the band and that wasn't feminine. But she showed them. By the end of high school, besides riding motorcycles, she continued with her music career.
Her role model was Black Sabbath. "I never thought of role models having to be men or women,” she says. "And I didn't really think of girls playing rock and roll as an issue till after I got into the outside world."
In the 1980s she rehearsed in the same building that Patti Smith and Madonna used. "I loved Patti. She ruled. She resonated her strong presence,” she says. "I'm like that, a steamroller. When I start something, I set my mind on it and set my goal. I will get there. Sometimes it takes a long time.
"Back then I didn't care about Madonna. I was such a hardcore rocker. To me, she was all show, tits, ass and ego; it made me sick. Of course, now I see her in a different light. She withstood the test of time. As a role model for girls, she is a terrific businesswoman and stands up for herself. She rolls femininity and power together."
Her real-world friends were living similar challenges. With Bonnie Parker, who met her at a New York City gig in a club called Nirvana in 1988, and booking agent John Casino, she formed a small networking organization called the Confederation of Female Headbangers. In the mid-1990s they hooked up with Vixen drummer Roxy Petrucci and put together a band that toured Spain. They stayed there for about a year and had a weekly TV show. Then they formed Tang, played in Sweden and released an album called Mental Pollution.
Colt says she feels it's inspiring to work for and with other people, and that it doesn't take time away from her own art. "I'm part of their dream. I love working with the other frequencies; it's like coloring. It's inspiration to work outside the box. It helps the artist inside of me a lot,” she says.
"I'm very happy if I inspire girls to be what they want to be: independent. I think an average girl with an average background could be the next president or even a great guitarist.”
