Q&A with Canadian author Laina Dawes

Canadian author and heavy metal enthusiast Laina Dawes was usually the only black woman at heavy metal shows growing up and was often asked, “What are you doing here?” Dawes seeks to answer this question through her semi-autobiographical book “What Are You Doing Here?: A Black Woman’s Life and Liberation in Heavy Metal.”

Dawes will read from and sign copies of her recently published book today at Bulls Head Bookshop from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m., an event sponsored by the Sonja Haynes Stone Center. Staff writer Breanna Kerr talked to Dawes about heavy metal and her struggles as a black woman in that music scene.

Daily Tar Heel: What inspired you to write your first book, “What Are You Doing Here?”

Laina Dawes: As a fan of heavy metal, I was always in a situation where there weren’t many people like me at all at the concerts. I didn’t even have any black friends who were into metal at the time.

I wanted to integrate my two passions in my book: race (and) identity and my interests in music.

DTH: When did you first get into heavy metal music?

LD: I was about 8 or so — the first band I was into was Kiss. In terms of generation, I wasn’t acting out-of-the-ordinary, so for me it was very innocent. I saw them on TV and asked my parents to buy me a record. As I got older, I found out there were criticisms from others, telling me that I wasn’t supposed to like that kind of music.

DTH: What are some of your favorite heavy metal bands?

LD: Definitely Judas Priest, that’s a long-time favorite of mine. It really changes every five years though. Right now, there’s a band called Lesbian I’m really into, The Melvins, EyeHateGod and Pig Destroyer.

DTH: How did you answer the question you heard at concerts, “What are you doing here?”

LD: When people said that to my face or gave me a look, for years I didn’t do anything. I felt self-conscious about being a black woman at a metal concert. Not only do black women get the same enjoyment as anyone else, but attending these concerts can serve as a tool for self-expression.

DTH: What struggles have you faced as a black woman in the heavy metal scene?

LD: Within the book, the main struggles are not being taken seriously — as a writer, a fan, or someone who wants to work in the music industry. Being told to confine to one’s gender or race are some of the main topics of my book. Race and racism are two topics I dealt with, and really trying to overcome racial stereotypes in this scene was important to me. Everyone has a right to enjoy music in this culture, and my book explores why it is difficult for black women to do so.

DTH: What was the process of writing this book like?

LD: What I did was interview 40 to 50 people, overall the book is part memoir but the main focus was finding other women in the scene. It’s a collection of each chapter based on a certain scene. In terms of the process, I did six months of straight research and talked to a lot of people to find out whether some of the ideas I was interested in were something people would enjoy reading about.

DTH: What do you hope people get out of your book?

LD: I hope that people look at how our large society uses music and culture as a way of pigeonholing people, not to sound harsh. But I hope my book makes people look at music, race and identity because society makes us judge what people listen to. It happens in every genre. The book is about black women, but it’s susceptible to anyone interested in music and talking about culture. This is a book for everyone. Anyone that’s interested in music and gender studies should pick it up.

arts@dailytarheel.com