{"id":1114,"date":"2018-10-07T14:47:53","date_gmt":"2018-10-07T14:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/?p=1114"},"modified":"2018-10-07T14:55:23","modified_gmt":"2018-10-07T14:55:23","slug":"tank-girl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/2018\/10\/07\/tank-girl\/","title":{"rendered":"Tank Girl"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tankbuster<\/strong> (first published in SXFX Issue #1, June 1995<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/center><\/p>\n

Since 1988, Tank Girl and Jet Girl have been tearing up British comics with their full frontal assault on good taste, decorum, and anything else that stands in their way of a good time. On the set of the hotly anticipated film adaptation in Australia, Esmerelda Brautigan meets up with the film\u2019s co-stars Naomi Watts and Lori Petty, who prove to be every bit as irrepressible as the characters they\u2019re portraying onscreen.<\/em><\/p>\n

Since its first appearance as a throwaway page filler in Deadline in 1988, Tank Girl<\/em> has been an unexpected phenomenon, going from underground indie comic hit to sudden mainstream sensation within little over a year, and then barrelling forward with an ever-increasing sense of momentum ever since. And now Tank Girl<\/em> mania has perhaps reached its culmination with the imminent release of the big-budgeted, long-awaited, Hollywood film adaptation. On its release last month in America it broke several box office records, and all the early indications are that it\u2019s going to do the same when it releases here in the UK this month.<\/p>\n

When I meet with the film\u2019s two standout stars, Lori Petty (Tank Girl) and Naomi Watts (Jet Girl), it\u2019s the very last day of scheduled re-shoots for the film, but even then the sense that this was going to be something big was nigh-on unshakeable. It\u2019s a blisteringly hot day outside in this deserted part of New Mexico, and we\u2019re all huddled up in a trailer, trying, desperately, to keep ourselves cool with bottles of beer from the fridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not even supposed to be<\/em> here,\u201d Lori moans. \u201cThis was supposed to be finished months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSomeone forgot to film the climax, or something,\u201d Naomi explains. \u201cLike, they literally forgot to turn on the camera.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was talk they could fill in the gap with a cartoon,\u201d Lori sneers. \u201cImagine that\u200a\u2014\u200aa fucking cartoon instead of the end of the film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut luckily the artist hurt his wrist.\u201d Naomi mimes a rude gesture.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd so here we are. Back in the tank.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

The plot of the movie revolves around a quest for justice in the arid wastelands of post-apocalyptic Australia, an odyssey that leads ultimately onto a showdown with the nefarious warlord Kessel, played by Terrance Stamp (who has, for reasons best known to himself, refused to do any publicity for this movie). But the plot, truth be told, is fairly irrelevant, and what we get instead is a fast-paced series of often disconnected set-pieces, vignettes, interludes, and Saturday morning cartoon-style segments, and this energetic melange<\/em> creates an atmosphere of free-wheeling anarchism that perfectly captures the essence of the characters. A flat, standard A to B plot just wouldn\u2019t have cut it.<\/p>\n

A point with which Tank Girl herself agrees.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things that I loved about the script was that it just went straight in there\u200a\u2014\u200aBANG\u200a\u2014\u200aand got going and never let up,\u201d blasts Lori. \u201cThere\u2019s no backstory explaining exactly how and why the world\u2019s all fucked up, no tedious explanation about how she got her tank-\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just\u200a\u2014\u200aBLAM\u200a\u2014\u200athe world is<\/em> fucked up!\u201d Naomi cuts in excitedly. \u201cBOOM\u200a\u2014\u200a\u2018yeah, this tank? We stole it\u2019. That\u2019s all you need. None of this\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

She waves her hands around until eventually Lori Petty finishes her thought for her.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026this fucking drip-drip-drip of story. Just fucking getting into it\u200a\u2014\u200aa couple of girls in the desert with their heavy artillery and their \u2018fuck you\u2019 attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot even \u2018fuck you\u2019! \u2018Fuck EVERYONE!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we do!\u201d shouts Lori, and the whole room collapses into dirty giggles.<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

Booga:<\/strong> \u201cWhere in the hell did you get a tank?\u201d
\nTank Girl:<\/strong> \u201cStole it!\u201d
\nBooga:<\/strong> \u201cAnd\u2026 a plane!?\u201d
\nJet Girl:<\/strong> \u201cBuilt it!\u201d
\nBooga: \u201cI\u2019m not even going to ask where that sub came from.\u201d
\nSub Girl:<\/strong> \u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

The look of the film, and especially the costumes, is one of the most striking aspects of the movie, and one of the things Lori and Naomi are both especially pleased with.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing is, if a guy made this\u200a\u2014\u200aand I\u2019ve nothing against guys, obviously, I\u2019ve met some nice ones, you know?\u200a\u2014\u200abut if a guy made this, they\u2019d get the look of it wrong. It\u2019d just be them playing dress-up, getting us to put all these outfits on for their<\/em> fucking pleasure. Whereas this\u200a\u2014\u200athere\u2019s like a hundred odd costume changes the pair of us go through in the film\u200a\u2014\u200a\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c150, if you count Sub Girl.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah but she got cut, didn\u2019t she? Cut. The fuck. OUT!\u201d They both laugh at this for a while, before Lori gets back to the point she was making. \u201cThere\u2019s a million costumes and outfits but they\u2019re our fucking costumes, you know. Our fucking outfits. We look great but we look great for us. We could care less whether all these fucking men in the wasteland\u200a\u2014\u200ain the audience<\/em>\u200a\u2014\u200afind us sexy.\u201d<\/p>\n

She pauses for breath and then continues. \u201cRachel [Talalay, the director] did a great job. She could easily have made us look like all these tired old male fantasies you\u2019re used to seeing on screen, toys for our boys\u2026 Actually, can you imagine the merchandise for this. Tiny little figurines with interchangeable rocket bras. An accessory pack full of dildos!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSome sort of Punk barbie nightmare,\u201d agrees Naomi.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy Little Anarchist!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSex-bomb Sindy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Me and Naomi both laugh at this one but Lori remains quizzically silent.<\/p>\n

\u201cWho the fuck is Sindy?\u201d she demands<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s like Barbie. But better obviously,\u201d Naomi explains. \u201cMaybe you had to grow up in Wales\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you were fucking Australian?!\u201d They both glare at each other for a second, and then burst out laughing once more. \u201cAnyway, I don\u2019t think Mattel wanted to produce any Tank Girl toys, the useless fucking fucks.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

There\u2019s a scene in this movie where Tank Girl and Jet Girl infiltrate a 1920s art-deco style brothel in the wastelands that culminates in a great Broadway-style singalong, and which for many exemplifies the strengths of the film.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wanted to undercut that whole macho fucking culture of old rock, even of punk. All that shitty stuff, you know, getting groped at gigs, groupies, all that fucking shit. Iggy Pop was desperate to be in this film, and everyone was like, \u2018Yeah, well there\u2019s this part you\u2019d be perfect for\u2019 and it\u2019s as a paedophile<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIggy was well up for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell of course he was. I don\u2019t think he understood the joke,\u201d Lori says seriously. \u201cHe wanted to be on the soundtrack too, but Courtney said \u2018Nah! No cocks on the soundtrack.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think he got that joke either,\u201d says Naomi. \u201cIf it even was a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

Indeed, the Tank Girl film has an incredible soundtrack [see box-out overleaf] put together by Grunge superstar Courtney Love, and for Lori Petty, getting to meet one of her heroes was a highlight of the entire production.<\/p>\n

\u201cHanging out with Courtney was so much fucking fun! It was back in pre-production, in London, that we met her. She took us to Glastonbury [Editor\u2019s Note<\/em>\u200a\u2014\u200ait was actually Reading] and it was so exciting. She beat up this one guy for wearing a t-shirt that said \u2018Not sleeping around.\u2019 It was hi-lar-i-ous. \u2018Why aren\u2019t you sleeping around? Why? Why?\u2019 She was shaking him around and he looked so scared. Me and Naomi couldn\u2019t stop laughing for hours about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought it was a bit much, actually,\u201d Naomi Watts says, looking a little bit sheepish.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, you were the one that kicked him in the balls!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe ended up running off with Tracy [Marrow, who plays the mutated kangaroo Booga in the film] and we didn\u2019t see her again.\u201d
\n\u201cSomeone said they\u2019re going to make an album together,\u201d Naomi reveals.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, he\u2019s a fucking rock star now. None of this acting shit anymore.\u201d Lori takes a swig from her bottle of beer. \u201cMaybe we put him right the fuck off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe?\u201d pleads Naomi. \u201cDon\u2019t try and rope me into this. This is all your doing!\u201d<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

Explosive hits that will blow you away!<\/strong><\/p>\n

12 amazing songs from the Tank Girl soundtrack.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bjurk<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aArmy Of Me
\nPortishead<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aIt\u2019s A Fire
\nThrowing Muses<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aCounting Backwards
\nHole<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aYou Know You\u2019re Right
\nL7<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aShitlist
\nAngel \u2018Corpus\u2019 Christi<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aMe And My Beretta
\nRuby<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aParaffin
\nMerrill Nisker<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aStressed Out
\nPolly Harvey<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aRub It Until It Bleeds
\nEthyl Meatplow<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aQueenie
\nWhale<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aHobo Humpin\u2019 Slobo Bitch
\nHope Sandoval And The \u2019Mazing Stars<\/strong>\u200a\u2014\u200aLet\u2019s Do It (Let\u2019s Fall In Love)<\/p>\n

*<\/center><\/p>\n

Even here, three months out from release, the intensity of the hype and desire for this film is incredible. Everywhere you go there\u2019s people talking about it. You can\u2019t turn on the TV without seeing it being discussed, dissected, vilified and vaunted in equal measure.<\/p>\n

So one last question, did you know what you were getting yourselves into when you signed up for this?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe did,\u201d says Tank Girl. \u201cWe definitely fucking did.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd we love it,\u201d agrees Jet Girl. \u201cIt\u2019s fucking brilliant.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of their assistants pops their head round the door and tells the two of them they\u2019re needed back on set for the last few hours of filming.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s go blow something up!\u201d<\/p>\n

And they do. Or will. With Tank Girl<\/em> they\u2019re going to leave the entire world aflame in their wake.<\/p>\n

__________<\/p>\n

Notes:<\/p>\n

1. Written January and February, 2016<\/em>
\n2. And first published in SXFX Magazine<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n__________<\/br>

Support An Accumulation Of Things<\/a><\/h3>If you like the things you've read here please consider subscribing to my patreon<\/a> or my ko-fi<\/a>. <\/br><\/br>Patreon subscribers<\/a> get not just early access to content and also the occasional gift, but also my eternal gratitude. Which I'm not sure is very useful, but is certainly very real.<\/br><\/br>(Ko-fi contributors<\/a> probably only get the gratitude I'm afraid, but please get in touch if you want more). <\/br><\/br>Thank you!<\/i><\/br><\/br>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tankbuster (first published in SXFX Issue #1, June 1995) Since 1988, Tank Girl and Jet Girl have been tearing up British comics with their full frontal assault on good taste, decorum, and anything else that stands in their way of a good time. On the set of the hotly anticipated film adaptation in Australia, Esmerelda […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[385],"tags":[386,388],"class_list":["post-1114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sxfx","tag-sxfx","tag-tank-girl"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1114"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1120,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1114\/revisions\/1120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1114"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1114"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/accumulationofthings.com\/things\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1114"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}