Viv Albertine

Viv Albertine (born Viviane Albertine, 2 January 1955, France) was the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits.

Born in France to an English mother and a French father. The family returned to the United Kingdom when she was quite young.

Albertine was amongst the first "inner circle" fans of the Sex Pistols, and was close friends of both Mick Jones and Joe Strummer of The Clash. Albertine joined The Slits as the band's guitarist, after founding member Kate Korus left in 1977. The Clash's 1980 song, "Train in Vain" has been interpreted by some as a response to "Typical Girls" by The Slits, which mentions girls standing by their men. Songwriter Mick Jones split up with Albertine shortly before he wrote the song. [cite web |url=http://arts.guardian.co.uk/filmandmusic/story/0,,2198757,00.html |title=Marcus Gray on the ongoing pop influence of 'Stand By Me' - Guardian Unlimited Arts |accessdate=2007-12-03 |last=Gray |first=Marcus |date=2007-10-26 |work=Arts |publisher=Guardian Unlimited |quote=In 1979, the Slits released their highly idiosyncratic avant-punk dub single Typical Girls. The titular girls worry about clothes, spots, fat and smells, and conform to one of two stereotypes: either they're femme fatales or they're downtrodden drudges who "stand by their men", a reference to the Tammy Wynette song.
Typical Girls stalled at No 60 in the UK, but one man paying attention was Mick Jones of the Clash. His volatile relationship with Slits guitarist Viv Albertine had recently come to an end, leaving him distraught. His band's third album, London Calling, was nearly complete, but he was inspired to write a last-minute addition. It opens with the line, "You say you stand by your man ..." - a misreading of Typical Girls, wilful or otherwise - and its oft-repeated chorus is, "You didn't stand by me, no, not at all." Lyrically, then, it follows a chain of reference back to both Wynette and King, and offers a negative echo of both: the "walls come tumbling down", and the jilted protagonist can't be happy or keep "the wolves at bay" without the woman's love and support. ]

After The Slits disbanded in 1982, Albertine studied film making in London. She appeared as a guest guitarist on Singers & Players 1981 album, "Revenge of the Underdog"

Albertine now works as a director, mostly for television.

ee also

*The Slits

References

* [http://www3.sympatico.ca/h.gagnon/Slits/alber.htm Typical Girls Online - Viv Albertine] - last accessed on 30 March 2006
* [http://www.comnet.ca/~rina/viv.html Viv Albertine] - last accessed on 30 March 2006
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0016686/ imdb.com entry Viv Albertine]