The proximity of the East L.A. barrio to Hollywood is as close as a short  
       drive on the 101 freeway, but the cultural divide is enormous. Born to
       Mexican-born and American-naturalized parents, Alicia Armendariz migrated
       a few miles west to participate in the free-range birth of the 1970s punk
       movement. Alicia adopted the punk name Alice Bag, and became lead singer
       for The Bags, early punk visionaries who starred in Penelope Spheeris'
       documentary The Decline of Western Civilization.

       Here is a life of many crossed boundaries, from East L.A.'s musica ranchera
       to Hollywood's punk rock; from a violent male-dominated family to
       female-dominated transgressive rock bands.

       Violence Girl takes us from a violent upbringing to an aggressive punk
       sensibility; this time a difficult coming-of-age memoir culminates with a
       satisfying conclusion, complete with a happy marriage and children.  Nearly
       a hundred never before published photographs energize the text in remarkable
       ways. 

       Alice Bag's work and influence can be seen this year in the traveling exhibition
       "American Sabor: Latinos in U.S. Popular Music."

Violence Girl Trailer Survive - The Bags