I’m Darla, one of Dottie’s true feminist sisters, and I’ve been on the

road with her and the Ethnogs on and off since the mid-60s. ‘Course I

started out pretty young – a precocious feminist for sure, causing

righteous  havoc on the playground before I was emancipated from my

patriarchal parents and moved in with Dottie and the gals in Berkeley.

I know Dottie shared some of our history with you, but I was dismayed

that she left off the wonderful stories about Fifi and Fufu, our twin

toy poodles, who we always brought to all the Ethnog concerts in

Seattle, the women’s lib rallies, and then later on the road with us.

Dottie and I taught the pups to bark whenever someone said “patriarchy,”

“male chauvinist pig,” “sexism,” or “inequality.” Dougie used to call

them the “Bitches for Progress” and sneak them bits of bacon (of course

Dottie and I had the dogs on a strictly vegan diet to honor Mother

Earth, but Dougie was always a meat eater). Those feminist pups knew how

to rock out – we taught ‘em to dance and groove to the beat. I tell you,

those dogs had rhythm in their souls. More than once Gory picked them

up, tucked them under his arm, and brought them right on stage with him.

The crowd went wild every time! I do believe Gory found inspiration for

the Ethnogs songs, “Puppy Love in the Classroom,” “Workin’ Like a Dog

for Tenure,” and “Life Ain’t Easy for a Man Named Fluffy” from those

dogs. 

        Sadly, Fifi and Fufu aren't with us anymore, but the 2007 Reunion tour has inspired me to get out my beads, my tie-dye t-shirts, and my

souvenir Ethnogs guitar picks.  I’m ready to hit the road again, albeit

a bit slower than I used to. I don't know how many of you heard about

that incident with the Great White Shark biting my leg off while I was

surfing in Santa Cruz last summer; last thing I remember, I was hangin'

ten on a monster wave, and then I woke up in the hospital. No worries:

medicinal marijuana is legal in California, so I've recovered pretty

well. I named my prosthetic leg Zoe, after our dear, departed

ecofeminist sister who lost her life in 1972 when vicious capitalist

pigs cut down the redwood tree she was hugging in a valiant effort to

stop deforestation in the Northwest.

Viva La Feminist Revolution!