HIT GIRLS
Women in Punk in the USA in 1975 – 1983
By Jen B Larsen

Valerie Ghent:
“Wow! I just discovered that I’m in a new book about women in punk and new wave from 1978-1983 called “Hit Girls.” The band I was in as a teenager, Dizzy and the Romilars, is featured with lots of other female-fronted bands of the era, including the Bush Tetras, ESG, The Plasmatics and other ground-breaking bands that I remember seeing and/or sharing bills with all over NYC.

Oh the clubs we played! Hurrah, Bonds, Trax, Tier 3, The Ritz, Peppermint Lounge, CBGB’s, My Father’s Place, The 9:30 Club (in DC) and many others. My first show with Dizzy was at Botany, in the flower district, the cool club where I first heard Bad Brains and 24-7 Spyz and so many other awesome bands.

Dizzy and the Romilars was founded by Ramona Jan (who also founded The Comateens), and I joined Dizzy in 1980 while still in high school. I was the baby in the band, alongside Ramona, Angelo “Zip” Zarrelli on bass and Joe Klemmer on drums. We rehearsed three times a week in the Music Building on 8th Avenue, where dozens of bands rehearsed, including Madonna, who was just breaking through.

The author, Jen Larson, gathered information on almost 100 bands of the era. She interviewed Ramona and quotes me as well, it’s a very cool writeup! There’s a nice quote on page 182 where Larson writes, “In Dizzy and the Romilars Jan collaborated with Val, a 15 year old who was a strong musician and demonstrated extreme confidence in the studio.” I never really thought of myself the way Larson describes, but I remember the moment I walked into Media Sound I knew it was where I wanted to be, in the studio making records!”

Hit Girls is available at Amazon and has great reviews!

Valerie Ghent website