12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists

In celebration of It Might Get Loud, a riff on some of our favorite women to pick up an ax

By Julie Vadnal

“You can caress [a guitar] like a woman,” says Jimmy Page in the opening of It Might Get Loud, a new documentary by Davis Guggenheim that invites electric-guitar virtuosos Page, U2’s The Edge, and Jack White to meet on an L.A. soundstage, tell their guitar stories, and do a little impromptu jamming. In theaters now, it’s the kind of gripping music doc that could inspire girls and boys everywhere to ditch Guitar Hero for a real Stratocaster. And yet, as good as it is, we couldn’t help but think, Why no female guitarist in the bunch? Could be that since the electric guitar’s popularity blossomed in the mid-twentieth century, collective wisdom has suggested that great female guitarists simply don’t exist. Take Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Only two women, Joni Mitchell and Joan Jett, were honored. In a Washington Post article written in response to Rolling Stone’s list, the writer suggests that as interest in electric guitar was revving up in the ’60s, women weren’t encouraged to step out of their ladylike gender roles, leaving them with an impossible game of catch-up to Jimi Hendrix and Page. Maybe. But Kelley Deal, lead guitarist of the Breeders, doesn’t buy it. “I think we do exist,” she says, “but in a different capacity. Guys really like to hear themselves talk. Women guitarists seem more song-oriented. What they choose to play contributes to making the song better, not just riffing all over it. It’s a deeper relationship.” And it’s a relationship that could helm its own documentary (cough, cough, Mr. Guggenheim). In the meantime, ELLE presents 12 of the greatest female electric guitar players to ever pick up the instrument.

Joan Jett

A no-nonsense player who in only a few strums can get an entire barroom howling her 1982 hit, “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll.” That kind of power, often amplified by painted-on leather pants, sets the bar high for Twilight’s Kristen Stewart, who’s playing Jett in an upcoming Runaways biopic.

Lita Ford

After jamming with Jett as lead guitarist in the Runaways, Lita Ford took her pop-metal shedder sound solo and hired fellow rocker chick Sharon Osbourne as her manager. In 1988, she released Lita, a sexy riff-filled album that not only pleased rockers with its head-banging tunes but also got mainstreamers in the pit, especially with “Close My Eyes Forever,” her duet with the prince of darkness Ozzy Osbourne.

Nancy Wilson

Only a few seconds into the riff of Heart’s “Barracuda” and you know that only Nancy Wilson could knock you over with solos that beg to be air-guitared. Which makes us even more excited to hear that Nancy and sister Ann are preparing a new album slated for next summer.

Jennifer Batten

Jennifer Batten’s shredding is just as outrageous as her platinum-spiked locks, both of which must have caught the attention of Michael Jackson, who called on her to play Eddie Van Halen’s “Beat It” guitar solo on his Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory tours. Must-watch video here.

Donita Sparks

Donita Sparks, the woman behind ’80s girl group L7’s guitar-heavy riffs, gave birth to boozy garage grunge (download “Pretend We’re Dead,” or play your own version on Rock Band 2), as well as her own group, Donita Sparks + the Stellar Moments, whose 2008 Transmiticate proves she hasn’t lost her hard-rock edge.

Kelley Deal

Kelley Deal didn’t pick up the guitar until she was 30, but that’s the reason her disheveled playing for the Breeders (and later the Kelley Deal 6000) moves us. It’s untrained, uncalculated, and completely unreal.

Carrie Brownstein

Sleater-Kinney could have fallen into obscurity like some of their ’90s indie-rock classmates (what ever happened to Joan Osborne?) but not with Carrie Brownstein’s riotous wailing, especially Page-like in the group’s 2002 record, One Beat. And lately, she’s taken to blogging for NPR. Photo: Courtesy of Retna

Poison Ivy

The Cramps were playing envelope-pushing ’80s psychobilly before it became mainstream in the ’90s and influenced bands like the Black Lips, the Jesus and Mary Chain, and My Bloody Valentine. With Poison Ivy on the ax (and late husband Lux Interior on vocals), her garage-punk attitude, though totally hard-core, seemed to come from a place of love. Creepy, fetish-filled love.

Ruyter Suys

When her band Nashville Pussy plays live, lead guitarist Ruyter Suys whips her fiery red mane back and forth and lies on the stage floor (sometimes in only her underwear), all while creating the high-pitch electric screams that frame their “good old-fashioned, humping-in-the-back-seat-of-a-car rock ’n’ roll,” as Suys describes it to Rolling Stone.

The Great Kat

Of all the shredders on our list, Juilliard-trained violinist the Great Kat (aka Katherine Thomas) is the most mind-bogglingly fast. Watch her fingers do the talking in the Beethoven Mush video here. (Or just imagine the composer’s electrical symphony on amphetamines.)

Marnie Stern

Marnie Stern’s twitchy rhythms and face-melting licks take what we love about Eddie Van Halen’s fast-paced playing and paints it with a rock-girl feel. On her second record, This Is It… (2008), Stern is a virtuosic badass.

Orianthi

At 24, Australian newcomer Orianthi’s melodic wailing has already been endorsed by Carlos Santana (“If I was going to pass the baton to someone, she would be my first choice,” he told the Aussie Today show) and Michael Jackson handpicked her for what would have been his comeback tour.

Mexico Decriminalizes Small-scale Drug Possession

Source: google.com

MEXICO CITY — Mexico enacted a controversial law Thursday decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, cocaine, heroin and other drugs while encouraging free government treatment for drug dependency.

The law sets out maximum "personal use" amounts for drugs, also including LSD and methamphetamine. People detained with those quantities will no longer face criminal prosecution when the law goes into effect Friday.

Anyone caught with drug amounts under the personal-use limit will be encouraged to seek treatment, and for those caught a third time treatment is mandatory — although the law does not specify penalties for noncompliance.

Mexican authorities said the change just recognized the long-standing practice here of not prosecuting people caught with small amounts of drugs that they could reasonably claim were for personal use, while setting rules and limits.

Under previous law, possession of any amount of drugs was punishable by stiff jail sentences, but there was leeway for addicts caught with smaller amounts. In practice, nobody was prosecuted and sentenced to jail for small-time possession, said Bernardo Espino del Castillo, the coordinator of state offices for the attorney general's office.

"We couldn't charge somebody who was in possession of a dose of a drug, there was no way ... because the person would claim they were an addict," he added.

"This person obviously couldn't be charged, not yesterday, not the day before, not a year ago, but the bad thing was that it was left up to the discretion of the detective, and it could open the door to corruption or extortion."

In the past, police sometimes hauled suspects to police stations and demanded bribes, threatening long jail sentences if people did not pay.

"This is not legalization, this is regulating the issue and giving citizens greater legal certainty ... for a practice that was already in place," Espino del Castillo said.

In 2006, the U.S. government publicly criticized a similar bill. Then President Vicente Fox sent that law — which did not have a mandatory treatment provision — back to Congress for reconsideration.

The maximum amount of marijuana considered to be for "personal use" under the new law is 5 grams — the equivalent of about four joints. The limit is a half gram for cocaine, the equivalent of about 4 "lines." For other drugs, the limits are 50 milligrams of heroin, 40 milligrams for methamphetamine and 0.015 milligrams for LSD.

The law was approved by Congress before it recessed in late April, and President Felipe Calderon, who is leading a major offensive against drug cartels, waited most of the summer before enacting it.

Calderon's original proposal would have required first-time detainees to complete treatment or face jail time. But the lower house of Congress, where Calderon's party was short of a majority, weakened the bill.

Mexico has emphasized the need to differentiate drug addicts and casual users from the violent traffickers whose turf battles have contributed to the deaths of more than 11,000 people during Calderon's term. In the face of growing domestic drug use, Mexico has increased its focus on prevention and drug treatment.

Sen. Pablo Gomez of the leftist Democratic Revolution Party praised the legislation: "This law achieves the decriminalization of drugs, and in exchange offers government recovery treatment for addicts."

Previously, possession of any amount of drugs was punishable by stiff jail sentences, with some leeway for those considered addicts and caught with smaller amounts. But in practice, relatively few people were prosecuted and sentenced to jail for small-time possession.

While the United States openly expressed concern about the 2006 law, this time around it has been more circumspect.

Asked about the new law in July, U.S. drug czar Gil Kerlikowske said he would adopt a "wait-and-see attitude."

"If the sanction becomes completely nonexistent I think that would be a concern, but I actually didn't read quite that level of de facto (decriminalization) in the law," said Kerlikowske, who heads the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy.

McDonalds Menu Items From Around The World (40 Pics)

by Jillian Madison

ASIA

Across Asia, you can pick up a McHotdog Mega Breakfast Sausage.

Sausage and Egg Twisty Pasta, a breakfast item. Sausage, eggs, and pasta in chicken broth and “other greens.”

Bacon potato pie. It’s like an apple pie, but with mashed potatoes and bacon.

Cheese Katsu sandwich, a fried pork sandwich stuffed with cheese.

Double Beef Prosperity Burger from Malaysia. 2 beef patties (or chicken patties) dipped in aromatic black pepper sauce and layered with fresh onion slices in a sesame seed bun.

The Ebi Filet-o, a fried shrimp sandwich. In Hong Kong, it’s known as the Shrimp Burger

Shake Shake fries. You dump your fries into a bag, sprinkle seasoning on them, and shake. There are several different flavors including seaweed, chargrill, French onion and salt and pepper.

McWings – deep fried chicken wings.

Fresh corn cup, a nice alternative to fries.

Banana pie.

The Shogun burger, served in Hong Kong. It’s a pork patty with Teriyaki sauce and cabbage.

Bubur Ayam, which literally translates to “chicken porridge”. Chicken strips in porridge, with onions, ginger, and chili peppers.

McSpaghetti. Spaghetti noodles served in sweet tomato-based sauce.

McRice burger. A ground beef burger, or chicken fillet, served with special sauce in fried rice cakes.

MIDDLE EAST

The McArabia is made with grilled chicken or grilled kofta (beef with spices). Comes with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and garlic mayonnaise, wrapped in an Arabic style pita bread.

The Chicken Big Mac. Two breaded chicken patties (de-boned breast meat), lettuce, sesame seed bun, McDeluxe sauce, and cheese.

The Recette Moutarde (mustard burger on ciabatta bread). Introduced in Morocco in 2006.

The Veg McPuff Pizza. Rectangular dough, filled with tomato sauce and vegetables.

The Paneer Salsa Wrap. Cottage cheese, drenched in cajun seasoning and then wrapped in flatbread and fried.

The Chicken McCurry Pan. It starts off with a rectangle dish made out of dough and is topped with a tomato-curry sauce, spiced with thyme, basil, and oregano, chicken, bell peppers, and cheese.

EUROPE

In Italy, not surprisingly, they serve their burgers with pancetta and usually are on ciabatta rolls.

CBO: Chicken, bacon, and onions

Croque McDo. 2 melted slices of Emmental cheese and a slice of ham toasted between 2 flattened hamburger buns.

BEER! Offered in Germany, France, and a few other locations across Europe.

Onion rings, sold in Turkey and a few other countries in Europe.

The Lakse wrap (fish) is sold in Finland and Norway.

The McTurco, sold in Turkey, is 2 burger patties covered in cayenne pepper sauce, and vegetables, and served on a fried pita.

The Little Chorizo Melt, offered in England: a 100% beef patty in a herb watersplit bun dressed with chorizo, a cheese slice made with Emmental, shredded lettuce and rich tomato sauce.

The BACON ROLL, also from England, is just slices of bacon on a hard roll with ketchup.

NORTH AMERICA/SOUTH AMERICA/OCEANIA

Traditional grilled cheese sandwich, served in Canada.

My Poutine, also from Canada. Consists of french fries topped with cheese curds and gravy.

McDonalds Pizza. Started off as a family sized pizza, but turned into an individual-sized pan pizza.

You can order gallo pinto (rice and beans) at the McDonalds in Costa Rica.

The Kiwiburger, sold in New Zealand. It’s a beef patty, with an egg, tomato, lettuce, cheese, onion, cooked beetroot, sauce and mustard on a bun.

Big Mac not big enough? Try the new TRIPLE MAC in Argentina.

McMolletes, served in Mexico, are refried beans, cheese, and pico de gallo served on an English muffin.

McPatatas, also from Mexico. Thick cut cajun steak fries.

The McDonalds deluxe breakfast in Hawaii comes with spam, rice, eggs, and sausage patties.

The McLobster roll is served seasonally in Canada.