Cäcilia (Cillie) Rentmeister
Cillie (Cäcilia) Rentmeister belongs to the founding generation of the West Berlin women’s movement from 1973 onwards. A doctorate in art history, she also invented feminist art and cultural studies and was also a member of the first women’s lecturer group in Berlin, which started the “summer universities for women” there. [link Sommeruni feminist Berlin]
Studies on “Matriarchy” – including research travels to “modern matriarchies” in Asia and the US, and “Population Policies, Human Development and Reproductive Rights”, under the motto “Development is female“.
Von 1994 bis 2014 lehrte sie als Professorin an der FH Erfurt „Gender Studies“ und „Interaktive Medien“. Publikationen im Web unter: www.cillie-rentmeister.de.
Herausgeberin interaktiver Produktionen von Cream – siehe Impressum.
C.R. lebt mit Cristina Perincioli in der Nähe von Potsdam. Seit den siebziger Jahren ist sie „Flying Lesbian“ auch im doppelten Sinn als Segelflug-, Gleitschirm- und Motor-)Pilotin.
Nach den „Flying Lesbians“ spielte sie in den achtziger Jahren Rockmusik mit der Berliner Frauenband „Les-Be-Ton“, und New Wave mit dem Solo-Projekt „E.M.P.“
Zur Geschichte von Frauenrockmusik, Frauenfesten und den Flying Lesbians stehen Texte von ihr unter Frauenfeste und in englisch Sounds of the Women’s Movement.
From 1994 to 2014 she taught “Gender Studies” and “Interactive Media” as a professor at the University of Applied Sciences Erfurt. Publications on the Web at: www.cillie-rentmeister.de.
Editor of interactive productions of „Cream e.V.“ – see Imprint.
C.R. lives with Cristina Perincioli near Potsdam. Since the seventies she is “Flying Lesbian” also in the double sense as a (glider-, paraglider- and motor-) pilot.
After the “Flying Lesbians” she played rock music in the eighties with the Berlin women’s band “Les-Be-Ton”, and New Wave with the solo project “E.M.P.”
To the history of women rock music, women’s festivals and the Flying Lesbians you find an English text by her on this website under „Herstory“: „Sounds of the Women’s Movement“
Flying Lesbian with her plane “Bin Flink”
Christel Wachowski
Christel Wachowski has worked as a business economist in various companies after having studied Business Administration and Ethnology in Berlin.
For almost 10 years she lives together with her longtime girlfriend Ingeborg in Munich and for 2 years near Munich in the countryside and almost in the mountains (there she can turn her curves as an enthusiastic motorcyclist).
She is currently working in the media sector in Munich. Musically, she is only privately active, but that will change again – as soon as time allows it again – with Styrian harmonica, dulcimer and zither, and every now and then a yodel!
Januar 23rd, 2018
Danielle de Baat
Danielle de Baat lives with her wife Angèle in Amsterdam. She works as a bus driver at the transport company Connexxion. Musically she has remained active. After her return from Berlin she played in a Dutch lesbian band “Vendetta”. After that she turned to folk music. Together with Angèle she forms the duo “Saluti e Baci”. They play music of the 4 provinces in northern Italy.
My friend Angèle accompanies me on accordion and I play “Piffero”, a forerunner of the modern oboe. In the meantime we came to know a lot of people who like to dance to this music, also because we run a well-visited website that shows video’s of festivals and performances where the music of the 4 provinces is played:
Also you can see there a video of us both: www.salutiebaci.nl
Biographical
In the summer of 1975 I was 21. I lived (and was born) in Amsterdam and drove to Femø, where I heard the Berlin lesbians telling them about the great things they did in Berlin: Lesbian Newspaper, Lesbian Action Center (LAZ) … ” I have to go there! “I thought, and left. With my guitar, that had to be. I had played from an early age on and made my own songs. M.S. temporarily put me down in the shared apartment at Cosimaplatz. Also a shared flat was something new for me. She heard me strum and asked me if I did not want to join the Flying Lesbians LP, which was just then in the making. I said yes, and did not think anything about it. I had never played in a band, never touched an electric guitar. I am also not sure if Monika ever asked the other Lesbians before …
What was the most important thing about Flying Lesbians?
Together with drummer Gigi I had rather the music as a starting point, the others were more politically motivated. That does not mean that I did not agree with the political motives. I was still very young, of course, had to enter the Berlin scene, and, not unimportant either – learning the language, the German and the jargon.
I was, and am still, one for practical projects, less concerned with political practices. That’s why – later – the sharp conflicts in the Berlin lesbian movement bothered me quite a lot… Since my membership in the Flying Lesbians helped me a lot with my naturalization.
anecdotal
We drove in the smoky rented VW bus criss-crossing the Federal Republic hundreds of kilometers, to Munich, Heidelberg, Hannover to our “Gigs”. With our Instruments and PA-System, which had to be set up and dismantled again and again.
And again and again rushing success. In retrospect, it seems to have taken longer than it was in reality, because all in all, I lived only 4 years in Berlin. I met my girlfriend and today’s wife (yes we got married …) and that was reason enough for me to return to Amsterdam.
Gigi Lansch
Our drummer died in Augsburg
M.S.
M.S. She wants to stay anonymous because of business relations with homophobic countries.
Monika Mengel
The only not-scratched copy of the Flying Lesbian LP is probably resting somewhere in the dusty deeps of my sister’s living room cabinet. But maybe that good piece wandered into the garbage at the time. Anyway, nobody ever talked about “my” record at home. On demand, just shrug.
Everywhere else is the bright red cover with the silver double ax and the black disc by loving use barely to use. But, who has a record player today? That’s why it’s great that there is a CD now. Maybe my grandniece will be interested in it?
When it started in 1974, I was 23 and just a year lesbian. Behind me lay: my newspaper traineeship, spontaneous times, even a few halfway pleasing relationships with men, a disturbing love affair with a woman and the first hesitant attempts in the Berlin Sub. Fortunately, thanks to Cristina Perincioli, I got in contact with the women and lesbian scene. And then everything went very fast. For 35 years, I am now “in the club” and can not imagine anything more beautiful – despite highly dramatic separations of both lovers, as well as the Flying Lesbians. With my girlfriend Claudia I live now for 21 years in the Eifel. However, as a determined opponent of a state or even church love permission – in wild marriage. On our farm there are still dogs and cats and usually also other women/ women friends live here.
The music has always meant a lot to me. Singing, as I learned later from women like Carien Wijnen, Ida Kelarova and Romy Camerun – and through the songs of Billie Holiday – is not only an expression of the soul, but very healing. Usually for those who sing.
The music of the Flying Lesbians – even though we could hardly play more than four songs at the first women’s festival – has moved women: emotionally and musically. I’ll never forget that woman’s body-field that swung back and forth in front of the stage: laughing women, weeping, in long hippie skirts, one in fur stole and black fuzz head, many with their upper bodies free, others in black leather outfits, Butches from the Sub, Femmes, hetero women and lesbians from the women`s center and from the LAZ (Lesbian Action Center), and a couple of older lesbians who had probably lived through the Nazi era and were suddenly simply carried away by the young women. Carefully at first and then courageously they all came to a close contact while dancing. What was not common at the time! – It took my breath away: so many beautiful women are there? And there they were all.
That the Flying Lesbians stayed together is probably due to this euphoria. We were carried and inspired. Because thoroughbred musician was hardly one of us. Jobs, the political work, relationships, WG conflicts – all this took time and nerves.
In addition, there was the claim to do everything on our own, especially to get along with the technology. How did I curse that! And yet: the admiring glances of the fans as we carried the speakers, piloted the old Hanomag, how we professionally soldered the wires and soon no more lightning cracked when we pushed the plug into the amplifier.
I knew solo performances from before, had a folk group of my own and sang in rock and jazz bands. The role as a singer is schizophrenic. You can create emotions, enjoy the euphoria and still want to disappear after the performance. Because suddenly they do not mean the voice on the stage, but you. I had learned to shake off men. I did not want to hurt women. – But I swear, I’ve never „towed“ one!
Also in the band there were misunderstandings and of course jealousy. Who denies that, has no idea about making music. And there was the accusation: one does too little, the other works too much. I think because of these conflicts and because for all of us music was not the most important thing in life, the Flying Lesbians had split up. If we had been absolutely passionate musicians, especially with success in the – dominated – rock scene, we would certainly have continued. The proof is the many great women’s bands, which are now available.
There were very nice moments in the band. I remember the concentrated work in the studio. M.S. had pulled two very good technicians ashore, who supported us very fair. Female technicians in music studios, – they were even more rare then instrumentalists on stage at that time. I remember how exciting it was, late at night, with a beer in my hand, to hear the ready mixed shots.
Monika Jaeckel
Monika Jaeckel spent many years as a sociologist researching women’s and family policy topics at the Deutsches Jugendinstitut in Munich. Then she moved to Amsterdam and founded the company M & M – Coaching & Research in Social Innovation together with her wife Marieke van Geldermalsen.
Musically, she was still active in various women’s bands in Munich after the Flying Lesbians, including “Witch is Witch”, “Rhythm and Romance” and “Velvet and String”.
On 6.11.2009 Monika Jaeckel died of uterine carcinoma. She described her feelings and her development during the illness regularly in newsletters. In the days before her death, she saw a radiant light and a wide circle of people singing and dancing dreamily. She imagined she would swing over there in a sort of hammock. So it became a nice, peaceful transition.
This and further from and about Monika Jaeckel can be read here: www.monikajaeckel.com
Biographical
I only joined after the first gigs – when the tours started in the West German cities. From the beginning I was literally a Flying Lesbian. Because I lived in West Germany and came to the exercise dates of the band flown to Berlin.
anecdotal
The song “We are the homosexual women” was the result of a wet, happy evening around the campfire at an international women’s camp in southern France. Previously, we had caused a riot on the beach when we collectively reported a “grappler” to the police.
What was the most important thing at the Flying Lesbians back then?
We had messages, we had visions, we had discovered the appreciation for our own gender. We were proud of our love for women. The band and the women’s festivals offered a wonderful platform to express everything: loud, celebratory, cocky, with pleasure !! We questioned role stereotypes and touched on taboos. We built the plane while flying it.
How do you see the meaning of Flying Lesbians today?
Every movement needs its songs, its rituals, its cult. This creates identification and establishes common ground. The Flying Lesbians gave the women and lesbian movement sound and voice and transported the spirit of optimism of the early years – rebellious, cross-border, partisan, megalomaniacal. We offered women and the women’s movement an identification area to celebrate themselves.