Las Vulpes: Me gusta ser una zorra (I like being a whore) 1 Favorite 

Las Vulpes was the first spanish punk rock band formed only by women. It was founded in Baracaldo (Vizcaya, Basque Country) in the summer of 1982, as a result of the guitarist´s desire on creating an all women punk band. After a few changes, the final formation consisted on: Loles Vázquez (guitar), Mamen Rodrigo (voice), Begoña Astigarraga (bass) and Lupe Vázquez (drums), all between 17 and 22 years of age.

Their musical influences are diverse, and range from Bruce Springteen to the Sex Pistols, and in their first concerts they played covers of songs by The Ramones and other punk rock bands. However, their most famous song was (and is) Me gusta ser una zorra (I like being a whore), in which they challenged traditional ideas about monogamy, romantic love and female sexuality.

These are the lyrics of that song:

Si tú me vienes hablando de amor
Qué dura es la vida, cual caballo me guía
Permíteme que te dé mi opinión
Mira, imbécil, que te den por culo
Me gusta ser una zorra (x3)
Ayayayayayayayay cabrón!
Prefiero masturbarme yo sola en la cama
Antes que acostarme con quien me hable del mañana
Prefiero joder con ejecutivos
Que te dan la pasta y luego pasa al olvido
Me gusta ser una zorra (x3)
Ayayayayayayayay cabrón!
Dejando ahora mi profesión (¡zorra!)
Te pido un deseo de todo corazón
Quiero meter un pico en la polla
A un cerdo carroza llamado Lou Reed
Me gusta ser una zorra (x3)

And the English translation

If you come to talk to me about love
Life is hard, rides me like a horse
Please, let me give you my opinion
Look, asshole, fuck off
I rather masturbate in my bed, by myself
Than sleeping with someone that wants to talk about tomorrow
I prefer fucking executives
They give you the money and you can forget
I like being a whore (x3)
Ayayayayayayayay cabrón!
Leaving aside my profession for now (whore!)
I’ll ask you for something I want deep in my heart
I want to give a peck on the dick
Of an old pig called Lou Reed
I like being a whore (x3)

The scandal took place in the spring of 1983. By that time, Spain had just become a democracy after thirty six years of dictatorship, and the Spanish youth longed for freedom, excitement, transgression and fun. Although the epicenter of this cultural revolution was Madrid, which resulted in a movement commonly called Movida Madrileña, music and art flourished in every corner of the country. However, traditional values were still strongly protected by many institutions, as the controversy around Las Vulpes made clear.

The Vulpes appeared on TVE (the Spanish public television), on the TV music program “Caja de Ritmos” (“Rhythm box”), created and directed by the journalist Carlos Tena, in the morning of April 16th, 1983. The provocative lyrics, combined with the band’s punk aesthetics, unleashed a scandal. It only got worse, when, ten days later, the conservative journal ABC published an editorial in which they demanded TVE directorate to take action against the program and its promoters. Other conservative organizations and parties jumped in the controversy, like the Partido Demócrata Popular (Popular Democratic Party), a Christian right-wing party that later on would join the Partido Popular (Popular Party).

After a few weeks of backlash, the General Attorney decided to press charges against the program for public scandal. The trial wasn’t dismissed until three years later. By then, Carlos Tena had resigned, and Caja de Ritmos had been removed from the TVE schedule. Both the journalist and the band were appalled by that burst of censorship, and made declarations reclaiming their freedom of speech.

The band’s first album Me gusta ser una zorra / Inkisición (I like being a whore / Inkisition) sold more than 12.000 copies during the first weeks after its release, even when the distribution was very rudimentary. But the reaction had already acquired grotesque proportions, and the band kept receiving backlash. After one of their concerts they were beaten up by the security guards, who turned out to be policemen, extreme-right organizations chartered buses to boycott their performances, they were accused of being drug dealers.

A few months later, they split. They started playing for other bands, and engaging in other projects. Lupe Vázquez, the drummer, died in 1993. In 2005 the band paid her homage with one last concert and with the release of the album Me gusta ser (I like being).