Perfect Pussy’s Meredith Graves gave a spoken word performance at Basilica Soundscape this past weekend and read an essay she wrote, which has now been published in full on The Talkhouse. It addresses the idea of authenticity as it relates to musical acts like Andrew W.K. and Lana Del Rey and, more specifically, how a double standard exists in the way that women are expected to react to and consume music, and how all of these notions are perpetuated through the music industry. “The cult of personality surrounding artists exists because of an unfeeling world that loves nothing more than breaking sensitive, talented people,” Graves concludes. “The oppressive systems that surround us have forced us to assume personas like castles have moats — they can’t protect you forever but they might work for a little while to keep the bad guys from coming in. That’s not safe or good for human hearts, regardless of their respective privileges in regard to class or gender.” Read the full piece here.