I don’t want to change the way I write my songs, I like the way I write my songs, so I keep ’em the same. I’d like to write more country songs, but other than that, I’m pretty good where I am. ~ Exene Cervenka
Exene Cervenka (nee Christene Lee Cervenka) (b. 2/1/56) is an American singer, artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the California punk rock band X.
The 21-year-old Cervenka met 23-year-old musician John Doe at a poetry workshop at the Beyond Baroque Foundation in Venice, California. Cervenka started working there.
Billy Zoom (guitar) and John Doe (bass and vocals) founded X in 1977, with D.J. Bonebrake coming aboard as drummer. Doe asked Cervenka to join soon after as a co-lead vocalist, and the duo were also the band’s primary songwriters. They released their debut album, Los Angeles, in 1980 and, over the next six years, five more albums.
Early Life:
Exene was born in Chicago, IL, to Louis Charles Cervenka and Margaret Gertrude Cervenka. She is the second of the four daughters of her parents. Her sister, Mirielle, was an actor (b. 8/26/53 – d. 4/12/80.)
She spent most of her early years in Tallahassee, Florida, and then moved to Santa Monica, California, in 1976.
Discography:
With X:
Albums = 13
Singles, soundtracks, compilations = 5
With The Knitters:
Albums = 2
Solo:
Albums = 6
Bands: (?)
Albums = 3
Other = 4
Additional Musical Contributions = 11
Filmography:
In 1999, as Exene Červenková, she appeared in the cult video Decoupage 2000: Return of the Goddess, along with guests Karen Black and the band L7. She gave a reading of her poem “They Must Be Angels,” and appeared in an interview skit with Decoupage 2000 hostess Summer Caprice.
Videos = 4
Works or Publications = 18
Art Exhibitions:
Solo = 4
Two-Person = 1
Group = 12
Some things to share:
In 1982, Cervenka published Adulterers Anonymous, her first in a series of four books in collaboration with artist Lydia Lunch. She and Lunch also released a spoken word album, Rude Hieroglyphics, in 1996 and toured in support of the project.
From 1996 to 1999, John Roecker and Cervenka co-owned the Los Angeles store “You’ve Got Bad Taste.” The store specialized in kitsch and various “off-color” novelties.
Cervenka was married to John Doe from 1980 to 1985.
She met her second husband Viggo Mortensen in 1986 on the set of the comedy Salvation!, a parody of televangelism. Mortensen played her husband Jerome. They married on July 8, 1987. On January 28, 1988, Cervenka gave birth to a son, Henry Blake Mortensen. Mortensen and Cervenka lived in Idaho for three years. They separated in 1992, and were divorced in 1997.
Cervenka married musician Jason Edge, who went on to play in her band Original Sinners. Edge and Cervenka are now divorced.
Official website: wikipedia official website link NO GOOD, bad link
For Exene’s art website, here (not much at the site, but a few drawings)For X, the band, here
Sources: wikipedia, thefamouspeople.com, YouTube
Here we are, at the end of another Women Music March. It has been my pleasure to share bits of information about these very talented female musical artists, and I hope you have enjoyed learning some about them and listening to their creative output. Over the five years of doing this it has amazed me how many female artists are out there. If you have any suggestions for future posts, especially international (outside of the United States) female artists, please leave your suggestions in the comments. If I haven’t covered them already and they aren’t already in my lists for future years, I will add them.
Women Music March 2024 covered the following artists:
1Lilli Lewi
2Natalie Merchant
3Rickie Lee Jones
4Gillian Welch
5Adele
6St. Vincent
7Cindy Blackman (Christian was Featured Guest Writer)
8Ronnie Spector
9Beyonce
10Sandy Denny
11Hildegard von Bingen
12Dusty Springfield
13Gladys Knight
14Iris DeMent
15 Bessie Smith (Max Gower was Featured Guest Writer)
16The Pointer Sisters
17Sweet Honey in the Rock
18Cyndi Lauper
19 K.Flay
20Bettye LaVette
21Roberta Flack
22Elise Trouw
23Malvina Reynolds
24Irma Thomas
25Beth Orton
26”Mama” Cass Elliot
27Regina Spektor
28Tracy Nelson
29Maria Muldaur
30Ronnie Gilbert
31Exene Cervenka
A list of previous years’ (2020 – 2023) Women Music March posts – with links! — can be found here.
Tao Talk 
There were eight new names to me in your March list. So I’ve definitely learned something.
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Glyn, that makes me smile. Sharing good music is a mission, isn’t it :)
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I’ve heard of X but knew nothing about them. Quite an interesting journey she has had! That was a stellar month Lisa, several new names for everyone do doubt and a reminder of the wealth of talent from women in music.
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Randy cool you knew of the X group. Thank you for listening along, appreciating the wealth. Also thank you for honoring so many female musicians in your posts all year long.
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I had done some research on the female side of the Punk scene in California, well LA mostly so I remembered X and Exene. Didn’t know she and John Doe were married he’s a punk pioneer from the LA scene as well. You are welcome and I guess it’s up to us and those of like mind to get the word out. Some great, as Exene might say F’ing music!
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:) Randy, I was surprised that she and Viggo were married. I looked at some of the clips I’ve linked in there and they were not good, but they are a piece of history.
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Oh yes that on caught me off guard as well, I thought Viggo? A piece of history, exactly.
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While I had heard of X, the name Exene Cervenka was new to me. The X song you featured sounds very different from “Already In Love.” That said, I like both.
Once again, it’s been a fun and insightful series of blog posts. And, yes, if it illustrates one thing it is there are many great female music artists out there. While overall I feel the industry has made some progress, female artists oftentimes still face more hurdles than their male counterparts, and lack of talent certainly isn’t the root cause!
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Yes on the two songs, both extremes. So funny she went from punk rock to preferring country. As an eclectic listener, I like just about all genres as there are good tunes to be found in all of them in some way or another.
Christian, thank you and appreciate your listening all month. Also on your guest writing!
Well-said on the challenges for talented musicians of either gender to rise above the masses of new music to be seen and heard.
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I’ve been listening to Exene for a long time. Her and John were such a part of my listening.
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I love their bad attitudes, both lyrically and musically. Would like to listen to more of their music from their X years.
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Check out the Knitters if you get a chance Lisa.
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I see it is John Doe, Exene, and Dave Alvin, album produced by Billy Zoom. Am listening to the “Poor Little Critter on the Road” album right now. Love the twang and the lightheartedness of it.
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I ate that stuff up when it first came out. Max and I were talking about the different places artists we like take their creativity. Case in point with the Knitters and where they all came from. Yes on the “twang” and “lightheartedness”
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Just finished listening to it twice while I was cutting out images for a collage piece I’m working on. So easy on the ears.
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I only know her from X–quite a life! She has lived it to the fullest. John Doe has done some good solo work too. (K)
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I was just listening to another group those two are in: The Knitters. Country lite and real good.
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I’ll have to check it out also.
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And thanks for another great month of music.
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You’re welcome and my pleasure, Kerfe. I know you gave me some of the musicians’ names I covered this month. Thank you <3
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i just found out about her a month or so ago when I did a post on X….Had a great time Lisa…thanks for the posts…looking forward to next year.
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Cool, and my pleasure.
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Haven’t heard of this one, but she appears to be a strange mixture of Andy Warhol and Susan Boyle. Folks love trippy musicians and songwriters, or we wouldn’t have had the 80s. Where in the world do you find these musicians and singers? You are a musical private eye.
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Good description of Exene. She has a C&W band with John Doe now. Not sure where her name popped up along the way, but I’m glad it did.
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I really enjoyed reading this feature all this month, Lisa…learning (and learning more!) about all of these wonderful musicians!
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So happy to hear it, Bruce, thanks much :)
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