“We have landed and are ready to “Arm the Dolls.”
Mosh pits, rainbow jockstraps, lap dances, staged overdoses, and revolutionary anthems are all par for the course at a Girl Dick show. Frontwoman Blair Broll riles up the crowd in stilettos as the band—currently consisting of drummer Philip Brand, synth player Eddie Baker, and an anonymous guitarist—shreds on stage. Blink and you might miss out—in true punk fashion, most of their gigs are word-of-mouth, and the tracklist is mostly unreleased. But that’s beginning to change. Their latest drop, “Arm the Dolls,” is an electro-tinged thrasher of a fight song, a crowd favorite at their last Pride set that also made for some viral merch. “I’ve always wanted to do a gun photoshoot with the band, so it was the perfect excuse,” says Broll. After two nonstop nights in Miami, the band called us up to debrief about husking at the gay club, working with art-world legends, and putting your whole pussy into the show.
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MEKALA RAJAGOPAL: How did the band get together?
BLAIR BROLL: I started it in 2021 after I finished college. My friend Mira [Bosch] went to Parsons with me, and she played bass in a band. It started as an excuse to see each other and do something creative. She’s in hair school, so she is too busy to do it now, but we love you Mira. I always have wanted to do a punk band because I grew up in the KC punk scene. Eddie and [GUITARIST] were our college friends and went to Columbia, and Phil joined us this year on the drums.
RAJAGOPAL: Do you want me to censor his name?
BROLL: Yes. We almost got him a balaclava on the trip to shield his identity, but it was like 98 degrees. [Laughs]
RAJAGOPAL: How did you land on the name Girl Dick?
BROLL: I wanted it to be something trannylicious and fun and maybe a bit shocking, because that’s good for punk bands.
RAJAGOPAL: How long have you been playing your instruments?
PHILIP BRAND: I’ve been playing drums since I was 12, and I’ve played in a bunch of bands. As a drummer, you’re kind of in the back, but I’ve always thought of myself as a performer. Blair, when did you become a star?
BROLL: Yeah, I don’t play an instrument. [Laughs] I think Eddie learned synth for the band. Our guitarist is an insane musician who has been playing instruments his whole life.
BRAND: Wasn’t he a young guitar champion?
BROLL: Yes. Like, an aficionado. He did competitions and stuff.
“We head to South Beach before our show and pass out flyers old-school style.”
BRAND: We went to Miami without Eddie, who plays the synth, which carries a lot of melody in the songs. We only got together once to practice, and [GUITARIST] somehow made all the synth parts work on guitar. And for the show, we bought this $100 baby blue mini guitar that comes apart. Somehow it made all these crazy sounds.
RAJAGOPAL: A toy?
BRAND: Essentially.
RAJAGOPAL: Did you go to hardcore shows growing up?
BRAND: I went to straight-edge punk parties in Rutland, Vermont where I went to college.
BROLL: In Kansas City there were a lot of punk houses where there are just way too many people living in a house and they throw shows in the basement or backyard. I started going when I was 14 or 15, and it was a bunch of college-aged kids.
RAJAGOPAL: You know how that goes.
BROLL: [Laughs]
RAJAGOPAL: Blair, you joked before that you drop a song twice a year. What are you doing when you’re not with the band?
BRAND: I work in partnerships and grant writing at PS1 in Queens, but I like staying very tapped into the music scene in New York. I’m in another band called November Girl.
BROLL: I am a casting director in the fashion industry, darling. That’s how I make my coins.
RAJAGOPAL: How do you guys make music?
BROLL: It starts with me writing lyrics or having a song idea. Then drums and guitar will start jamming, creating the structure of the verses and chorus. Then I’ll change the lyrics to fit the count and we add in the synth. On our last song, “Arm the Dolls,” I had this vision in my head of the chorus, and I was singing it to Phil and he instantly started drumming and got what I was thinking. A lot of times we’ll just go to the studio and jam freely until we hear something we like.
RAJAGOPAL: Do you have a lot of unreleased stuff in the vault?
BROLL: Yeah, because we’ve only put out two songs. [Laughs] We want to change that though. I have so many different recordings on my phone, and probably 10 proper finished songs that are in rotation for shows.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s been your tracklist for the Miami shows?
BROLL: We did “Arm the Dolls,” “You’re Not My Guy, “ “Techno Pussy,” “ Gundled,” and our guitarist did a little intermission solo moment. Then we did “Girl Dick.”
“Pit stop at Twist. I wish Mel was here.”
RAJAGOPAL: How would you describe the sound overall?
BRAND: Raw, quick, energetic, no wasted space. There’s no cute little jam to begin the song. Every single second is packed to keep people hyper-engaged. There’s flexibility to let Blair be a punk freak and spin around and fall on the floor. Blair does such a good job with crowd work. She’ll often come up with an intro on the spot.
EDDIE BAKER: People sometimes say that we sound like the B-52s, but a little more punk. There’s that same sense of theatrics.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s the story behind the song “Arm the Dolls”?
BROLL: I’ve always wanted to do a song about guns and a few months ago I had the chorus of “Arm the Dolls” in my head. I wanted to make a battle song, especially with what’s happening in our country. It’s easy to feel discouraged when it feels like our government is being oppressive, and it’s good for people to still feel powerful and like they can stand up for themselves.
RAJAGOPAL: And it made good merch.
BROLL: Yes. It’s really fun to think about the visuals. I’ve always wanted to do a gun photoshoot with the band, so it was the perfect excuse.
RAJAGOPAL: Take me through the recent shows.
BROLL: The first one was at Kill Your Idol in Miami Beach, a really iconic rock venue, and the second one was in this rock bar in Lake Worth.
BRAND: [Kill Your Idol] was a tiny four-foot wide and long stage.
BROLL: It was really hard to play on.
BRAND: Blair was knocking little [GUITARIST] over.
BRAND: Then, while he did the intermission, Blair ran off the stage and ran back. Did you change your outfit?
BROLL: I stripped down to a bikini.
BRAND: Is that when that guy started twirling you around?
BROLL: That was the end of the show. I was falling off the stage and he caught me and then spun me around vigorously. The guys in the crowd were all lifting me up and throwing me around.
“Went to Mac’s Club Deuce, and this queen greets us and tells us he has sucked more dick there than anyone else. Pyramid Sheriod.”
RAJAGOPAL: How do you pick an outfit?
BROLL: I always wear tall heels. It’s the staple to my look. Then, anything sexy. I feel like you boys often wear tanks and jeans, right?
BAKER: Well, I like to wear my rainbow jockstrap and pride socks.
BROLL: Sometimes we’ll do a theme. We’ve done military outfits, we’ve done cheerleaders. At Twinks vs Dolls, we were given wrestling singlets by Sniffies, but we wanted to make them more of a joke, so Phil wore a really bad wig and put lipstick on. We were like, “We’re not going to do free sexy advertising. We have to make it a little campy.”
BRAND: Eddie, I got you a present. It’s a little LGBT fanny pack.
BAKER: Great. Adding to my collection of Pride merch. I’m just so proud.
RAJAGOPAL: How was the crowd?
BROLL: People were really close together, which was good. If people are ever awkwardly standing around I’m like, “Everyone come to the front and let’s get this going.”
BAKER: Yeah, I remember during Twinks vs Dolls—
BROLL: Oh my god, yeah.
BAKER: There were these barricades separating the crowd from the wrestling ring and Blair was like, “Jump the fucking barricades. I want to see everybody up at the front.” And it was this mad dash of people doing gymnastics over the barricades and storming the wrestling ring.
RAJAGOPAL: You guys have played Twinks vs Dolls a couple of times, right?
BAKER: Yeah, we did the National Anthem and the halftime show.
BROLL: It’s the Girl Dick version.
BAKER: We intentionally butchered it. Because it was Pride, we did a cover of “Born This Way” by Lady Gaga and then transitioned to the National Anthem. Twinks vs Dolls matches our energy very well. It’s really ratchet and kind of sloppy.
RAJAGOPAL: I’ve never been.
BROLL: Next time, come through.
RAJAGOPAL: Only if you’re playing.
BAKER: We’ll work our magic.
“Performed in 8-inch heels and a Miami Vice colored bikini.”
RAJAGOPAL: Who are your influences?
BAKER: Definitely Plasmatics. Wendy O. Williams is a huge inspiration to me and Blair. You emulate her a little bit when you perform. That’s mother.
BROLL: That’s my favorite performer of all time.
BAKER: We also love Kembra Pfahler.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s your relationship with her?
BAKER: She’s like our actual mother. She’s definitely helped me find my voice as a performer. She knows spectacle. She makes amazing punk music but pushes it into the realm of performance art, which is something that we’re also trying to do.
BAKER: Blair and I have both known her for a couple of years and she’s helped us so much materially. She’s also just not afraid to get nasty and sloppy. I love shock value. I love freaking people out a little bit and almost scaring people. During our shows, a mosh pit almost always forms because people are playing off of this aggressive, macho energy, which is fun as a band comprised of dolls and faggots.
BROLL: What did you call me?
BAKER: Oh, you know what you are. [Laughs]
RAJAGOPAL: How do you get warmed up before a show?
BAKER: A couple beers.
BROLL: I like shots of whiskey. And I write in a notebook. We have one song where I rip pages out of a notebook out and throw it in the crowd, so if we’re doing that, I have to get that ready.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s on the pages?
BROLL: This song came from a performance piece I did in college where I screamed a bunch of really unhinged things that men have said to me over a scary track. So we basically just jam really hard and the synth is really spooky, and I go into the crowd and rip the pages out as I read them. At the end, I get people to scream on the mic, which is fun.
“The crowd was crazy. They literally were throwing me around like I was a ragdoll.”
RAJAGOPAL: What’s your favorite stunt to pull on stage?
BAKER: I like to dance. I’m really good at dancing. I always do—how would you describe it, Blair?
BROLL: It’s like a toddler shuffle.
BAKER: Yeah, like a slightly challenged little boy doing a funky little dance. We performed a new song called “Gundled” at Twinks vs Dolls, and there’s a smooth jazz outro. During that I pretended to G out on stage. I was thrashing around and frothing at the mouth and seizing.
BROLL: Oh my god. My favorite thing is always getting a little more naked and making people in the crowd scream. At Twinks vs Dolls, I brought my friend Dylan up and threw him on the floor and was jumping in the splits on top of him. Anything to be ridiculous.
BAKER: I feel like one of your go-tos is getting in the crowd and shoving people a little and getting the mosh going.
BROLL: Yeah.
BRAND: For me, it’s a little different because I’m seated and need to be a metronome. I like to just play as expressively as possible.
BAKER: Yeah, I feel like you really put your whole pussy into it, Phil. I think it’s sexy. The drummer is always the hottest member.
RAJAGOPAL: I was about to say that. The drummer is kind of the main character of the band.
BAKER: Always. It’s because it’s so physical. You have to be fit and they’re often so ripped because you use your entire body. We think you’re cute, Phil.
BRAND: What?
BAKER: We think you’re cute.
RAJAGOPAL: What was the energy like in Miami?
BROLL: We were nervous because we don’t know the scene in Miami, like, “What if no one comes?” But they had a great music community. Everyone was really friendly and funny and chatty, and then when we played they really gave us good energy and moshing.
“Cigs inside. Yes, cigs inside.”
BRAND: The crowd seemed genuinely devoted to the scene in Miami. It was super refreshing because a lot of times punk aesthetics are used for clout, but the people there were very real. In New York, people won’t let you even borrow their cymbals. It’s all political. This awesome dude drove two hours to bring me a drum set and help me set it up.
RAJAGOPAL: That’s so sweet.
BRAND: Another fun part of the Miami show was trying to sell tickets ahead of time. Blair was wearing flip-flops so she couldn’t get into Twist, which is the big gay club. So Blair husked outside and I worked my way in the bar inside. Eventually they told us we were being too loud and couldn’t promote more in Twist, so we went to Max Club Deuce where we met a bunch of interesting characters, like this group of gays from New Orleans who ended up coming to the show, and this really old iconic queen who kept talking about being the queen of Max Club Deuce.
BROLL: There were a good amount of people from outside who came. We were working those streets, honey.
RAJAGOPAL: What did you do on your day off?
BRAND: We just went to the beach and had some piña coladas. Then we went to this block party in downtown Miami. This club that’s like Bossa Nova in New York, called Over Under, was having its anniversary. They were drinking in the street and there was a mechanical bull shark, so of course, Blair got on the shark and was fighting for her life with her butt up in the air. The guy went really hard on her to try to knock her off.
RAJAGOPAL: They always go hard on a hot girl.
BROLL: They threw me really hard. And then we were hanging out with Phil’s hot gay friend Carlos and we went to a gay bar in Wynwood. And then we went to a techno night. What was that? I don’t even know.
BRAND: It was in a Chinese restaurant.
BROLL: By then I was drunk and making out with people.
RAJAGOPAL: Okay, rapid fire. Who’s someone dead or alive that you would love to play alongside?
BROLL: Wendy O. Williams, Plasmatics. Suicidal Tendencies. Beyoncé.
BAKER: Nina Hogan. Gina X performance.
BAKER: For sure. I love Eurotrash.
“The Miami gays fashion, darling.”
BROLL: Oh, we’re obsessed with that Polish group.
BAKER: RockangelZ. Bella Ćwir is an icon. Also, Maria in Bassvictim.
RAJAGOPAL: Crowd surf or stage dive?
BAKER: Don’t you stage dive into a crowd surf?
RAJAGOPAL: I feel like a stage dive is less about what’s going to happen next.
BAKER: It’s more kamikaze.
BROLL: I’m going to say stage dive, because my worst nightmare is to be the bitch who crowd surfs and they drop to the floor. I do not trust these hoes to carry me.
RAJAGOPAL: Choreographed or improvised?
BROLL: Improvised, always.
BAKER: Blair can really command a crowd. She’s just pulling it out of her ass.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s your dream venue?
BAKER: A bunker in Fort Tilden.
RAJAGOPAL: I know the one.
BROLL: When we played in a basement in Kansas City, that was one of my favorite shows ever. In the woods would be crazy. In Kansas City, the punks used to throw river shows and bring shit into the river.
BAKER: I’m from San Francisco and there’s this thing called Sutro Baths, which is the ruins of this old bathhouse on the beach. There’s a haunted cave on the cliffside next to the bathhouse ruins and people did punk shows there. The cave would just shake and it felt like it was going to collapse.
“On our night off I somehow ended up at a block party on a mechanical shark.”
RAJAGOPAL: Who’s the most likely to get a black eye at a show?
BRAND: 3, 2, 1.
BRAND: Blair.
BROLL: Me or Eddie.
BAKER: I got a concussion at one of our shows once. The one in Kansas City. Do you remember that?
BROLL: Oh my god. Yeah, we hit each other on stage.
RAJAGOPAL: Who’s the most likely to hook up with a fan?
BAKER: Blair.
BROLL: Also me.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s your tip for kids who want to start a band?
BRAND: Just have fun and don’t take yourself so seriously. It’s like being in a relationship. The vibes are very important.
BAKER: Just fucking do it. Even if it sounds like shit.
BROLL: Be connected to the music community in your city.
RAJAGOPAL: What’s next for Girl Dick?
BROLL: We want to get back to doing more shows in New York and then we are going to do maybe a five song EP this fall. We really want to do an EU tour next summer.
BAKER: Maybe even sooner. It’s always been my dream.
BROLL: Another music video would be fun. I also have been wanting to do Girl Dick the zine really bad.
RAJAGOPAL: I love it. I think we said it all. Talk soon.
BROLL: Thank you.
“Blood Orchid, a sexy Miami local musician.”
