As Hard Rock Daddy approaches its 5-year anniversary, one of the main goals for 2018 was to have female representation on the site. For various reasons, other attempts to make this happen over the past year or so have not come to fruition. As the saying goes…“timing is everything.”
On the heels of 2017, which saw the empowerment of women in a way that we’ve never seen in America with the #MeToo movement, the timing was right to add the female perspective to the site.
As the Publisher/Editor of Hard Rock Daddy, I am thrilled to announce Heather Pribble (aka the “Green Eyed Goddess”) as the newest contributor to the site. Her story is powerful, as is her desire to give our readers something new, different, and meaningful.
In her own words…
Who is the Green Eyed Goddess?
A metalhead since the age of 14, when I first heard Black Sabbath’s “Heaven And Hell.” Ever since I was a child, I have lived on music as if it was air. I am a mother who has raised a daughter on hard rock and metal, even though my introduction to music at a young age was to country music. Most notably, Dolly Parton, who remains a mentor to this day.
As a kid, my granny would take me to Tennessee every summer with her. We always got season tickets to Dollywood. I was 11 when I first entered Dollywood. From that day on, I knew that I would make a change in the world through music.
Though I could dance and lip sync with the best of them, I realized (when I tried guitar) that I wasn’t meant to be a performer. Still, rock and metal helps to define who I am.
In my youth, I could not get enough of the music that has been like a best friend to me. After being hooked by the lyrics, the guitar riffs, the pounding drums, and aggressive sound of Black Sabbath, I began to buy any album or cassette that I could get my hands on.
My hair was big, and my color was black. I would stay in my room all day listening to the music that acted as my voice to anyone who had hurt me. It comforted me when no one else would…my happy place (if you will). In a way, rock and metal music was the sibling that I never had, and then some. For many years, it has been my medicine and therapy all rolled into one.
I am a survivor of sexual abuse as a child/adult, and it has been a struggle to get to where I am today. Truth be told, it is a daily fight. However, being a survivor of sexual abuse is NOT who I am, and for those who have experienced something similar, it is NOT who you are either.
Many women who grew up in the “hush” era suffer with depression, PTSD, and anxiety. Thankfully, with the #MeToo movement, that era is over. For me to move forward, I had to take the power away from my past and live in the moment. Being asked to do this column on Hard Rock Daddy couldn’t have come at a better time.
After hearing Oprah Winfrey’s “Time’s Up” speech this week, I wanted to do my part in 2018 to make a difference in how women feel about themselves. I wondered how I could empower women using music…the most intimate, life-changing, powerful art that I know.
It didn’t take long for the universe to promptly open up a door to do just that. When I was asked by Adam Waldman (Publisher/Editor of Hard Rock Daddy) to be the first female columnist on the site, I was both honored and humbled.
Each week on the Green Eyed Goddess column, I will shine a spotlight on the empowering women of rock and metal. Knowing quite a few strong, empowering women in the genre, I’m excited to hit the ground running. This column is meant to empower other women. We must leave a different legacy for the younger generation of females than the one that came before them.
I will be setting up interviews, reviewing new album releases and concerts, and so much more as this column grows. All of this in the name of rock and metal goddesses the world over.
I want to thank Adam Waldman for reaching out to me and asking me to be the first female columnist on Hard Rock Daddy. I am looking forward to bringing something new to the table for Hard Rock Daddy readers around the world.
Rock On,
Heather Pribble
“Green Eyed Goddess”
Green Eyed Goddess See more