Three decades of distance give Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney a new kind of sisterhood

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Set us as preferred For more than three decades, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney existed in parallel without ever quite meeting.They admired one another from afar, brushed shoulders only in passing, and, in some ways, represented opposing ways of challenging the limits placed on women in indie rock.

Phair, who found novel and peerlessly smart ways to write about heterosexual skirmishes, used her ambitions to edge closer to the mainstream; Sleater-Kinney, one of the great duos of American rock, have succeeded in becoming the last band standing from the underground scene in which they emerged.Both acts are about to share the stage for the first time, co-headlining a tour they’ve cheekily and earnestly named the Flannel and the Fury, with stops across the country, from El Cajon, Calif., to Ocean City, Md., and a night at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on Tuesday.Yet, despite having spent more than 30 years orbiting the same world, they have had surprisingly little time together.This interview is one of a few substantial conversations they’ve ever had.

It is, at first, slightly stilted.Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) are in sync as always; Phair is clearly excited, but seemingly unsure of where to place herself in the dynamic.

Now all in their 50s, the women have been asking similar questions of the same culture, and are only now getting the chance to compare answers.“Sorry, I know you’re like, ‘Why aren’t you better friends?’ For me, that’s the point.I’m trying to be better friends,” says Brownstein.

“Yeah, talk to us again when tour’s over,” Tucker adds.Brownstein is sitting in a parking lot in Los Angeles, wearing a cardigan and glasses, people walking past her window, unaware of who’s inside.Tucker calls from her home, a blurred background behind her, wearing a white blouse and li...