UPDATED: Check It Out - Mika Miko And Jessica Hopper At The Santa Monica Public Library

Try this one on for size, Brooklyn.

We were told growing up that you’re supposed to be quiet at the library. But there was anything but silence Wednesday afternoon in Santa Monica, where the high volume of punk-rock met volumes of literature and Marshall stacks collided with stacks of books.

Actually, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that a lot of the things you’re taught growing up aren’t really worth paying attention to. That was one of the central tenets propagated by hugely influential punk-rock figure Jessica Hopper - rocker, publicist, writer, “This American Life” music consultant and, now, author - as she read from her new tome, “The Girls’ Guide to Rocking.”

Don’t listen to what the boys tell you. Especially if they’re “bud-ding” guitarists obsessed with technique, memorizing “Stairway,” etc. Just because they might be able to play better than you doesn’t mean they’re more worthy of being in a band. Screw the system. And while we’re at it, don’t even bother playing clubs if you can rock out at more unlikely venues that are community-oriented.

Those are some of the lessons Hopper imparts to her impressionable audience in the inspirational and instructional book - or so we gathered from the selections she read.

Image by Kristina Campbell

The crowd certainly didn’t consist only of young females - the motley crew included some kids, but also clueless elderly passers-by, middle-age locals looking for something fun and free, and even a guy who looked like the kind of bud Hopper spoke against (a thin long-haired guy in a Metallica tee).

Despite the miscellaneous collection of people, Hopper spoke as if she were addressing the audience that she wanted, not necessarily the one that was there. She read portions of her book that are written in simple, colloquial terms (”BFF,” “super fun”) - clearly tailored for a youth readership.

And while a good chunk of the crowd didn’t seem to know what the hell was going on - after all, it’s not every day you go to check out a book and stumble onto a punk-rock rally - Hopper was warmly received by the 50 or so people there.

After she had her fill of the pedestal - and sunshine - Hopper was succeeded by L.A.’s own punk-rockers-with-a-smile, Mika Miko. The choice couldn’t have been more fitting. Not only was the band a featured subject in Hopper’s definitive history of the Smell, which was published in the LA Weekly earlier this year, but MM basically embody the message of Hopper’s book.

Image by Kristina Campbell

Four-fifths female, not terribly great at playing their instruments, not terribly interested in their appearance and punk-rock to the bone, Mika Miko showed just how effortless it is to be in a band. You don’t have to worry about everything going right - there were a few technical issues, which were a given - or winning over new fans or grabbing the ear of someone who might potentially further your career. All you have to do is play with heart, express yourself - and have fun.

And Mika Miko clearly did just that as they bounded through a dozen or so songs. Their no-frills, three-power-chord approach brought smiles to the faces of not just those who had come to see them but also to those who clearly had not: Perhaps the wizened ones in the crowd were reminded of the days of yore, when the Ramones and Stooges embraced the same spirit. Either way, it was refreshing to see Mika Miko applauded by people you would assume had instructed their kids to “turn down that racket.”

And that applause was not just a vote of support for MM but also for the feminist message Hopper espoused: Why not be in a band? And why not play at a library?

UPDATE: Thanks to Robert Graves, who hosted the event and must be one of the hippest librarians ever, we have a quick video of Mika Miko’s performance:

Two more Mika Miko videos are below. Stunner: That wasn’t the first time they had performed at a library:

PS: Big ups to Kristina Campbell for the pics. Heed her awesome work over at her Web site.