Author: Urban Bolta
Location: Sölvesborg / Sweden
Interview date: 07.06.2011
Joan Jett is a fascinating artist whom the wider music world knows thanks to the mega-hit “I Love Rock N’ Roll”, even though she’s so much more than that. She started out as a founding member of The Runaways, the first successful all-female rock band, before launching her solo career in the late seventies, which is still going strong today. In her style she mixes alluring feminine attributes with elements of punk rock and hard rock, which clearly marks her on the music map as a one-of-a-kind phenomenon.
On the opening day of Sweden Rock Festival, Joan Jett and her band The Blackhearts (you can read the report on their show here) held a press conference, packing a tent in the middle of the press area with a big crowd of journalists. Rockline was part of this relaxed half-hour hangout, too!
Press: Last year saw the release of “The Runaways”, a biopic about your band from the seventies. How happy are you with it, and were you part of the process of making the film?
Joan Jett: Yes, I was part of the creative process of making the film. You have to understand that far more people are involved in making a movie than, say, an album, where there’s just one boss at the top. Both Kenny Laguna and I were co-producers of the film. All the ex-Runaways girls were involved, Cherie Currie, me.. well, unfortunately Sandy passed away, so she obviously wasn’t there. We all had meetings with the director where we talked about our memories and what we wanted to show the audience through the film. I think the actors did a great job. Kristen Stewart was excellent, she really got into my skin. I felt that way while the film was being made, and my family and the friends who grew up with me said the same once it came out. The body language, the way I move, Kristen nailed all of it. The film captures the character, the work and the vibe of The Runaways well, so I think it was a successful mission.
Press: Cherie Currie is working on a new solo album right now. I’m wondering, is there any chance of a Runaways comeback?
Joan: Personally, I think that’s impossible because of Sandy’s death. She and I built the band together, and I can’t imagine bringing in another drummer now, it wouldn’t be the same. The Runaways were what we were when we were, and let’s leave it at that.
Press: The film features the characters of Lita Ford, Cherie Currie and Joan Jett, while for the bass player you created a fictional character, Robin Robins. Why?
Kenny Laguna (longtime manager): We wanted to include Jackie Fox and all the other girls in the film, but the problem with the Runaways was that quite a few bass players came and went during their career. Jackie was really keen on getting involved at first, but the negotiations with the producers dragged on, so one day Jackie wrote a letter saying she was pulling out of the project. Then, a week before shooting, she contacted the producers and gave them permission to use her name, but they flat-out turned her down. You can’t joke around with Hollywood producers. So they decided to create a fictional character who would represent all the bass players: Peggy Foster, Laurie McAllister, Victory Tischler-Blue.. The fictional character Robin wasn’t our decision. Both Joan and Cherie asked them to use the name Jackie Fox, but they already had the made-up Robin written into the script, so they wouldn’t agree.
Joan: We wanted to include absolutely everyone, but Jackie decided what she decided, and I can’t and shouldn’t argue with that.
Press: How’s the tour going now that the film is behind you?
Joan: I think more people are aware of that part of my career now. People who may have only heard about the Runaways are showing more interest in the band, like the many teenagers who are the same age we were back when we were playing. I think the film spoke to a lot of viewers. At my shows there are lots of girls in the crowd, lots of guitar players who jam in their own bands, which is really exciting for me. And of course, everyone at the shows recognizes the Runaways songs I play.
Press: Is it true that in the male-dominated world of rock’n’roll you were branded a “slut”, and can you point out the good and bad sides of having a reputation like that?
Joan: Yes, I was a slut, a bitch, a streetwalker.. call me whatever you like. Of course that gets to you and weighs on you the whole time. You just want to play music, you’re not doing anything bad or wrong. People weren’t ready for me, and nicknames like that are just proof I was doing something right. I got under people’s skin and made them think, which is the whole point of rock’n’roll. (spontaneous, enthusiastic applause from the journalists present)
Press: The next question is for the rest of the band. What’s it like working with Joan Jett, especially given all the myths and legends surrounding her career?
Dougie Needless (guitarist): Making a living from music is a wonderful thing, and working with Joan is great because she doesn’t act like some stuck-up boss. I don’t want to be part of any other band. Joan is fun, and being part of this crew is the best thing in the world.
Thommy Price (drummer): Joan and I have been working together for so long that she’s more than just a friend to me, more than a sister. Me, Joan and the crew are like a family. I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s the best guitarist in the world, and believe me, I’ve played with plenty of great guitarists.
Kenny: Thommy knows what he’s talking about. Thommy recorded all of Billy Idol’s hits with him, he played in the band Scandal with Patty Smyth, and as a studio musician he’s recorded a ton of big radio hits, over fifty of them. So believe me, Thommy knows what he’s talking about.
Press: You recently released a greatest hits album. When can we expect a new studio album?
Joan: We’ve already got a few things ready, so we’ll be heading into the studio toward the end of the summer. But we’re not thinking about an album, we’ll probably put out an EP with a few songs.
Press: I’m curious how you came up with the second part of your name, “Jett”. Originally you were Larkin, and then you became Joett? Where did that come from?
Joan: As a teenager I spent a lot of time in a club that played the glam rock of the day, David Bowie, Gary Glitter… lots of musicians were already changing their names back then. When I started becoming a musician myself, part of a band, my last name didn’t have any charge to it, so I started thinking about a nickname that would give my name a bit more class. I’m not sure I’d ever seen the word Jett written anywhere. I added an extra T to the word “jet”, and the coinage Jett came out sounding fantastic. Joan Jett! Cool!
Press: You’ve guested on the albums of many musicians. Is there any collaboration you’re especially proud of?
Joan: (long pause for thought..)
Thommy: Yes, she’s thinking of the guest spot on my solo album. (laughter from everyone present)
Joan: I’m really proud of working with Bikini Kill… Right after Thommy, of course. (laughter)
Press: Is rock’n’roll less debauched and wild today than it used to be, and are you less wild than you used to be?
Joan: It depends which bands we’re talking about, but generally speaking, yes, rock’n’roll has become a lot more “polished” than it was. The words “rock”, “rock’n’roll”, “rock star” used to be powerful, they really meant something, they radiated something, but today the meaning of those words has been devalued. Personally, though, I don’t sweat it. As for me, let’s say I don’t party around as much as I used to, but that doesn’t mean I’m not who I was. If anything, it’s the opposite, today I represent Joan Jett even more firmly, because I firmly believe in what I do.
Press: You’re something of a pioneer in women’s rock’n’roll. Is there any woman in the world of rock today, or in music more broadly, you can identify with, or one you’d say has followed your inspiration?
Joan: Hm.. Bikini Kill, whom I mentioned earlier, started a real revolution in women’s rock…
Kenny: And Miley Cyrus, who regularly played a medley of Joan Jett hits. At first we were pretty taken aback. Then we met her and saw she’s a wonderful person. She’ll definitely be around in the music world for a long time. It’s incredible that such a successful musician plays Joan Jett songs alongside her own hits.
Joan: Yeah, that’s really cool. I thought about it myself, too. When she called me about performing together, we talked for a long time, and that’s when I realized she truly loves music and rock’n’roll too, even though with someone so much in the media spotlight you’d sometimes find that hard to believe. We performed together, played Bad Reputation, Cherry Bomb, I Hate Myself For Loving You, and it was a pleasure to watch Miles singing those songs.
Press: In your opinion, how has the internet influenced the development of music and rock?
Joan: I think the internet is a wonderful thing. It gives bands looking for their break on the scene a chance to present themselves and reach loads of ears. We played clubs in front of fifty people at the start of our career too, and we didn’t have that option. In that sense the internet is priceless. You used to play a good show, the local rock press would write about you, and you’d get invited to appear on the radio, but these days the internet has almost stripped radio of that promotional role, at least in America. Nowadays you no longer hear interviews with unknown artists on the radio. So, to sum up, the internet has flung the doors to the world wide open for bands. Did that answer the question, or did you have networks like Myspace, Twitter and Facebook in mind?
Kenny: Social networks are good for music too. I don’t mean the silly tweets along the lines of “I went to the bathroom”, “I’m showering now” and so on, but the chance to discover interesting new artists. We no longer need tons of boxes full of CDs, a band just sends you a link to their music and in a moment you can check out what they play.
Thanks a lot for the chat!
Photos: Alen Horvat (1-5), Martin Johansson (6-8)
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