Joan Jett and The Blackhearts Bad Reputation Nation
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JOAN JETT stays true to first love: Rock 'n' roll
from: The Daily Record

JOAN JETT wears many hats. After recently appearing in the Broadway revival of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," she is now busy providing the soundtrack for New Jersey filmmaker Rocco Simonelli's new romantic comedy, "The Sweet Life," in which she plays a wacky biker chick.

Her loud, stripped-down rock and snarling persona on '80s hits such as "I Love Rock & Roll" and "Bad Reputation" have made her an icon for female rockers for more than 20 years.

JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, featuring Jett on guitar and vocals, her longtime manager, producer and co-songwriter KENNY LAGUNA on keyboards, Doug Cangialosi on guitar, Rob DeLuca on bass and THOMMY PRICE on drums, arrives at the Community Theatre in Morristown on Saturday.

"We play all the hits at every show," Laguna said. "We'll be doing some new stuff and we'll play stuff from 'The Sweet Life.' She had a college hit a few years ago called 'Fetish.' We'll do that. We'll do the 'Mary Tyler Moore' theme."

Her last CD, "Fetish," which delved into the dark underworld of sexual fetishes, came out in 1998 and was popular among college students.

"Songs about sex. That's what the album was about," Laguna said. "There were also songs that we didn't write, like 'Wooly Bully.' All sex songs."

If anyone knows the insider details of Jett's career, it is New York native Laguna, who has served as her manager, producer, co-songwriter and band mate since Jett's self-titled, independently released debut album in 1980. Its success led to a contract with Boardwalk Records, which reissued the album under the new title "Bad Reputation" in 1981.

"I met Joan in 1979," Laguna said. "I just came on board at first to write songs with her. After the RUNAWAYS (her first band) broke up, I just got more and more involved."

Jett formed her current band, the BLACKHEARTS, between "Bad Reputation" and her second album, "I Love Rock & Roll." The latter recording featured her biggest hit, which went to No. 1 on the charts. It also sealed her reputation as a defiant female rocker.

That group included guitarist Ricky Byrd, bassist Gary Ryan and drummer Lee Crystal.

Her follow-up hit, a version of Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover," also hit the Top 10 on the charts. It's no coincidence that Laguna was the keyboardist in the Shondells.

Laguna has brought his pop understanding to the production values on Jett's recordings throughout her career.

"I had a very pop-oriented background. … But Joan has a good attitude and a lot of menace in her. To be able to do that and yet bring in some pop elements was a kind of yin and yang. She's pretty hard core, and I'm pretty pop. It's each of our jobs to bring the other closer to the center of things."

Jett started her movie career in 1987, starring in Paul Schrader's film "Light of Day." The title song became a Top 40 hit for Jett, but she didn't score another hit until 1988, when "I Hate Myself for Loving You," taken from the album "Up Your Alley," hit the Top 10.

Her career stalled through much of the '80s and '90s, but when a new generation of female rockers such as L7 and Bikini Kill claimed her as their mentor, Jett's career began to rise again.

In fact, those bands and other '90s female rockers contributed music to Jett's successful 1994 album "Pure and Simple."

"I hope Joan's music hasn't changed too much," Laguna said. "I think we've honed the lyrics some and made them more sophisticated. As far as the basic rock 'n' roll guitar sound, we try to stay true to that."
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