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Sound Check - JOAN JETT
from: freetimes.com
by Jeff Niesel
After a summer on the Warped Tour, veteran rock 'n' roller JOAN JETT is on a fall tour with her longtime backing band the BLACKHEARTS, and plays the Agora Theatre as part of the club's ongoing 40th anniversary celebration. Speaking via phone from her New York home, Jett talked about what it was like being one of the only women on the male-dominated Warped Tour, the challenges of writing the political songs found on her new album, SINNER, and why she still loves rock 'n' roll.
So what was Warped Tour like?
Oh, it was a blast. I knew I was gonna have a good time, but it was beyond my expectations. The vibe was so much fun. The camaraderie was incredible. Everybody is very supportive and watched each other. I had my BMX bike and was riding around to the different stages.
Why aren't there more punk rock chicks on Warped?
It's a good question. There was one band called ShiraGirl. Last year, they couldn't get on the tour so they took out a stage of their own they built onto a truck and they played anyway. [Warped promoter] Kevin Lyman was so impressed with that, he had them on one of the stages this year. It's incremental, like anything else. If you told me 30 years after the RUNAWAYS there still wouldn't be women in rock 'n' roll, I would have thought you'd be crazy. It's frustrating because people ask me why, and I don't have a good answer beyond the usual prejudices. There's still a lot of resistance. The girls are out there. They're in any city you go to.
You do covers of "ACDC" and "Androgynous." What about bisexuality interests you so much?
I think sometimes people get rigid in their roles. I think I'm speaking to that. "ACDC" is by the Sweet. I came across it again about a year ago. It's great and we live in a girls-gone-wild world at this point, so I thought it was a fun thing to try, just to push peoples' buttons. It's about me being uncomfortable with the roles people cut out for women. I've been uncomfortable right down to the clothes I like to wear.
You experienced a revival in the '90s, but was there a point before that when you considered giving music up?
I think it's never seriously crossed my mind. I've been on the road every year since I've started. It sometimes gets frustrating. It's great to have hits and that's part of the reason why as a teenager you want to do it. But the intangible is the love of the music and seeing what it does to audiences when you have a connection with people. That spurs me on to do it. As long as I'm having fun, I'm going to keep doing it.
I don't think of you as a political singer, but you have two anti-war songs on the new album. What's up with that?
It's something I always wanted to do. But I didn't know how to get to those subjects without sounding preachy or corny. The way this came to be was so organic. It was seeing what's happening to our country and how things have changed and wondering if other people have seen it. It's about how this administration talks confusingly to the American people, and they do it on purpose to keep us away from the truth.
You've become a big supporter of the Vacancies, who are based here. How were you first introduced to them and what do you like about them?
I first saw them because they were opening for us. I had heard a CD of theirs because it was sent to me to approve as an opening act. I saw them play and thought they were really great. We did a few more shows and I told them if they wanted to do another CD, we'd like to put it out on BLACKHEART RECORDS. I got a chance to produce it, and it was a lot of fun.
You look like you haven't aged since the '80s. How do you manage that?
Well, I lead what most people would think is a boring lifestyle. I don't drink and don't smoke and I've been a vegetarian for over 15 years. I try to stay out of the sun. Some of that helps. My job is physical, so I get a lot of exercise and I work out when I'm not touring.
Given inflation, have you thought about changing the line in "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" to "put another dollar in the jukebox, baby?"
Yeah, it should be. I think people would rebel, though. I should have been changing it all along but when it got to a quarter that wouldn't have sounded so good.
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