|
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated.
JOAN JETT's in for Warped Tour
It's 10 years between albums and, yes, it's been
frustrating for her
from: The Province
by Tom Harrison
It doesn't seem like 10 years have passed between Joan
Jett's last album and the new SINNER.
"Yeah, I don't think there has been any change," Jett
agrees. "I could have recorded this album two years
after the last album. I know what you mean."
SINNER is her mix of rock with a punk edge and enough
pop sensibility to insure that the album is melodic.
Ten years?
"It has been a long time," she admits. "I've been
trying to get this record out, is what I've been
doing."
That, you can guess, hasn't been easy and you
correctly could conclude that she was another victim
of the recording industry's corporate thinking.
Jett did, in fact, have a record to go two years after
her previous one, 1994's Pure and Simple, but the
management at Warner Bros., to who she was signed,
changed and the album was put on indefinite hold. She
tried again and the management changed again and,
again, the album's release was held up.
"It was very frustrating."
In the end, and with some alterations, SINNER appears
on her own, revived, Blackheart label, the label she
set up 25 years ago out of a different frustration.
"I had to overcome the idea that 'girls can't play
rock 'n' roll.'" she says grimly. "I still have to
prove it."
That's remarkable. This is JOAN JETT speaking, after
all. By now, she shouldn't have to prove anything.
Jett survived The RUNAWAYS, the all-girl group that
appeared at the height of glam, identified with
punk-rock, outlasted grunge, was lauded by the grrrl
groups as an important influence, and probably has
eclipsed the Warners chairmen of the board.
The girl who boasted "I don't give a damn about my bad
reputation," is still identifiable on the new album as
JOAN JETT. Through all the trends she has remained
true to herself.
"What it boils down to is making the connection," she
says. "Whatever the case may be, all those moments of
connection transcend everything. It's that connection
you're looking for."
In other words, she found an identity years ago and
that image hasn't altered, which has allowed her
longevity while providing something that her fans draw
strength from. Yet it can be a trap.
"I sort of created this," Jett says. "This JOAN JETT
with the makeup, the eyeliner and black hair and black
leather scares a lot of people. But I'm very
vulnerable. I'm very approachable."
In the 10 years that have passed, she hasn't been
idle.
"I've been on the road this whole time," Jett insists.
"I've never stopped working."
She did Broadway, appearing in The Rocky Horror
Picture Show. She produced albums, appeared on a few
others, witnessed a few compilations and a Japanese
release and, on weekends, is an announcer on the
satellite spin-off of "Little" Stephen Van Zant's
Underground Garage radio show, JOAN JETT's Radio
Revolution.
And today, she'll be one of 50 bands who are
participating in the Vans Warped Tour at Thunderbird
Stadium. Many of the bands' members were in diapers
when she was making her first record, but this is Joan
Jett, born 1958 as Joan Larkin. Age makes no
difference if you are true to yourself.
"Oh man, it's a travelling punk-rock circus," she says
enthusiastically. "It's something I grew up with. Why
wouldn't I want to be on this tour? It's been a great
experience. I'm really enjoying it."
|
| |
This Week:
No shows scheduled this week.
Click on the LIVE DATES link for upcoming shows |
Item Of The Month:
|
