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JOAN JETT traveling in youthful company
from: BostonHerald.com
by Christopher Blagg
JOAN JETT may be an ’80s icon, but she’s no dusty relic. Armed with a batch of typically caustic but undeniably catchy new tunes from a new CD, "SINNER," Jett, 45, has joined the skate punk explosion known as the Vans Warped Tour, which hits Fitchburg tomorrow.
Herald: The opening tune off "SINNER" is a Bush-bashing protest song. Any reservations about going that way?
Jett: It was definitely my first stab at a protest song. It’s something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but how do you do that without coming off sounding preachy or corny? I had reservations to some degree, because I know how I feel about certain people when you discover what their politics are. I’m not trying to call anyone a moron or anything. I just want to talk about these issues. We’ve gotten so partisan on both sides that there’s no dialogue, it’s all just poison.
What would the young JOAN JETT think of this new JOAN JETT?
I don’t think that she’d be bothered at all. She’d think it was cool. I was political as a kid, when Nixon was running for President. I registered to vote when I was in the RUNAWAYS.
Were you surprised to be embraced by the riot grrrl movement?
I was pleasantly surprised, certainly. I wasn’t even aware of the whole thing until I was made aware. I felt very humbled and honored. That started a friendship between Kathleen Hanna, of Le Tigre, Bikini Kill and I, where we worked together quite a lot. She’s definitely outside the box, so she forced me to write differently, and it was really great.
Are you fitting in with your Vans Warped tourmates?
Oh yeah, man, we’re having a blast. It’s such a great relaxed vibe - a rolling block party, punk-rock circus. The camaraderie between the bands is amazing. We all hang out, have barbecues, talk about music.
Does the crowd recognize and respond to your old tunes? Most weren’t born when the RUNAWAYS started or when "I Love Rock n’ Roll" came out.
They sure do. It’s amazing. Kids must get a lot of stuff from their brothers and sisters or even their parents. That’s great. They can share stuff with their parents and like the same stuff. When I was kid, you didn’t do that. I wasn’t into my mother’s Johnny Mathis records. It’s a great change. Sometimes the kids even come with the parents!
Were you ever worried you’d lost your relevancy?
Definitely. You’re always wondering if people are going to care. But you have an option. You can get yourself all freaked out and fearful about the unknown or you can just do it, give it a shot. I’ve never stopped playing live. I’ve never taken a year off. If people didn’t like the record, then I’ll just keep playing live. Deal with it.
If you had to choose one legacy what would it be: rocker or boundary-breaking feminist icon?
Tough choice. They’re so interlocked to me. I can’t remove the musician from myself, and I can’t remove being a woman from myself. Rock ’n’ roll is who I am. I don’t know if I can make that choice.
Vans Warped Tour, with JOAN JETT, Thursday, NOFX, Against Me!, Saves the Day and others at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport tomorrow. For tickets, $26.50, call 800-477-6849.
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