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Hell hath no fury (like a punk woman scorned)
from: harderbeat.com
by Shane Epting
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS are about to launch a tour across the U.S. in support of new CD, SINNER. They’ll stop at Dallas’ Gypsy Tea Room on Nov. 13. For the most part, the album adheres to their trademark style, though it sounds as fresh as ever.
Recently, HB caught up with Joan via phone to discuss her experiences playing the Warped Tour, the new songs, (and coincidentally) the State of the Union and life itself.
Most recently, Joan and the gang finished headlining this summer’s Vans Warped Tour, a/k/a "punk rock summer camp." Jett is no stranger to the road in general, but what did the Queen of Rock think of the loudest nomadic freak show on Earth?
"I had a blast! It was so much fun!" she enthused. "I knew I’d have a great time with that, but it was even more fun than I expected —just because the atmosphere and energy were so great. It was like a big punk rock circus," she added, "a traveling block party thing. Everybody was very relaxed, very down to Earth, no head-trips; the camaraderie between the bands was really awesome."
Many fans arrive at a BLACKHEARTS’ show expecting to hear the classics. While they’ll be accommodated, fans should expect to hear a number of new songs as well. "There will be plenty of songs, plenty of the new songs in there," Jett promises. "We’re already doing seven or so... and we’ll rotate a few in and out so it stays fresh."
Not to worry, though. It’s a safe bet they’ll still play, "I Love Rock and Roll."
SINNER’s first track, "Riddles," is Jett’s first stab at songwriting on a political level. Many of the frustrations that she voices echo loud and clear across the nation and are fairly represented in recent approval ratings of President Bush.
So, was there a certain act or statement that was the final straw that broke the camel’s back? Something that prompted her to write such a song in response?
"I don’t know if there was a ‘final straw,’ but it’s just, you know, a continuing drip, drip, drip," explains Jett. "Everyday thinking that it can’t get worse, and yet it does... I’m really not trying to call anybody a moron or anything like that," she clarifies. "It’s more about just reacting to what I see going on and wondering if anyone else sees it... Why aren’t people angry enough to be in the streets to protest this stuff? It’s not until people are directly affected, you know. People go ‘Oh yeah, man. That is too bad — now let me get back to my caramel macchiato,’ or whatever else they’re doing. It was just an accumulation of terrible things that keep happening here in our country," she notes, "and the lack of transparency that we get from OUR supposed government... I sit here and go, ‘Oh my God, I don’t recognize this America.’.... So, that was the impetus for writing ‘Riddles.’"
If there is one thing that Jett possesses, it’s longevity, and with that comes wisdom. It’s common for people who have made it around the block a few times to express the notion of, "if I knew then what I know now." Therefore, I asked Joan if she could go back in time and give herself any advice, what would that advice be?
"I’d probably say, "Don’t be so serious," she explains. "Try to go with the flow more. It would be really simple things," she says. "Not anything like ‘look out for this or look out for that.’ It’s more to just enjoy yourself and know that you can’t control things so much. We all want control," Jett continues, "to control our lives and make things go the way we want them to go, but that’s not the nature of life. You just have to, kind of, flow with it - and adjust to it."
See JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS at the Gypsy Tea Room, Nov. 13. Eagles of Death Metal and the Riverboat Gamblers open.
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