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JOAN JETT still loves rock 'n' roll
from: goldminemag.com
by Tierney Smith
As a rock n’ roll trailblazer and inspiration to punk rockers, riot grrrls and female rockers alike, JOAN JETT’s aggressively tuneful brand of pop-punk has proven defiantly resistant to trends. Her new album, the critically acclaimed SINNER, is her first collection of new songs in 12 years (delayed by management shuffles at Warner Bros., some of the tracks were previously released on the 2004 Japanese import Naked).
Produced by longtime creative partner KENNY LAGUNA, ex-keyboardist with Tommy James And The Shondells, whose production credits include The Ohio Express, Dave Edmunds, Bill Medley, Jonathan Richman, and Bow Wow Wow, SINNER reveals the enduring magic of a partnership that began during the breakup of The RUNAWAYS, the hard-rocking all-girl band Jett formed at 15. As Laguna told Goldmine, audiences at the time weren’t exactly receptive to the concept.
"She was surprised by the resistance and the ridicule. There were people that were offended by what they were trying to do, to take territory that was really reserved for the boys." Laguna met Jett to compose songs for a film project The RUNAWAYS had been slated to do. When the other group members bowed out, Jett fulfilled the commitment.
Once they got in the studio, Jett insisted on playing on the basic tracks. "She said, ‘Look, if I can’t do my music the way I want I’ll just get a job at McDonald’s or something,’" Laguna recalled. "I made up my mind right there we’d make her a partnership. She could own half of whatever we did with her."
Attempts to secure a record deal for Jett as a solo artist proved to be an impossible task. After being rejected by almost 30 labels, Laguna and Jett decided to take matters into their own hands and form their own BLACKHEART RECORDS label, now in its 25th year. With her band The BLACKHEARTS, Jett went on to enjoy a steady string of high-energy hit singles, such as "Crimson And Clover," "Do You Wanna Touch Me," "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and, most famously, "I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll," which spent seven weeks at #1 in 1982.
"There’s nothing like having a hit single," Jett said. "It’s quite a rush to have your song on the radio and have people sing along, but I think more important is just knowing that you put something good out. There’s plenty of great music out there that doesn’t have commercial success, so I’m secure in knowing that. I’m really happy with this latest record, so if something becomes a hit that’s great, but if something doesn’t and we just go out and tour hard and play, I’ll be fine with that."
As for the monster success of "I Love Rock N’ Roll," Laguna said, "I always thought maybe that was a big hit. I was totally surprised by the scope of how big... but I always knew we were destined for success. I could just feel it the whole time."
Remarkably, Jett’s gender remains an issue in a still male-dominated business. "All these years later I’m still feeling this bias against women. Commercial radio in America discriminates against women. Alternative radio does not play women. Where are The Donnas today? Where’s Courtney Love today? Not being played," said Laguna, pointing out that only 1 percent of artists on commercial radio are female.
Yet, Jett’s still razor-sharp songwriting bodes well for the future. Of her writing style she noted, "Every once in a blue moon it’ll come out of me almost all at once, both the lyrics and the melody and the riffs, but that’s rare. Most of the time I get a collection of riffs and melodies and pages of song titles or just themes to write about, and then I’ll sit down and just try to put it all together. If I’m writing with Kenny I’ll show him a couple of ideas and the ones that resonate we’ll work on."
Then there are times when inspiration strikes unexpectedly, as in the case of SINNER’s leadoff track, "Riddles," which castigates political doublespeak. "We had been rewriting for a year or two," explained Jett. With a deadline looming, Jett began singing the lyrics. "As I’m singing it, other lyrics would come to myself or to KENNY LAGUNA, and we’d stop the tape and I’d go in the control room and we’d write it out and go back out in the studio and work on the metering to see if it fit.... This continued to happen throughout the song. The lyrics just sort of came to us."
As for the song’s more political stance, Laguna acknowledged they had to tread carefully. "You don’t want to sound like a preachy idiot and you don’t want to sound pompous, and you have to hit on a subject that’s worth ranting about," he said. It was a song inspired, said Laguna, by "the way this administration uses the George Orwell theory where you just absolutely make up a lie and you say it’s the truth."
Music-wise, Laguna pointed out, "Joan is amazing with guitar riffs.... All the riffs in her records Joan wrote, and that’s one of her gifts." As for what keeps her inspired, Jett surmised, "I try to continue to grow.... I don’t know if it’s being spiritual or just a little self-inquiry that sort of keeps things fresh. For me it’s always a struggle. It doesn’t feel like it’s easy. You’re not quite sure if it’s good enough."
Though SINNER has made some inroads on satellite radio, commercial radio is another matter. "Commercial radio is so constrained now," noted Jett. "It would be good for them to loosen up a bit.... I miss the days when the [DJs] used to have some say and choose songs and the audience had a say because they would request things and you had regional hits, and that’s just long gone."
Jett and Laguna host JOAN JETT’s Radio Revolution on Little Steven’s Sirius Satellite Radio’s Underground Garage, which incorporates their mutual love of glitter rock and punk and encompasses everyone from Dion ("Maybe the first punk," said Laguna. "He was so cool.") to The White Stripes.
That Jett has yet to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is another point of contention. Laguna believes Jett is deserving for a number of reasons. "‘I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ went so against the grain at that point in history," he said. "They were playing nothing like that on radio. Without ‘I Love Rock ‘N’ Roll’ and maybe a couple other records, would the whole new wave thing have happened, come over from England? Maybe not." He also cited Jett’s influence on the Rock 40 format, with her 1988 hit "I Hate Myself For Loving You" serving as the catalyst. In the end, both Jett and Laguna remain an inspired team. "I think part of it is that we both really enjoy what we do," said Laguna. "There are some days we’re a little grumpy, but most of the time we can wake up every day and go, ‘Oh my God, are we lucky that we can do this for a living!’ We’re in touch with it. We talk about it all the time, almost every day."
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