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Girl power
JOAN JETT still shows female rockers how it’s done
from: LancasterOnline.com
by JON FERGUSON, Staff Intelligencer Journal
LANCASTER COUNTY, PA - JOAN JETT helped kick open the door for female rockers back in the 1970s.
Dressed in black leather, a Gibson Melody Maker slung over her shoulder and a sneer on her lips, Jett was a revolutionary figure when she helped form the RUNAWAYS.
The band of teenage girls often was derided as jailbait and castigated as a novelty act cynically assembled by producer Kim Fowley.
The RUNAWAYS, however, aren't that easy to dismiss.
Though they probably didn't help their credibility by dressing in titillating clothing, at heart they were five girls who simply wanted to rock. And rock they did; just give another listen to the band's signature song, "Cherry Bomb."
Jett said Suzy Quatro, who had success in England but never really connected with a U.S. audience, served as her role model when she was a teenager.
"She was a screaming rock 'n' roller," Jett said of Quatro during a telephone interview. "Just the validation that she was having success in England, I felt, 'Man, she's doing this, she's in a band. If she's doing it and I want to do it, then there's gotta be other girls that want to do this.'
"That was really the kind of impetus I needed to go out there and do it."
There are now generations of girls who view Jett in the same light. As a role model, she has helped make it safe for girls to rock.
"I'm truly humbled by it, but it's definitely what I set out to do as a kid," she said. "I set out to make it OK for women to play rock 'n' roll and for us to be an example, for the RUNAWAYS to be an example to girls. If that's something that's happening, then I'm proud of it — very proud of it."
Jett, who will perform Sunday at the Hersheypark Amphitheatre inside the amusement park, didn't really hit her stride until after the RUNAWAYS broke up in 1980 and she struck out on her own.
Jett formed a new band, the BLACKHEARTS, and then put together her own record label when nobody showed any interest in her music.
She proceeded to string together a series of hit songs, including "Bad Reputation," "Do You Wanna Touch Me (Oh Yeah)," "Crimson and Clover" and the anthem "I Love Rock 'n' Roll." She later had hits with the songs "Light of Day" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You."
There has never been anything fancy about Jett's approach to music; she plays no-frills hard rock that is heavy on the chords and heavy on the attitude.
Jett, 46, who was born in Philadelphia and grew up in Upper Darby before moving to California when she was 12, said the music still thrills her like crazy.
"I still get nervous," she said. "If I don't get nervous onstage, then I know something's wrong. My heart starts to race and I feel an adrenaline rush go through me. My palms start to sweat and I have to jump around a little bit."
Though it's been a long time between hits for Jett, she remains an active artist.
Her label, BLACKHEART RECORDS, releases her own albums as well as those of others musicians. She took time to plug new albums by label mates Girl in a Coma, the Dollyrots and the Vacancies.
Jett was a regular on Underground Garage, the cable radio show hosted by Little Steven, the guitarist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, but now she's getting her own show, JOAN JETT's Radio Revolution, which can be heard on the Faction channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.
She released a new album, "SINNER," in 2006, her first in eight years. It's one of the best-reviewed albums of her career.
Though Jett said she enjoys meeting her older fans at shows, she gets more excited when youngsters show up and tell her they want to rock.
"I really respect girls who go after what they want," she said. "I'm sure some people still make fun of girls or say mean things because they're doing something different.
"But I'd say you have to wear it as a badge of pride. If you're making people a little mad, you've got to know you're doing something right."
SOUNDS LIKE: Jett was influenced by punk bands like the Ramones, glam bands like T Rex and classic rockers like the Rolling Stones.
RECOMMENDED: Jett is probably best represented by a greatest-hits collection. Try "The Hit List" (1990).
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, Sun., 4:30 and 7 p.m., Hersheypark Amphitheatre, Hershey, free with admission to amusement park, 1-800-HERSHEY.
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