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JOAN JETT's Still Rockin' Hard
from: FringeMag.com
by Brandon Caylor
Everybody who has a pulse no doubt knows who JOAN JETT is. Over the years she has given us countless great songs, and practically paved the way for all of the female rockers to follow. Not only has she conquered the music industry, but she also made her way to the silver screen, and even did some time on Broadway. On top of that, she currently has her own radio show on Sirius satellite radio. What hasn't she done? Signed bands to her label? Oh, wait! She has done that too!
I was recently extremely fortunate have the opportunity to catch up with JOAN JETT to get the inside scoop on where she's been, and where she is going. I wondered how it felt to be such an influential figure in the music industry, for both female and male musicians.
"Intellectually, I know that's the case in some instances," Joan said. "It's very humbling, and I'm always kind of hesitant on accepting that. But when someone comes up to me and tells me that I inspired them, that makes me feel good."
"I Love Rock and Roll" came out when I was in the seventh grade. I've been a huge fan ever since. That song is over 25 years old now. You can probably guess how many times JOAN JETT has performed that song live. Does she get tired of playing it?
"No, I don't get tired of it. I try to stay in the moment, and it's a lot of fun. It makes a lot of people really happy, and I respect that. It's not about meÉI'm just an instrument. I still love playing the old songs, people know them. Sometimes I have to really focus on my singing, because there have been times when I would watch the people in the front singing along, and they would sing the wrong lyrics, and that would cause me to sing the wrong lyrics as well." For those of you who misplaced all your old JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS LPs and cassettes, fear not, for there is a new Greatest Hits compilation being released very soon.
"Yeah, we've been working on remastering a lot of the old songs, and we may put a few new tracks on it as well, and maybe some other surprises. I'm not sure what's going to be on it yet, though. It should be out by the summer." Back in the late '80s, JOAN JETT starred in the motion picture, The 'Light of Day,' with Michael J. Fox. In this movie she portrayed a singer who would pretty much stop at nothing to get on the stage and rock! I was curious to find out if that character had any similarities to her true self.
"I guess that the similarities would be that I'm also the oldest in my family, and I've always been driven in the same way that the character of Patty was." If you have seen this film, you may or may not have known that Trent Reznor (NIN) appeared in it, as well. I asked Joan if, at the time, she looked at him and thought to herself, "now that man there is going to be a cultural icon in about five years."
"At the time, no," she stated. "I did know that he was making some noise locally, but I wasn't really focusing on him. Doing that film was a new experience for me, so I was really focusing on my work."
Will there be any future forays into the film industry?
"Yeah! Later in the year there will be two movies coming out that I have parts in. There is a movie called 'Endless Bummer,' which is a rock & roll surf movie. I play sort of an ex-surfer that lives on the beach giving unique wisdom to surfer kids. And the other one is called Lock and Roll. It's about a Japanese all-girl band that came out to L.A. I play a rock star and help them out. Both movies should be out sometime in the summer."
JOAN JETT also recently did a stint on Broadway, performing in the Rocky Horror Picture Show. She regularly plays one of the songs from the soundtrack, Science Fiction Double Feature, at her concerts. Are there any plans to release any video footage from that performance?
"I donÕt think that'll happen. It's kind of like the RUNAWAYS, you know, if you weren't there, then you missed out."
And she does her own radio show?
"Yeah! It's on Sirius, it is called the Faction, on series 28. I play a mix of pretty much whatever I feel like hearing at the time. It's usually a mix of punk, rock, fusion, metal, I can mix it up however I want. Sometimes I'll go on the air and say something like, 'this is a record that I listened to every day when I was in junior high' or something, and play an entire Who album."
Are there ever any unsigned bands featured?
"I have done that a few times, but for the most part it's usually signed acts."
And speaking of unsigned acts, JOAN JETT definitely does her part in helping out her fellow musical brethren, signing such acts like Girl in a Coma. What does the label look for when seeking new talent?
"Well, the most important thing is, do we like the music? We want to feel it right away. And we make sure the bands want to work hard and tour. Things are very different now than when I was first starting out. I mean, we had to tour non-stop to get the music out. These days you don't have to do that quite as much, but it's still very important to get out there."
As our conversation came to an end, I had one more thing I had to ask. If she were able to change one aspect of the world with her music, what would that change be?
"That's a good one. I would want people to be a little more tolerant of each other, and be less judgmental. And that applies to myself, as well."
Since her teens, JOAN JETT has worked extremely hard to find success. There are so many lessons to be learned from her story. Most importantly though, if you believe in yourself and you work very hard, there will be no stopping you. JOAN JETT has been an influence and an inspiration to many. She has written so many fantastic songs that have stood the test of time. That is not an easy thing to accomplish. With a new CD coming out, two movies coming out, a radio show, and a never-ending tour schedule, one may wonder when she ever takes a break. Staying busy and working hard is her work ethic. That's how she made it.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will be performing at the Stockton Asparagus Festival on April 26th. You'll be sure to hear all your old favorites; "I Love Rock & Roll," "Bad Reputation," "I Hate Myself for Loving You," "Do You Wanna Touch Me," and so many others. While good songs come and go, the great songs last forever. JOAN JETT has the secret formula for writing those timeless songs. And after all these years, she is still the same rocker we've always loved.
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