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It's clear JOAN JETT still loves rock 'n' roll
from: couriermail.com.au
by Ross Purdie
THE song I Love Rock 'N' Roll turned JOAN JETT into a bona fide pop star at the start of the 1980s, but it was her gutsy punk ideals that led to her single being released.
At this year's Falls Festivals in Tasmania and Victoria at the end of December, the American singer will perform her trademark anthem, marking the 30th anniversary of her battle against a record industry that back then saw rock music as an exclusively male domain.
By 1981, Jett had already hit fame for injecting a vital dose of girl power into the burgeoning punk scene with her pioneering teenage band The RUNAWAYS. But when the group split in acrimony, she struggled to be taken seriously. Perceptions of her as a shy weirdo in a leather jacket and full face of black make-up did not sit well with music's money men.
I Love Rock 'N' Roll was rejected by 23 record companies before London label RAK Records finally took a punt.
"That was a lot of rejections," she says from her home in New York. "But I kept going and part of that was having the support around me from people who believed in the song."
Originally recorded in 1975 by English band The Arrows, Jett had long identified I Love Rock 'N' Roll as a mega hit in the making.
She wanted The RUNAWAYS to lay down their own version but her bandmates refused because they had already written a song with the words "rock 'n' roll" in the title.
"Maybe the girls thought it was a little poppy as well because they were into heavier music," she remembers. "We didn't see eye to eye on the song so I just held on to it. It wasn't a big deal."
Taking a break from The RUNAWAYS in 1979, Jett teamed up with Sex Pistols members Paul Cook and Steve Jones to record an early version of the high-energy track.
But it wasn't until meeting KENNY LAGUNA, the man who'd become her manager simply because "no one else wanted to" and help her establish her current band The BLACKHEARTS, a year later that the song saw light of day.
Laguna had managed 1960s bubblegum bands including Tommy James and the Shondells and offered business weight behind his passion for Jett's angsty punk pop sound.
Still, getting the labels to listen proved a difficult task.
The knockbacks continued even after the pair sent around a promo package of four JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS songs - I Love Rock 'N' Roll, Bad Reputation, Crimson And Clover and Do You Want To Touch Me - all of which would go on to become future hits.
"It showed either the labels weren't listening to the songs or they decided beforehand they weren't going to deal with JOAN JETT or they just couldn't spot hits. I understood that I looked a little menacing, in fact I enjoyed it, but there's got to be a point where the record labels should actually listen to the music," she says.
Eventually one of them did and the song went on to become the rock smash of 1981, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and selling more than a million copies in the US alone.
Jett was transformed into a superstar and would go on to record eight platinum or gold albums and nine singles, becoming one of the most recognisable faces of early MTV.
She has since been referred to as the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll" and was one of only two women (the other being Joni Mitchell) to be named in Rolling Stone magazine's top 100 guitarists.
Her story is in the public domain more than ever this year with the release of Hollywood film The RUNAWAYS, about her relationship with singing partner Cherie Currie.
Jett, the film's executive producer, is played by Twilight actress Kristen Stewart.
"I was never that keen on a movie telling the story of The RUNAWAYS so I at least wanted to be involved."
Returning to Australia, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will play five dates either side of New Year, including one in Brisbane, with the singer requesting that they play a final intimate gig at Sydney's iconic Annandale Hotel.
Despite three decades of recording success, live shows are still what drives and the connection she makes with fans is a feeling that never gets tiresome.
"There's a unique one-ness that you don't get to experience most of the time," she says.
"My life is about making thousands of moments between me and people watching my shows. Just a smile or a moment of eye contact can make someone's day - I know because I've had it when I've watched bands."
The rock veteran admits she suffers the same stage nerves she has always inhibited but says being scared on stage is a vital part of performing.
"In the early days the make-up and the jacket made me feel safer but now I'm now more used to the energy that comes my way.
"You don't want to get debilitated by nerves but at the same time you never want to walk on stage blase - you always want to be fired up."
Her live shows are legendary, her relationship with her audiences entirely genuine.
It's fair to say she is still loving rock 'n' roll.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS play Sunset Sounds, Brisbane, January 6.
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