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JOAN JETT
from: FasterLouder.com.au
by Melanie Lewis
When JOAN JETT's band The RUNAWAYS expired in 1979 Jett had, in the previous four years, headlined shows with Van Halen and Tom Petty; written the classic hit Cherry Bomb; and toured worldwide, imbibing copious amounts of narcotics en route.
As explicitly shown in new film, The RUNAWAYS, it was a chaotic time for Jett and her bandmates, but even as frontwoman (we should probably say, frontgirl) Cherie Currie left the group, but Jett pushed on, fulfilling vocal duties herself, essentially keeping the wheels on the operation. When The RUNAWAYS disbanded in 1979 JOAN JETT was just 19 years old.
Although various RUNAWAYS members continued playing -- Micki Steele went on to play bass in The Bangles, Lita Ford and Sandy West still play metal guitar; Peggy Foster plays jazz bass -- without doubt Joan is the most notably successful performer of The RUNAWAYS. Her cover of the The Arrows' I Love Rock ÔN'Roll is a classic anthem and in 2010 Jett continues to tour heavily, heading to Australia as part of the Falls Festival lineup. It's the first time she's visited our shores since 1982 and of course, as then, she'll be bringing her BLACKHEARTS.
Given the heady days of The RUNAWAYS, did being executive producer on the film raise personal concerns about the emotional toll making the film might have on you?
No, my worry wasn't the emotional stuff. I had a blast with it all. You know, it's life. You have ups and downs but I loved [working on the film]; it was my baby. I loved it so much, that wasn't the problem -- living it -- I just didn't want 'em to fuck it up, you know what I mean?
I suppose you would have had time to truly consider what it would mean for you. It took Kenny [Laguna Ð Blackheart guitarist, Jett's best mate and business partner] years to get someone to transform Cherie's book into a movie, though didn't it?
Yeah. And once I said yes I had to be all in it. I had to make sure it was true enough to the spirit of The RUNAWAYS, and some of the things that we went through, before I could live with it, for sure. You got to step back and look at it in a different way. That was difficult at first, for sure. Once I got a sense of what to push for and what to leave alone it was easier.
No doubt it was an incredibly exciting time for you [in The RUNAWAYS] but given your age when the band broke up, it must have been a bit daunting trying to find your feet in a new band. You must have experienced doubts at some point.
Well, I had belief by the time The BLACKHEARTS formed because KENNY LAGUNA had belief in me. It's hard to go out there and fight if you don't have any support. You know, at least in the RUNAWAYS we were in support of each other, on the road you know, we did what we did and...I had a great time.
Hitting the road at 15 years old would be a pretty massive test.
That's, to me, the most important thing: going on the road and building your audience; and it's gotten harder over the years, travelling. It's more difficult to travel, certainly, internationally and it is a pain in the ass you know, even in our own country. It's tough.
You run your own label, BLACKHEARTS Records, though, so it'd be a good way to see what younger artists are out there with you.
Well I mean, when you're out there on the road it can be easy to run into people that come to shows or people handing CDs so that's one of the ways
Do you find that younger bands take it for granted that they can make it?
Oh, we [The RUNAWAYS] thought we were definitely going to make it. In some ways we felt for sure, we got what it takes. I was sure there'd be some who would fall flat on their face. And people kinda did.
Even if you didn't fall, you still had to battle. Rock Ôn' roll is a bit of a men's club in some respects. After all the ground you've broken, do you think women in rock are still battling sexism to a certain degree?
Well, I think the big labels aren't really interested; maybe they are, but I think they [the labels] go where they think money is, and that's pop music and country music and stuff like that. I think that rock Ôn' roll, you know, for the girls, I don't think that it's been a big label thing. In the indie world the girls have all the opportunity they want because they can do it themselves.
It's really hard work, this rock Ôn' roll malarkey. Do you have to declare Òquiet timeÓ days for yourself to avoid burning out?
Most years I get enough of those days that I don't need major time time off. But, since we started working on the movie it's been pretty hectic and that was at the beginning of 2009. It started getting busier and it kept going. It's just stopped. So I'm taking this month off and then over to see you guys.
JOAN JETT plays at Falls, Sunset Sounds and Southbound and a sold out gig at the Annandale in January.
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