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Jett sees generations loving rock 'n' roll
from: roanoke.com
By Tad Dickens
Back when JOAN JETT was growing up, she would have never considered going to a concert with her parents. These days, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member often sees parents and their kids together at shows.
"It's a different situation than maybe before, where you've got parents and kids, and they're very proud to be with each other, whether it's the parent showing the kid or it's the kid showing the parent," she said. "I meet a lot of them when we do a meet-and-greet before the show, so it's a lot of fun."
Jett, and presumably some rock and roll-loving families, will be at Elmwood Park on Thursday. Swampcandy opens the show.
Jett, 56, who began her career with the teenage girl band The RUNAWAYS, launched her solo career in 1980 with "Bad Reputation," and hit No. 1 on the Billboard singles chart the next year with "I Love Rock ‘N' Roll." She cemented her stardom with "I Hate Myself for Loving You" and a cover of "Crimson and Clover," among other numbers.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted her and her band, The BLACKHEARTS, in April. Miley Cyrus gave the induction speech, and Dave Grohl joined the band for part of its performance, taking a verse on The RUNAWAYS' "Cherry Bomb." See the performance via youtu.be/ie1kkByfE4I.
RUNAWAYS manager Kim Fowley, who died in February, was among the people Jett thanked during her speech. In July, the Huffington Post reported that former Runaway Jackie Fuchs, who performed as Jackie Fox, said that Fowley raped her in front of a group of people after a concert when she was 16. Shortly after, Jett released a statement saying she was not aware of the incident.
"Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened," Jett said in the statement. During a telephone interview last week, Jett declined through her publicist to discuss the issue.
At the Hall of Fame induction, Jett told the audience in Cleveland that rock music is "the language of a subculture that's made eternal teenagers of all who follow it."
The music has kept her feeling young, she said, but these days she finds herself writing about more adult topics. Jett has lost both parents and some friends in recent years. Those losses have found their way into her most recent album, "Unvarnished." "Hard to Grow Up" and "Fragile" are among the numbers that address those losses.
Her parents' deaths "made me kind of step back, and luckily, I've got sort of an outlet for it," she said. "I can try to write songs about it, which is what I did.
"We were all very close. They pretty much taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be, and they didn't stand in my way of doing what I wanted to do, which was play music, which was very different at that time period.
"They could have given me a lot of crap but they didn't. They were supportive by not being unsupportive."
Other songs, including "TMI" and "Reality Mentality," find Jett commenting on today's pop culture and other societal oddities. She said the band plays up to seven of the new tunes in headlining sets.
"People are responding really well to them, which is really good, too," she said.
The hits will be in the set list, too.
"I enjoy playing ‘I Love Rock ‘N' Roll' as much now as I did years and years ago, because it's always new, it always makes people smile, and that's what you're there for," she said.
Only one original Blackheart, keyboardist KENNY LAGUNA, remains on the road with her. Most of the band has been with her for years, though. Only bassist Hal Salzer is new, having joined earlier this year, Jett said.
What does it take to be a Blackheart?
"Well, you have to be able to play," she said. "Even though it seems like simple music, sometimes when you get into it, it's harder for people to play it than people realize. Sometimes simple music is the hardest to play." |
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