Page updated on October 31, 2018
All news is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves.
Have Joan Jett news to report? Email us at jettfc@aol.com, and please include the source of the information so it can be validated. U2, Foo Fighters, Elton John, More Lined up for T. Rex Tribute Album from: variety.com By JEM ASWAD
The legacy of Marc Bolan and T. Rex will be celebrated in extravagant fashion next year, when BMG will release a tribute album - for which U2, Foo Fighters, Elton John and others are recording tracks - and documentary honoring the singer. Veteran producer Hal Willner (Lou Reed, Lucinda Williams, Laurie Anderson, "Saturday Night Live") is helming the set.
The project is a companion to a T. Rex documentary coming from the company's film division, which CEO Hartwig Masuch spoke with Variety about early this year.
Other performers slated for the set include JOAN JETT, Nick Cave, Perry Farrell, Soft Cell singer Marc Almond, Kesha and Borns. A source tells Variety that U2 have recorded T. Rex's biggest hit, 1971's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" for the set.
A rep for BMG had no comment. However, a source close to the situation stressed to Variety that the lineup for the album is not finalized. News of the set has been trickling out for several months: Willner spoke about it in a New York Times profile last year, and veteran DJ Matt Pinfield tweeted about it last week. [more] JOAN JETT@Union County Center Rahway, NJ 10/26/18 from: YouTube.com By Jim Powers
Bad Reputation review - smart, funny JOAN JETT rock retrospective from: theguardian.com By Leslie Felperin
The proto-punk icon comes over as generous and self-aware in Kevin Kerslake's documentary, which ropes in starry friends like Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop
It is an odd but all-too-common phenomenon that cinematic biographies about musical stars often leave the viewer liking the subject less as a person, sometimes in direct proportion to how much he or she liked the subject's work beforehand. (See, for example, Nina Simone bio-doc What Happened, Miss Simone? and the Lady Gaga tribute Gaga: Five Foot Two.) It's pleasing to report that's not the case with Bad Reputation, a career-long retrospective devoted to rock star JOAN JETT, who comes across here every bit as funny, smart, self-aware and generous as you could hope for. Ageing gracefully now that she's into her seventh decade, Jett reflects with honesty on her career highs and lows, from her early days as a founder member of proto-punk girl-group the RUNAWAYS to the solo-star years of her hits I Love Rock 'n' Roll and the titular Bad Reputation and acting side gigs - clips showing her in Paul Schrader's now-rarely-seen Light of Day are worth the price of admission alone - to her most recent apotheosis as grand old dame and mentor to the young.
Director Kevin Kerslake moves the story along at a nice adagio pace, swerving into the archives to unearth vintage clips of not just Jett and her coevals performing but also David Bowie and one-time RUNAWAYS manager Kim Fowley, a troubling, multifaceted character, taking about the high times on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip in the mid-70s. In addition, there's a fairly starry lineup of Jett fans and friends offering insights, including Debbie Harry, Miley Cyrus and Iggy Pop. But the big treat is seeing Jett herself talk and watching her still-strong bond with producer and best friend KENNY LAGUNA: two leather-clad old mates, constantly bickering but inseparable. Bad Reputation review: JOAN JETT documentary strikes a prominent chord from: thenationalstudent.com By Lauren Macaree at Amersham and Wycombe College
Heavy guitar riffs, gritty yet caressing vocals, the undeniably cool dark hair and leather jacket; JOAN JETT is universally recognisable by all.
Perfectly titled, Bad Reputation tells the story of one of rock and roll's most notable figures, offering a glimpse into the trials and tribulations that the queen of rock faced on her journey to the top.
Presented through archival clips and personal interviews with the likes of musician Iggy Pop, former The RUNAWAYS bandmate Cherie Currie, actress Kristen Stewart, and many more, director Kevin Kerslake navigates Jett's turbulent life and career with depth and ferociousness, heavily narrated by the icon herself, as well as producer and best friend KENNY LAGUNA.
Whilst the main focus is on the career and evolution of Jett, the documentary also ventures into how she quicky became a prominent advocate for women and the LGBTQ community, as well as her involvement in the Riot Grrl movement.
The wildly speculated matter of Jett's personal life and ambiguous sexuality is only touched on but never intimately explored, and rightfully so, as the doc boldly focuses on the misogyny and sexism that she, and notable first band The RUNAWAYS, faced throughout their career within the industry, particulary whilst they were first starting out.
Equally as punchy as the prominent punk icon's music, the film consists of fast paced cuts, hard hitting moments of truth juxtaposed with sweet and sentimental early footage, and an unmissable magnetic flare that enraptures you right from the opening credits.
Bad Reputation conclusively and passionately secures Jett's place in not just rock's, but music's history, as a determined fighter for diversity and equality, in both the industry and the world, who not only broke into what was once considered the boys only club of rock and roll, but also paved the way for anyone and everyone.
JOAN JETT Doc 'Bad Reputation' At Cinestudio from: courant.com By Susan Dunne Contact Reporter
JOAN JETT is a rock legend, a feminist icon and one of the earliest punk musicians. A documentary showing this week at Cinestudio in Hartford tells the story of her career.
"Bad Reputation" tells the story of Jett's rise through the music business, first with the band the RUNAWAYS, then solo, then with the BLACKHEARTS, against the backdrop of the 1970s Los Angeles rock scene. The film also stars Billie Joe Armstrong, Cherie Currie, Shepard Fairey, Kathleen Hanna, Debbie Harry, Iggy Pop and Pete Townshend.
Kevin Kerslake's film will be shown Oct. 30 to Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the cinema at 300 Summit St., on the campus of Trinity College. Admission is $10, $8 seniors and students, $7 Friends of Cinestudio. Cinestudio.org. Sixty Seconds with JOAN JETT from: metro.news By Anna Smith
The American star and Cherry Bomb singer, 60, talks about sex, rock 'n' roll and new film Bad Reputation
How does it feel being in a documentary about your own life?
It's a pretty surreal experience. It's a little uncomfortable discussing where you fit in music history, analysing that aspect of you instead of just playing the rock 'n' roll. But it's been a really informative way for me to look at my career and what's going on. And hopefully the message people will get from it is: perseverance.
Where do you get that perseverance from? The film, Bad Reputation, shows you carrying on in the face of rejection and sexism...
My parents told me when I was a little kid I could be anything in life I wanted to be and I believed them. I went through a bunch of things: I wanted to be an astronaut, an archaeologist. It just so happens that at 13 I asked my parents for an electric guitar for Christmas. They actually got it for me so they were supporting my dream. Even if they weren't saying, 'Oh yeah, go play in a rock band', they weren't saying, 'Girls don't do that'.
Saw the vision: KENNY LAGUNAThe documentary also shows that the challenges didn't end when your band The RUNAWAYS broke up...
As I got into my career, my songwriting partner, KENNY LAGUNA, got stuck managing me because he thought he could get me a deal really easily and pass it on but then he saw the walls [coming down] and that gave him a fire. The two of us started fighting it. That was really important, having someone else who believed in me who saw the vision.
Was there anything you didn't want to talk about on camera?
There's curiosity seeking - I got good at dealing with that with The RUNAWAYS. If you started talking about those angles, you'd never talk about the music. Rock 'n' roll by its very nature is sexual, so a lot of that conversation isn't really necessary. That's why girls take a lot of s*** when they do things that are considered a man's pursuit. In my brain, I figured rock 'n' roll was probably a looser world and there wouldn't be those restrictions in gender - and I was very wrong.
Girls are just as fascinated by sex as boys are, right?
You can't cut that out of a girl's life. Guys talk about sex but you can't say, 'We're uncomfortable about this, we're going to pretend a girl's sex life doesn't exist' - then you make it taboo and start an unhealthy cycle. With The RUNAWAYS, we were just writing what we were living.
What are your pet peeves?
A lot of things. This is all day long but just the fact there's a lot of phoniness. It's hard to tell where the brand ends and the person begins. Now everybody is a brand. You don't have to be famous at all. Little kids have their brands - that's kinda scary to me. [more] Film Festival review: Bad Reputation from: indaily.com.au By Heather Taylor Johnson
Full of intense live footage and plenty of guitar thrashing, Bad Reputation charts JOAN JETT's roller-coaster rise to fame and highlights her role as a revolutionary female rock/punk-rock star.
I was 16 when I saw JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS open for Aerosmith and I clearly remember my friend and I rolling our eyes at one another when we found out who the support act was: "Oh no, not 'I Love Rock 'n' Roll'!"
But then she took to the stage. Stole the stage. Smashed the stage. JOAN JETT was a badass, and that's what the documentary Bad Reputation proves.
Jett was only 14 when she met Sandy West, another female teenager who wanted to make loud music. They formed the seminal all-girls punk rock band The RUNAWAYS, which made it big overseas, particularly in England, where punk was ripe.
America wasn't ready.
"I went from cute and sweet to slut and whore,"' Jett says.
She got smashed up and spat on but she didn't give up, her drive to be known as a serious rock female artist unmatchable. After The RUNAWAYS split, however, Jett drank herself sick, partying with the likes of Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy. She was so lost she contemplated joining the military.
Record producer KENNY LAGUNA, who was known for making "bubblegum pop songs" ("Yummy Yummy Yummy" I got love in my tummy, etc), turned everything around and JOAN JETT became the lead of the BLACKHEARTS, with "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" playing on every radio across the country and throughout the world.
Director Kevin Kerslake's Bad Reputation tells the story of Jett's tenacious rise to fame, highlighting her place in history as a revolutionary female rock star … but here I have to self-edit, right? Because as the documentary proves, Jett's more punk rock than pop rock, though her biggest hits might suggest otherwise, and the artists who speak best about her influence throughout the film are Iggy Pop, Blondie, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna â€" all punk rockers.
The documentary is full of intense live footage and still photography of Jett from her early days as a guitar-thrashing youth through to the present day, where she remains a guitar-thrasher, albeit now 60 years old. And it really doesn't matter whether you like her music or not: you'll like her.
This was a one-night-only showing at the Adelaide Film Festival and what a kick-ass way to close the festival, too. The audience loved it, laughing at Jett and Laguna's enduring and utterly endearing relationship, and marvelling at how really hardcore the woman was, is, and will no doubt be on her upcoming Australian tour.
If you can't make it to Mannum in January for the Sounds by the River concert, catch this film and rediscover a legend. It's brilliant filmmaking and boasts one heck of a soundtrack. 'Bad Reputation" a superb documentary about JOAN JETT: On the Beat from: journalstar.com By L. KENT WOLGAMOTT | Photo: Associated Press
I'll never forget the first time I saw JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS live - March 26, 1981 - when their full-on rock 'n' roll assault nearly blew the roof off The Drumstick. That was also the first time I talked to Jett, who was out pushing her solo debut "Bad Reputation."
Nor will I ever forget the first time I stood on the side of the stage during a Jett show at Westfair Amphitheatre outside of Council Bluffs about two decades later. There she, like an athlete, was tight as a spring before, then after slaying another audience, was almost unbelievably hospitable in the dressing room after.
Over the years, I've seen Jett well over a dozen times - too many times to recall every one - chatted with her and her musical partner KENNY LAGUNA on the phone and before and after shows and read, I think, every book about Jett and her teenage band The RUNAWAYS.
In shorter form, I know Jett and Laguna - and original BLACKHEARTS guitarist Eric "Roscoe" Ambel - and thought I knew a lot about them.
That is until I watched "Bad Reputation," the superb rock 'n' roll doc that's now streaming on multiple services, including iTunes, Amazon Video, YouTube, DirectTV, Spectrum Charter, XBox and Google Play, after a short theatrical run that didn't hit Lincoln.
Directed by Kevin Kerslake, the picture opens at the start of Jett's musical career, when the teenager hit Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco on L.A.'s Sunset Strip, met Frankenstein-looking manager Kim Fowley (who always scared me when I'd encounter him) and put together The RUNAWAYS, her '70s all-girl rock 'n' roll band.
While that story has been told in books, other documentaries and a feature film with Kristen Stewart playing Jett, it's illuminatingly revisited here - with Jett, now 60, providing her view on the events, as she does throughout the film.
Among those insights, her shift from glitter-and-glam to punk after touring England in the mid-70s and meeting, among others, the Sex Pistols and the true reason for The RUNAWAYS breakup. [more] Kathleen Hanna Launches TEES 4 TOGO T-Shirt Line ft. Carrie Brownstein, Patton Oswalt, JOAN JETT from: broadwayworld.com By TV News Desk
Today, Kathleen Hanna launches TEES 4 TOGO, a brand new, star-studded line of T-shirts designed by - and portraying designs of - Hanna and her friends. 100% of the profits go to Peace Sisters, a Pasadena-based non-profit that financially assists to fund local girls' school tuition costs in Dapaong, Togo West Africa, the hometown of current Pasadena resident and Peace Sisters founder, Tina Kampor. Each shirt is cozy, colorful, sweatshop-free, and costs $40 each-the amount it costs for a girl to attend school in Togo for an entire year, including books.
In Togo, Hanna points out, people usually don't have enough money to send their children to school, especially if they have boys and girls at home. "People often decide to spend their money on the boys. When Tina was an educator in Togo she saw so many girls' dreams fall by the wayside. She came to California determined to change that."
For her birthday last November, Hanna organized a Peace Sisters gofundme, which raised almost $9,000. Hanna also began throwing fundraisers at her home, was named a Peace Sisters ambassador and regularly attends board meetings with Kampor, learning how each dollar the group earns is spent. Feeling bolstered by the team's professionalism and attention to detail, she decided to do more. That's when Hanna got the idea for TEES 4 TOGO.
TEES 4 TOGO emulates Kampor's own donations to her home country. "Tina came to Pasadena from Togo, got her nursing certificate, and started sending girls through school. First she sent two girls through school. The next year she sent five. Before she started Peace Sisters as a non profit in 2016, she had already sent 130 girls to school with her own money."
TEES 4 TOGO is consistent with Hanna's renowned feminist and DIY philosophies. Through it all, Hanna has worked to address and facilitate conversations around inclusivity, equal opportunity, sexism, and breaking societal expectations. "We're not gonna have equality in the world if we don't hear African women's voices," Hanna says. "And we're not gonna hear women's voices if they have no education. Another part of this is Trump saying AFRICA is a shithole. How can I respond to that as a citizen? How can I do something positive in light of that? I found an organization run by somebody who grew up in West Africa, who flies money back to the school every year, and has already been doing it for 15 years. This is my opportunity to be an ally to her already successful project."
Kampor brought three things to the girls in Togo on her recent April 2018 trip: money for girls' tuition, solar lamps, and her own vivacious spirit. With TEES 4 TOGO, Hanna hopes to continue Kampor's work by giving West African girls an opportunity for education, which, she argues, is more vital than ever today.TEES 4 TOGO is just the beginning. Hanna says: "Eventually the dream is to send all the girls to college, and help with housing needs, which may start happening as early as this November, depending on how many shirts I can sell!" [more] Kenny Chesney, Flo Rida, JOAN JETT Set for 2019 Tortuga Music Festival from: rollingstone.com By JOSEPH HUDAK | Photo by WireImage
Kenny Chesney, Thomas Rhett and Jason Aldean will headline the three-day 2019 Tortuga Music Festival. The annual beachside event, which launched in 2013, is set for April 12 through 13th in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Officially titled Rock the Ocean's Tortuga Music Festival, the concert doubles as a conservation effort for the world's oceans and marine life and hosts a special educational and interactive "conservation village."
The draw, though, is the traditionally diverse lineup, one that strays far from any country boundaries. This year, that includes Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, eclectic songwriter Sheryl Crow, rapper Flo Rida, New Orleans brass master Trombone Shorty, and reggae icons the Wailers.
Maren Morris, Kane Brown, Midland, Chris Janson, Carly Pearce, Dustin Lynch and Lindsay Ell are among those representing country music, along with Danielle Bradbery, Delta Rae, Morgan Evans, Jillian Jacqueline, Cody Johnson, Maddie & Tae, David Lee Murphy, Cassadee Pope, RaeLynn, Michael Ray and Mitchell Tenpenny.
Last year's lineup included such far-ranging acts as Eric Church, Florida Georgia Line, Dwight Yoakam, Shaggy, Snoop Dogg and Cheap Trick. [more] Jimmy Webb, Elliott Murphy, JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' KENNY LAGUNA, and Studio 54 Director on Tom Needham's The Sounds of Film from: longisland.com By TOM NEEDHAM
Stony Brook, NY - October 17, 2018 - Music legends Jimmy Webb and Elliott Murphy are Tom Needham's special guests this upcoming Thursday on WUSB's 'The Sounds of Film.' The two of them will be inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on Thursday, November 8th at The Space in Westbury. JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS' KENNY LAGUNA will be talking about the hit film, 'Bad Reputation.' Also on the program is director Matt Tyrnauer, whose film, 'Studio 54' will be screening at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on Monday, October 27th at Theatre Three.
Jimmy Webb is one of America's most celebrated songwriters and composers. He has written many platinum hits including "MacArthur Park," "The Worst That Could Happen," "By the Time I Get To Phoenix," and "Witchita Lineman." He is especially well-known for his work with Glen Campbell, the 5th Dimension and Art Garfunkel. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1990, received the National Academy of Songwriters Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993, and received the Ivor Novello Special International Award in 2012. He is also the only person to ever receive Grammy Awards for music, lyrics and orchestration. Jimmy Webb's new memoir, 'The Cake and the Rain,' delivers a snapshot of his life from 1955 to the 1970's. 'The Sounds of Film' will be featuring an in-depth interview with Webb, as well as the music of Jimmy Webb performed by himself and other artists who have recorded his songs through the years.
Elliott Murphy is well-known for his critically-acclaimed 1973 debut 'Aquashow.' Since then, he has released over 30 impressive albums, including his latest, the Prodigal Son. The record contains his longest song to date, "Absalon, Davy & Jackie O." Elliott is also featured in the documentary 'The Second Act of Elliott Murphy,' which was previously featured at the Stony Brook Film Festival. The film features extensive interviews with Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen.
Elliott Murphy and Jimmy Webb both plan on attending the Long Island Music Hall of Fame's upcoming Induction Gala at the Space in Westbury on November 8, 2018. Other people scheduled to attend include EPMD, Taking Back Sunday, Melanie, Jon "Bowzer" Bauman, Seymour Stein, Michael Lang, Artie Kornfeld, and Bruce "Cousin Bruce" Morrow. For more information, go to limusichalloffame.org.
KENNY LAGUNA is a musician, songwriter and producer most well-known for his collaboration with JOAN JETT. He is prominently featured in the new documentary about JOAN JETT, 'Bad Reputation.' Before getting involved with JOAN JETT, Kenny was a successful songwriter and producer who worked with Tony Orlando, The Ohio Express, The Lemon Pipers and Tommy James and the Shondells. The film, 'Bad Reputation,' makes the case for the importance of JOAN JETT's musical career. It also shines a light on the unique relationship between JOAN JETT and KENNY LAGUNA.
Also on the program is 'Studio 54' director Matt Tyrnauer. 'Studio 54' will be screening at the Port Jefferson Documentary Series on October 27th at Theatre Three. The film provides a revealing, engrossing look at the legendary Studio 54. The Port Jefferson screening will also feature a panel discussion with Myra Scheer, past executive assistant to Steve Rubell, former doorman, Marc Bedeck, and moderator, Tom Needham.
About the Sounds of Film
The Sounds of Film is the nation's longest running film and music themed radio show. For the past 30 years, the program has delivered a popular mix of interviews and music to listeners all over Long Island, parts of Connecticut and streaming live worldwide on the internet. Previous people interviewed for the show include Nile Rodgers, Billy Joel, Alexander Payne, Dave Rubin, Gretchen Carlson, Alec Baldwin, Alex Winter, Peter Yarrow, Ralph Macchio and Kurtis Blow. JOAN JETT talks career ups and downs from: theday.com By Rafer Guzmán, Newsday
"Bad Reputation," a documentary about rock icon JOAN JETT that's available now on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video, covers the hard-knocks career of a headstrong frontwoman. She exploded onto the Los Angeles rock scene with the teenage RUNAWAYS in the mid-1970s, then transformed herself into an MTV star with the BLACKHEARTS during the 1980s, scoring the hit singles "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You."
The film includes early live footage, old television appearances and interviews with Iggy Pop, Deborah Harry, Miley Cyrus, Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong and others. Jett, who at 60 continues to record albums and play live, emerges as an inspiration to generations of punks, indie rockers and riot grrrls.
"It's really important to tell people that their dreams aren't just dreams," Jett said by phone from a tour stop in Texas. "If I listened to everybody who told me I couldn't do it, then I wouldn't be doing it." The following is a condensed and edited version of the interview.
Q: You've been part of glam, punk, New Wave, indie - did you try to change with the times, or did the times change around you?
A: A little bit of both. I did try a few things here and there. Early on I did a rap song (1986's "Black Leather"). But not really more than that. I'm a rock and roller, that's what I do.
Q: In the film there's an old clip of you singing "Do You Wanna Touch Me" at the Malibu in Lido Beach. The place is packed. Do you remember that show?
A: I remember! The first time we played, it was empty. And the next time we played was after we'd had some support from the radio stations. It was really surprising to us - they had to close the highways coming to the club. It was at that point that we knew something was going on. But we were still selling records out of the trunk of a car.
Q: You became a major star in the 1980s, but you'd already had a whole career with the RUNAWAYS. What lessons had you learned?
A: It's really important to remember that you never do any of this by yourself. It's not just me, so I can't take credit when things are great. I have a band, I have people helping me make the records, I have the fans. I think: humility, humility, humility, over and over again. [more] New Nirvana Reunion Poster Revealed from: alternativenation.net By Brett Buchanan
Foo Fighters' official Cal Jam 2018 artist Thomas Estrada is selling a print a hand signed 'CalJam Nirvana' print featuring Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear, and JOAN JETT. You can click here
to buy it for $18.
Acclaimed rock photographer Ross Halfin also took a new official group photo of the reunited Nirvana. He wrote on Instagram, "Nirvana Reunion at the Cal Jam 2018. Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear and Dave Grohl." Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, JOAN JETT, and More Announce Record Store Day Releases from: 1071theboss.com By Michele Amabile
Record Store Day will once again return on Black Friday (November 23), and some tasty vinyl offerings will be available exclusively in independent record stores right here in New Jersey.
Among the limited-edition discs that will be available exclusively in independent record stores are releases from Paul McCartney, JOAN JETT, Chris Cornell, Eric Clapton, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience.
McCartney's is serving up a seven-inch disc featuring "I Don't Know" and "Come On to Me" - the first two singles from his latest album, Egypt Station.
Jett will release the music from the soundtrack to her music documentary, "Bad Reputation," on transparent yellow vinyl. The career-spanning compilation premieres a new JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS track, "Fresh Start," alongside definitive live and studio performances by JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS as well as tracks featuring The RUNAWAYS, Bikini Kill, Miley Cyrus and members of The Sex Pistols.
Cornell's posthumous new song "When Bad Does Good," included in an upcoming career-spanning box set due out November 16, will be issued as a seven-inch single for Black Friday. It also includes a 2016 live version of Temple of the Dog playing Mother Love Bone's "Stargazer."
Clapton, whose first-ever holiday album, Happy Xmas, comes out this Friday, will release a 12-inch single on Black Friday boasting two new tracks not included on the Christmas collection.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience's Black Friday offering is an orange vinyl EP that contains three unreleased mono mixes of three tracks from the group's 1968 album, Electric Ladyland - "Burning of the Midnight Lamp," "Crosstown Traffic," and "Gypsy Eyes." [more] Woman Crush Wednesday: Why Everybody's Talking About JOAN JETT Again from: laweekly.com By Lina Lecaro | Photo by Roy Jurgens
JOAN JETT's surprise appearance fronting the reunion of Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear on Saturday, Oct. 6, at CalJam (Grohl's retro-style music festival in San Bernardino) was foreshadowed for many fans - including this writer - weeks earlier. Bad Reputation, the new biodoc about her life, contains footage of Jett's jam with the guys during Nirvana's induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, and it's one of the doc's highlights. Which is really saying something because Jett has had an amazing career, as a songwriter, performer, torch bearer for rock & roll and force of nature. The documentary features countless clips, starting from when Jett was the soft-spoken L.A. teenager who formed The Runways, and throughout her transcendent career as a solo artist and MTV video star.
But the Hall of Fame clips - both the year she was inducted (and intro'd by Miley Cyrus) and the Nirvana one - cemented her status as a true rock icon, someone who deserves mention alongside the likes of still-living (male) legends Mick Jagger, Jimmy Page and Iggy Pop, as well as departed ones like Kurt Cobain. Her alluring rasp fits perfectly into Nirvana's sludgy hooks, and as I watched the film at the Nuart premiere last week, I thought, "Damn, I'd love to see that live." This past Saturday I got to, along with thousands of other elated rock fans. Jett captured the "spirit" and then some.
Before that, I spoke with Jett on the phone for the second time (the first was during a tribute to her by the now-defunct Sunset Music Festival) just last week, and she was as cool and forthcoming with her thoughts as ever. Even when she doesn't want to talk about stuff (her personal life, mostly), she's very real with you about why. She says exactly what she's thinking and feeling, and she does it with conviction and fervor. This badassness, of course, comes through in her music, and it's part of why she's a rock star with so many admirers (both male and female) who love, lust after and worship her with the same zeal she expresses for rock & roll. JOAN JETT is rock & roll, and while Bad Reputation may not delve too deep into the dirt some may expect, it does reveal how she overcame so much - sexism, bad judgment, some tough breaks - to achieve her dreams. This woman was born to do what she does, and her story shows how following one's passion no matter what can lead to real nirvana.
L.A. WEEKLY: How did Bad Reputation come about? JOAN JETT: I can't take any credit for it and neither can Kenny [Laguna]. It was Carianne Brinkman, who runs our label [BLACKHEART RECORDS]. She is also Kenny daughter and I'm her godmother. I've known her since she was 3 months old, when I moved into Kenny's house in New York. I lived with his wife and their little baby. She was like the Blackheart mascot, a little rock & roll baby. I lived in the same house with them til she was maybe 11, 13. So she wanted to show people the unique relationship between myself and her father, you know, my songwriting partner and producer and all that. We had a unique situation, and I think she was trying to look for a way to express that. Several years ago we had been doing some filming, some live videos for something, and I'm not even sure where it was but she got an idea and wanted to start a documentary. She had some kind of vision about it. So she asked if I would mind if if she started documenting stuff and looking for footage and trying to put together a story, and I said go for it.
Since the producer of the film is like part of your family, obviously there was trust there.
Absolutely. Yeah. I mean what's the point of doing a documentary if it's not real. So I wanted her to be able to tell the story but have sensitivity to it. She was perfect, you know?
ot long ago, I saw "Bad Reputation," the new documentary about JOAN JETT, and came out of it exhilarated, listening to "I Love Rock 'n Roll" while powering down Sixth Avenue. Jett's sound-the full-throttle drums, guitar, and vocals-made me feel a joyous, uncharacteristic assertiveness. Instead of skirting pedestrian traffic, I walked confidently, claiming part of the sidewalk-and was suddenly blasted back to a sense memory of childhood, when I would request "I Love Rock 'n Roll" at the roller rink and pound my skates in time with the beat. In that era, I liked to wear a T-shirt that said "Let's Face It-Girls Are Smarter." And in recent weeks, as the wheels have flown off the shabby jalopy that is American civic life, Jett's music has helped me feel better. I was a sensitive kid and am a sensitive adult, and I was intrigued to learn, by watching "Bad Reputation," that Jett is sensitive, too.
Recently, I talked to Jett for "The New Yorker Radio Hour," and she told me how she developed her sound. (You can hear the radio segment here; what follows is from our fuller conversation.) When she was growing up, she said, her parents listened to Johnny Mathis, classical, Sinatra, Top Forty. "Then, something caught my ear as puberty was hitting," she told me: rock and roll. "I was noticing the guitar sounds. It was resonating in my body with a feeling I couldn't quite put my finger on, what was going on, but I felt an energy." She and her mother went to see Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret." "The music was incredible. Visually, it was stunning and rich. It was campy, it was pushing the boundaries. Liza made me want to perform."
What happened next begins "Bad Reputation": Jett asked for an electric guitar, and her parents gave her one for Christmas. Then she took lessons and told her teacher she wanted to play rock and roll. "Girls don't play rock and roll," he said, and taught her "On Top of Old Smokey." He wasn't saying that girls can't master the guitar, Jett told me, but that "girls aren't allowed to play guitar socially. I can't be the Rolling Stones. Rock and roll, by its nature, exudes sexuality. A girl playing rock and roll, it's going to be sexual. Americans are very uncomfortable with that-with women and sexuality in general, but when you get to teen-agers expressing themselves, forget about it."
Jett's primal, commanding sound is, in part, a reaction to that attitude. As a teen-ager, she co-founded the all-girl band the RUNAWAYS, fronted by Cherie Currie-a group that was adored by many and disparaged, with sexist language, by others. Later, she wrote the song "Bad Reputation" in response to such reactions. "When I met my best friend and producer-songwriting-partner, KENNY LAGUNA, we were talking about subjects to write songs about, talking about my life," she told me. They landed on the idea of making fun of the criticism "in a tongue-in-cheek way." Laguna had had a successful career in a Brill Building-style songwriting factory that made bubblegum records. He brought an ear for catchy tunes; Jett, he's said, brought the "menace." They recruited male band members-the BLACKHEARTS-and recorded songs with a sound that's at once forceful, fun, and inclusive. "Bad Reputation" feels like a rebel's song-a breakin'-all-the-rules eff-you to society-but it's actually about ignoring unearned smack talk, Jett told me. That's clear from the song's opening lines:
I don't give a damn 'bout my reputation
You're living in the past it's a new generation
A girl can do what she wants to do
And that's what I'm gonna do
And I don't give a damn 'bout my bad reputation [more] SURVIVING NIRVANA MEMBERS REUNITE WITH JOAN JETT + DEER TICK’S JOHN MCCAULEY AT CAL JAM 18 from: loudwire.com By Chad Childers
Foo Fighters had been dropping teases all week, so it wasn't too much of a surprise, but the surviving members of Nirvana reunited at Cal Jam 18 on Saturday (Oct. 6) in San Bernardino, Calif. Dave Grohl had a little fun with the crowd after Foo Fighters finished the crux of their set, showing footage from backstage, with the camera initially on him, then showing Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear as well, with the crowd getting increasingly louder. He then turned the camera to his two other friends -- JOAN JETT and Deer Tick's John McCauley, who handled vocals for this special occasion.
The encore was a six-song Nirvana set divided evenly between McCauley, who went first, and Jett. McCauley led the band through "Serve the Servants," "Scentless Apprentice" and "In Bloom," before letting Jett take over for the night's final three tracks -- "Breed," "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "All Apologies" (with the latter finding Novoselic moving over to accordion).
Prior to "All Apologies," Novoselic and Grohl thanked the crowd, with Krist asking for a big cheer for the late Kurt Cobain and then seeing the place erupt.
Novoselic had performed earlier in the day with his band Giants in the Trees as Dave Grohl watched on from the side of the stage and eventually sat in on drums for a song. Deer Tick performed in the early evening hours ahead of the Nirvana performance. Meanwhile, Jett was the big surprise, as she was not originally on the bill. However, her Bad Reputation documentary screened for festival goers on Friday night.
Check out fan-shot footage from the performances below, see the pre-stage tease in the fan-shot video above, and stay tuned for our recap and photo gallery from Cal Jam '18. We'll also update this story as more video becomes available.
Photo Flash: See Cyndi Lauper, Michael C. Hall and More at the Farm Sanctuary On the Hudson Gala from: broadwayworld.com By TV News Desk | Photo credit: GETTY IMAGES
Farm Sanctuary, the organization dedicated to combating the abuses of factory farming and encouraging a new awareness and understanding about farm animals last night hosted their 2018 Gala "Farm Sanctuary On the Hudson" in New York City. The event, hosted by Bellamy Young honored Carol Leifer, Tracye McQuirter and Dr. Kristi Funk.
Special guest presenters include: Emily Deschanel, Sandra Lee, Michael C. Hall and Cyndi Lauper. Additional guests in attendance included Gene Baur (President, Farm Sanctuary), President Eric Adams (Brooklyn Borough President), Jennifer Coolidge, JOAN JETT, Joe Gatto (Impractical Jokers) Willow Hand (model), and Loretta Swit. The evening featured music by Colbie Caillat and DJ Valida.
Founded in 1986, Farm Sanctuary works to change how our society views and treats farm animals through rescue, education and advocacy. The organization provides lifelong care for animals rescued from abuse at sanctuary locations in New York and California; promotes compassionate vegan living; and advocates for legal and policy reforms. To learn more about Farm Sanctuary, visit farmsanctuary.org. JOAN JETT doesn't buy leather any more, much like she would never eat a burger from: nydailynews.com By BRIAN NIEMIETZ
In 1986, JOAN JETT famously sang in her hit tune "Black Leather" that "I'm gonna' wear it to my grave."
Now, not so much.
"I buy no new leather, I try to look for vegan options on everything," Jett told us while prepping for Thursday's Farm Sanctuary on the Hudson Gala at Chelsea's Pier 60. "They make a lot of great fake leather now, too."
A couple weeks removed from celebrating her 60th birthday on stage with Nine Inch Nails, the rock-and-roll star topped a list for the animal rights event that also included Cyndi Lauper, "Dexter" star Michael C. Hall and actress Emily Deschanel.
According to Jett, around the time she cut leather out of her wardrobe, she took meat out of her diet, too.
"I'm very close to vegan but I can't claim vegan because I eat honey and little bits of butter here and there," she confessed, comparing eating a burger to eating one of her pets -- or relatives.
"I'm not judging anyone else's path, but to me I might as well be putting my cat on a dinner plate," she said. "To me, there's no difference (between that) or my grandmother, or for that matter, a baby -- baby meat is very tender, just ask the veal and the lamb. Where do you draw the line?"
Jett doesn't have a spirit animal per se, but she wouldn't mind getting inside the head of a different beast for kicks. [more] Foo Fighters tease Nirvana reunion performance at Cal Jam 18 JOAN JETT and Deer Tick's John McAuley, both of who fronted Nirvana at their 2014 reunion show, are on Cal Jam's lineup from: consequenceofsound.net By ALEX YOUNG
No one likes a surprise more than Dave Grohl, and it looks like Foo Fighters' frontman has quite a treat in store for attendees of the band's Cal Jam Fest, which takes place this weekend in San Bernardino, CA.
Over the last 24 hours, Foo Fighters have posted two cryptic tweets in reference to Cal Jam. In a tweet announcing a screening of JOAN JETT's new documentary, Foo Fighters responded by tweeting: "CAN'T WAIT!!!! What else could we have up our sleeves???" Stay tuned...."
Hours later, Foo Fighters shared footage from Nirvana's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame afterparty, which took place following the band's induction in 2014. That tweet included the caption, "This is a Jam @caljamfest #CalJam18," and it was retweeted by Nirvana's verified Twitter account.
What's it all mean? Is a Nirvana reunion really in store for Cal Jam?
Here's what we know for sure: All three surviving Nirvana members will be present at the festival. Grohl and Pat Smear, of course, play together in Foo Fighters, while Krist Novoselic is scheduled to appear with his current band, Giants in the Trees. Also on the Cal Jam lineup are two of the vocalists from Nirvana's 2014 reunion show: the aforementioned JOAN JETT and John McAuley of the band Deer Tick. McAuley is also featured in the below video, which shows "Serve the Servants" played backwards. [more] College Radio Day Set For October 5th from: allaccess.com By allaccess
COLLEGE RADIO DAY is bringing together over 470 college radio stations this FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5th, to celebrate the medium with support from leaders such as FCC Chairman AJIT PAI, former VP JOE BIDEN, JOAN JETT and KENNY LAGUNA, who are the official ambassadors of the event.
The theme of CRD is "When All Else Fails, College Radio Speaks." Participating stations will explore and highlight how college radio provides a platform for students to talk about issues and stories that are important to them. Stations are planning special programming and events that include live music from local artists, on-campus festivities and inviting alumni back onto the airwaves.
"Only on college radio will you hear music and programming you just can't find anywhere else, and it's the place where the future broadcast journalists of tomorrow start their careers," CRD Founder ROB QUICKE said.
In late SEPTEMBER, a COLLEGE RADIO DAY Task Force group visited WASHINGTON, DC, to meet with FCC Chairman AJIT PAI and officials from the US Copyright Office. At the FCC, Chairman PAi presented the group with a letter of recognition stating: "College radio has long been a staple of the campus experience, providing a platform for students to have their voices heard and the opportunity to shape their identities ... From promoting new, local-underground music to encouraging political awareness, college radio has united listeners across the country and throughout the world."
"Our students have learned in class about working within the rules set by the FCC and Copyright Office, so what better way to drive home those points than by meeting face-to-face with those who actually set policy," COLLEGE RADIO DAY Pres. and UTA Radio Faculty Advisor LANCE LIGUEZ said.
For more information, please visit www.collegeradio.org. How JOAN JETT Started the RUNAWAYS at 15 and Faced Down Every Barrier for Women in Rock and Roll from: openculture.com By Gender, Music
These are dark days for everyone who cares about equality. After decades of painful progress and some hard-won victories for women in the U.S., the guardians of patriarchy seem hellbent on undoing modernity and setting the clock back decades to keep power. The misogynistic spectacle is nauseating. One remedy, Rebecca Traister recommends in her new book of the same name, is to get "good and mad." The voices of women resisting the current wave of political attacks can guide righteous outrage in constructive directions, and we can learn much from women who pushed past the same barriers in the past through sheer force of will.
Women like JOAN JETT, who, in a recent interview with Courtney Smith at Refinery 29 expressed her thoughts on the challenges of the present ("I think it's still very much the same as it was many years ago"). Her advice: conquer fear.
"People count on you being fearful," she says, "as a woman or whoever you are and whatever you want to do. They count on that fear to keep them from forging ahead and figuring that out. It's definitely fear-inducing, and it's not a fear you want to face. But it is doable." The rock icon director Kevin Kerslake (who has just released a Jett documentary) calls a "feminist manifesto in the flesh" should know.
Jett herself expresses some discomfort with the label of feminism ("I'm for people being what they want to be"), but her career has served for decades as a model for women seizing power in the music industry, and she's never had any patience with sexist discrimination. She "wanted to be a rocker ever since she got a hold of a guitar, even though she was told girls don't play rock and roll. That didn't stop her from forming The RUNAWAYS despite the sexist roadblocks the band faced." So goes the description for Marc Maron's recent interview with Jett on his WTF podcast. The ugliness women in rock faced in the 70s is depressingly familiar. Before she even learned to play, Jett was told by a guitar teacher, "girls don't play rock and roll."
Undaunted, she quit lessons, taught herself, and learned her favorite songs (Free's "Alright Now" topped the list). Then, when her family moved to L.A., she sought out other like minds to form an all-girl rock band. With no examples to look to, Jett figured it out on her own, finding a club that played glam rock for teenagers and finding her people. At fifteen years old, without songs or a demo tape, she called producer Kim Fowley, then started assembling the RUNAWAYS, starting with drummer Sandy West, then, after playing as a trio with Micki Steele, recruiting lead guitarist Lita Ford, bassist Jackie Fox, and singer Cherie Currie. "We went in the studio right away," she tells Maron.
The RUNAWAYS were "trying to express ourselves the way we knew how," Jett says in her interview with Smith. "Not much different from what the Rolling Stones were doing. We didn't want barriers put up on what we were allowed to sing about, say, or play." By 1976, they were signed to Mercury Records, releasing their debut album, and touring with Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Talking Heads, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. The following year, they released Queens of Noise and quickly became associated with punk. American critics savaged the band, and they faced violence and sneering condescension at home but were beloved superstars in Japan (see them play "Cherry Bomb" live in Japan at the top). [more] Happy Birthday to JOAN JETT from: YouTube.com By Pete Was There
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS, River City Rockfest, San Antonio, TX - 09/22/2018 JOAN JETT's Bad Reputation from: thefix.com By Dorri Olds
"I've been hurt," says Jett. "I've had my head split open by a beer bottle, a rib cracked by getting a battery thrown at meâ€"this big metal rig thing….just because I was a girl, I'd get spit on."
Bad Reputation is a loving tribute to legendary musician and feminist icon JOAN JETT. The trailblazer turned 60 on September 22 and keeps on rocking. At 13, Jett's parents granted a wish by buying her an electric guitar and amp for Christmas. She had no idea how to play it. At her first lesson, the male teacher said, "Girls don't play rock and roll."
Then the film explodes. Jett screams into a mic:
I don't give a damn about my reputation!
You're living in the past, it's a new generation.
A girl can do what she wants to do and that's
What I'm gonna do.
In an exclusive interview for The Fix, director Kevin Kerslake (As I AM: The Life and Times of DJ AM, Nirvana's Come As You Are, Bob Marley Legend Remixed) told me, "This film is Joan laid bare. Viewers get to process it on that level. I don't feel there was anything verboten, you know, forbidden to ask, so the dynamics of her life play out as you see them in the film."
Clearly, Kerslake is a fan. He sings her praises, particularly when it comes to Jett's habit of championing others.
"Joan's soul is all about rock and roll," he told me. "She's an activist too-for animals and for people. She has produced a lot of albums for musicians she believes in. And, if she gets credit, she immediately ropes in other people to share it with. She'll never take it solo."
Right before receiving that first guitar, Jett had read about a club in Hollywood called the Rodney Bingenheimer English Disco. They were the first to play music by Blondie, Iggy Pop, Bowie, and the Sex Pistols. Archival footage shows boys and girls in heavy makeup, fishnets, leather and sporting nutty hairdos, short skirts and platform shoes. [more] TimesTalks: JOAN JETT from: YouTube.com By TimesTalks
Jodi Rudoren, associate managing editor for The New York Times, moderates a conversation with boundary breaking guitarist/singer/songwriter JOAN JETT. Jett will discuss her upcoming biopic "Bad Reputation," which traces her historic journey from teenage dreamer to rock and roll rule breaker. Jett may be the coolest person in the room, and an inspiration to anyone who feels like an outsider or misfit, but beneath her tough-as-nails exterior is a musician with depth and versatility. Join Jett as she discusses rising to the top of the patriarchal music industry, bouncing back from disparaging reviews, and how she never compromised her ethics or creative integrity along the way. JOAN JETT On What Advice She'd Offer Young Women from: refinery29.com By COURTNEY E. SMITH | Photo by MICHAEL BUCKNER
With the release of Bad Reputation, JOAN JETT has taken a moment to look back on her own life. She's already an icon, but this documentary spanning the beginning of her career in the '70s all-girl band The RUNAWAYS to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 makes something else clear: she's a fighter. She's gone to the mat for the rights of women in music, for her own right to make and live by her rules, and for control over her career.
"Really that's all The RUNAWAYS were doing: trying to express ourselves the way we knew how, putting it into our songs," Jett told Refinery29, putting the raison d'etre of her groundbreaking girl band into words. "Not much different than what the Rolling Stones were doing. We didn't want barriers put up on what we were allowed to sing about, say, or play."
Refinery29 spoke to Jett ahead of Bad Reputation's release, and the "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" singer told us about the strangeness of watching your life be turned into a documentary, about enduring criticism from second-wave feminists, and why she's always faced her fears when people told her she couldn't do something -- and did it anyway.
Refinery29: With this documentary, you got the chance to look back and reflect on the choices you've made and the battles you've chosen to fight. How do you feel about what you see? JOAN JETT: "I feel pretty fulfilled, looking at the film. I went right along on the emotional journey that my life has been: the elation of The RUNAWAYS, the depression when the band broke up, meeting [my longtime manager] Kenny [Laguna]. It took me on this journey again. I feel good about it. I don't have big regrets, yeah sure here and there in the details I could find stuff I wish I did, but on the main things, I've been really blessed and guided by a universal force that took me in the right direction for me."
What battles do you feel like you're still fighting?
"I think the gender issue, the roles of what women are allowed to do and not allowed to do, is going to be with us for a long time. That's always a place to put some energy. Teaching younger people at an early age how to treat people is very important. I think it makes a big difference in how we grow up. Addressing gender issues and what we say to each other, it starts early. Everybody with little kids or kids around knows exactly what I'm talking about. It's up to all of us to tend to our own gardens and deal with that stuff if we want things changed. If we want guys to treat women differently, we need to focus on how [young] boys and girls treat each other."
When you were starting out, both with The RUNAWAYS and as a solo act, did you think of yourself as a feminist?
"No. The terminology was so new at the time; it wasn't part of the lexicon. On a day to day level, people didn't talk about being a feminist or not. It was, at that time, more of a political word. But, I definitely felt criticism from aspects of that movement who were uncomfortable with the fact that young girls and teenagers want to have sex and talk about sex. You don't just dismiss that aspect of being a woman. I understand, given time to reflect on it, why people may have been a little punchy about it. But it's frustrating when you're taking crap from women when you're trying to follow your dreams. Your parents always told you that you could be whatever you wanted to be, and now you've got these women telling you that you can't for some political reason you don't yet understand. I was didn't get it." [more]
Today, Kathleen Hanna launches TEES 4 TOGO, a brand new, star-studded line of T-shirts designed by - and portraying designs of - Hanna and her friends. 100% of the profits go to Peace Sisters, a Pasadena-based non-profit that financially assists to fund local girls' school tuition costs in Dapaong, Togo West Africa, the hometown of current Pasadena resident and Peace Sisters founder, Tina Kampor. Each shirt is cozy, colorful, sweatshop-free, and costs $40 each-the amount it costs for a girl to attend school in Togo for an entire year, including books.
"Bad Reputation," a documentary about rock icon JOAN JETT that's available now on iTunes and Amazon Prime Video, covers the hard-knocks career of a headstrong frontwoman. She exploded onto the Los Angeles rock scene with the teenage RUNAWAYS in the mid-1970s, then transformed herself into an MTV star with the BLACKHEARTS during the 1980s, scoring the hit singles "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," "Crimson and Clover" and "I Hate Myself For Loving You."
Record Store Day will once again return on Black Friday (November 23), and some tasty vinyl offerings will be available exclusively in independent record stores right here in New Jersey.
Farm Sanctuary, the organization dedicated to combating the abuses of factory farming and encouraging a new awareness and understanding about farm animals last night hosted their 2018 Gala "Farm Sanctuary On the Hudson" in New York City. The event, hosted by Bellamy Young honored Carol Leifer, Tracye McQuirter and Dr. Kristi Funk.
In 1986, JOAN JETT famously sang in her hit tune "Black Leather" that "I'm gonna' wear it to my grave."
COLLEGE RADIO DAY is bringing together over 470 college radio stations this FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5th, to celebrate the medium with support from leaders such as FCC Chairman AJIT PAI, former VP JOE BIDEN, JOAN JETT and KENNY LAGUNA, who are the official ambassadors of the event.
With the release of Bad Reputation, JOAN JETT has taken a moment to look back on her own life. She's already an icon, but this documentary spanning the beginning of her career in the '70s all-girl band The RUNAWAYS to her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 makes something else clear: she's a fighter. She's gone to the mat for the rights of women in music, for her own right to make and live by her rules, and for control over her career.