Page updated on September 30, 2021
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. 'I was playing with my dick too much': JOAN JETT + KENNY LAGUNA in conversation from: gigwise.com By Jessie Atkinson
JOAN JETT and KENNY LAGUNA have been, Jett says, "a little army trying to fight together" ever since 1979. That was the year that Jett, then only 20, started out as a solo artist following the collapse of her teenage band The RUNAWAYS. "We got 23 rejection letters from all the majors and minors" Jett tells Gigwise, still ever so slightly unbelieving all these decades later. "She was clearly good looking, wrote really good songs and yet we couldn't get through the door," Laguna adds, "people found it threatening." Jett sums it up in a gravel-toned deadpan: "I was playing with my dick too much."
Laguna and Jett are a close platonic coupling. Best friends; co-songwriters; the manager and the talent. The two of them circumvented the glass ceiling all those years ago by releasing Jett's solo work on their own independent label BLACKHEART RECORDS and have lived their lives in close tandem ever since. Those future smash-hits ('I Love Rock'n'Roll', 'Crimson and Clover', 'Do You Wanna Touch Me') - "nobody wanted them". The labels' loss, of course. "Now we own the records" Laguna says matter-of-factly, "and they're worth a lot."
It's not a surprise Jett calls Laguna a "godsend". Even now, as they sit together on the other side of the Atlantic on a camera-less Google call, the two bounce off one another, sharing ideas and saying so out loud if they disagree with something the other has said. Overall, though, theirs is a tight, shared thought process. One that derides the commercialisation of rock'n'roll, quails at the rise of fascism in their country and hasn't got any fucking time for social media.
"I feel like a lot of people make records just to be famous now" Jett muses, "and just do whatever that will get them in the spotlight." In particular, the pair agree, this is a problem that has gotten progressively worse over the past twenty years. "I noticed it in the early 2000s. All of a sudden you started seeing bands like Fall Out Boy and Pete Wentz on TV all the time. And then other bands started doing that. And the separation between rock'n'roll being a rebellion against the status quo [instead] became ingratiating to the status quo."
Of course, the advent of social media only added to this, creating an ouroboros of crowd-pleasing-to-facilitate-sales. "I liked it when our idols didn't share every little bit [of their lives]. We didn't know what the early idols were doing," Laguna says, adding with a humour tinged with sadness: "We didn't know when they had stomach trouble." "Sometimes", Joan concedes, "you can't be all things". And yet it also confuses her to see artists' every meal being pasted up for all to see. "The mystery is gone" she says simply. [more] 22 of the best guitarist stage names of all time from: omny.fm By omny.fm
As one of the few female rockstars of the 1970s and ‘80s, JOAN JETT was frustrated by the misogyny and disrespect she experienced ... but rather than be consumed by her anger, she channeled it into her music with hits like "Bad Reputation." And she's not the only one who's felt that experience of seeing red, especially now. There's so much to be angry about in the United States: political divisiveness, an ongoing global pandemic, racial injustice, and even just everyday life not going as planned. CNN's Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks with JOAN JETT and anger expert Brad Bushman about why we experience anger in the first place and how we can make our anger work for us instead of against us. Plus, Dr. Gupta finds out one of the anger management strategies he's been using his whole life is actually making it worse. 22 of the best guitarist stage names of all time from: guitarworld.com By Guitar World Staff
We chart some of the greatest stage monikers from the artists originally known as Saul Hudson, Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback, Aleksandar Zivojinovic, plus many more...
What's in a name? When it comes to rock 'n' roll, pretty much everything.
Rock stardom is all about reinventing yourself, becoming a larger-than-life figure that stands apart from the crowd. And if you want the people to scream your name, it had better be an awesome, memorable one.
Or at least pronounceable. Here we spotlight a few of the guitar heroes who played the name game and won. Sort of.
22. Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield came to be known as "Muddy" in his childhood via his grandmother, who gave him the nickname due to his penchant for playing in, well, muddy waters. Morganfield added "Waters" when, as a teen, he began playing harmonica and performing locally.
Waters would go on to take the influences he gathered in his native Mississippi and take them north to Chicago, where - recording for Chess Records - he perfected a style known as Chicago blues. The influence of his catalog on the blues, and later the blues-y rock of The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream and countless others, cannot be understated.
21. JOAN JETT
After she began playing guitar and her family moved from Maryland to Los Angeles County as a teen, Joan Marie Larkin took to calling herself JOAN JETT, as she simply felt it had a bit more rock-star pizazz than her birth name.
Jett would take said pizzazz to great heights throughout the 1980s with a number of hard-riffing hits that remain radio staples to this day, most notably the chart-topping I Love Rock 'n' Roll in 1981.
20. Earl Slick
One of the music world's most trusted guitar advisors, Earl Slick - the alias for Frank Madeloni - has a stage name wholly befitting of his equally slick skills. Though the two are not technically linked, it's a happy coincidence, especially given the random circumstances that gave birth to the 'Earl Slick' title.
Slick, who has performed with David Bowie, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and countless others, has Jack O'Neill to thank for his name. The singer in the covers band that Slick once played in, O'Neill had a habit of giving his bandmates impromptu nicknames. By chance, a 19-year-old Madeloni was introduced one night as Earl Slick. The name has stuck ever since.
19. Poison Ivy
Unlike her botanical counterpart, Poison Ivy - aka Kristy Marlana Wallace - won't make you break out in red rashes upon close contact. Her guitar playing, though, may trigger an involuntary urge to headbang and thrash the air guitar. That's a scientific fact. [more] JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS Postpone Shows Due To COVID-19 Concerns from: blabbermouth.net By Blabbermouth.net
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS have announced that all of their 2021 shows after September 28 will be postponed due of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The new dates are not yet available.
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS shared the news of the postponement in a social media post on Tuesday (September 21). They wrote: "It's been a thrill to be back on tour recently. We all missed being on the road, playing for the fans and playing together again.
"The continuing surge of COVID cases due to the Delta variant should be of concern to all of us. While we are fully vaccinated, we are still being extremely cautious to protect our fans, our crew and everyone else that work so hard to put on our shows. For that reason, we have decided to postpone the remaining performances that were planned for 2021.
Our last date of the tour will be September 28th.
"We're disappointed to have to take this step but we feel it is necessary to protect the health of everyone.
"Stay safe and we'll see you in 2022!"
Jett is an originator, an innovator, and a visionary. As the leader of the hard-rocking BLACKHEARTS, with whom she has become a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, she's had eight platinum and gold albums and nine Top 40 singles, including the classics "Bad Reputation", "I Love Rock 'N' Roll", "I Hate Myself For Loving You" and "Crimson And Clover". Her independent record label, Blackheart, was founded in 1980 after she was rejected by no less than 23 labels. Blackheart is one of the longest-running indie labels and continues to give voice to new bands. As a producer, she has overseen albums by BIKINI KILL, CIRCUS LUPUS, as well as THE GERMS' L.A. punk masterpiece "GI". Jett's music has become a permanent force in mainstream culture.
Jett and THE BLACKHEARTS released their latest record, "Unvarnished", in 2013 and continue touring the globe with headline shows alongside fellow rock icons like THE WHO, GREEN DAY and the FOO FIGHTERS. Additionally, Jett has acted and appeared in movies and television, including the film "Light Of Day". Jett was also able to see her story told in "The RUNAWAYS", the film based on (lead singer of THE RUNAWAYS) Cherie Currie's book "Neon Angel", starring Kristen Stewart as Jett, and Dakota Fanning as Currie. Jett was close to the project, serving as executive producer.
The documentary film based on Jett's life, "Bad Reputation" - produced by Blackheart's SVP Carianne Brinkman and directed by Kevin Kerslake - premiered to critical acclaim at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, with the New York Post hailing that "'Bad Reputation' does it right, tracing Jett's trailblazing path as one of the first, and still the hardest-rocking, women.". ELLNORA Guitar Festival: In review from: smilepolitely.com By Sean Wilkinson
JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS
I mean, what can I say about JOAN JETT that hasn't already been said. She was the big name this year, and I'll be darned if she doesn't deserve to be. I was unable to make it to Cedric Burnside after this show, so Jett closed out the festival for me.
Despite being 62 years old, she sounds incredible. The large crowd in Tryon was filled with a wide array of people, younger and older, signifying the reach and influence that JOAN JETT has established. She came out with her band The BLACKHEARTS, and ripped through a large setlist of hits including "I Love Rock N Roll," "I Hate Myself For Loving You," and "Bad Reputation." She also tore through some covers, including Sly and the Family Stone's "Everyday People," and Tommy James and the Shondell's "Crimson and Clover."
Jett and the band brought so much energy, and the crowd stood and danced for the whole show. She occasionally stopped in between songs to tell stories, talking about her days with her band The RUNAWAYS, as well as her role in the movie Light of Day in which she starred alongside Michael J Fox. She was all smiles and joking around with the crowd who were loving every single minute. Jett kept up the energy for the whole hour and fort-five minute set. This was an amazing way to end the night. As we walked out of the show, I could hear the crowd praising Jett, one audience memeber saying "that was amazing, I feel like I could run a mile!" I think we all left feeling energized and young and rebellious.
For my first ELLNORA, I had an absolute blast. I feel incredibly grateful that Krannert exists in our community, as the programs and events they put on always showcase incredible talent and musical diversity. I know that feeling is shared by other community members as well. I can't wait to see what next year holds for the festival.
