Continued from…

Jett says that looking back at The Runaways' tumultuous career is a mixed bag of emotions. The band has gained a posthumous respect; but while they were together, the group's members encountered obstacles and prejudice at almost every turn.

"We got hassled about everything when we were in that band." says Jett. "Just the fact that we were girls, first of all. Being women. I guess it’s hard for people to get it unless they’re involved. People don’t want to see women doing things that they don’t think women should do. Women are supposed to take a submissive role in society."

Sure, there have been plenty of gains in the last two decades. But Jett still finds that there are antiquated notions about women’s roles in the world of rock ’n’ roll.

"I don’t know why girls aren’t doing rock ’n’ roll as much," says Jett. "But, if people had to take the kind of shit that I took when I was in The Runaways, I would say that’s why they’re not playing rock ’n’ roll. They’d start getting judgments about their character, judgments about their sexuality, things that are completely unfounded just based on the fact that they’re playing electric guitar. Most people don’t want to deal with being cut down.

"The fact that The Runaways picked up guitars was not accepted. And me, being one of the louder ones with the leather jacket and the heavy eye makeup, I was just pushing the envelope. We were called sluts, whores, and dykes all the time. And we were constantly laughed at by bands we played with, by the crews and by the press. It was just totally frustrating. I didn’t get it.

"I mean, I thought people would love seeing teenage girls playing real rock ’n’ roll. You know, that was great! And when I see teenage girls now that are doing what we were doing–I wonder how they can handle it. It’s hard for me to think that most teenage girls could even handle what we went through. We were very mature for our age. It was really an incredibly special band. And anybody who saw us play knew that."

Looking back, Jett says that she also had favorite performers that she sought to emulate early in her career. "Wow, it’s hard to look back at who my influences were because it’s so long ago," says Jett. "I didn’t really have heroes per se. It was more like having influences or being a fan or inspired. But saying I had a hero, that’s too strong of a word.

"I’d say my big musical influence was the British glitter scene. Suzi Quatro was definitely a big influence because that was the first time I saw another woman playing rock ’n’ roll. I figured that if she could do it, I could do it. And, if I could do it, other girls could do it, too. I guess she was a big inspiration.

"But a really big one was Liza Minelli: a big inspiration. She turned me on to show business, to deviation and just wanting to sing. I really wanted to emulate Liza. And I’ve been lucky enough to be friends with her. So that’s really like a wonderful end to that story. She really is one of my heroes."

Always the people’s performer, Jett is happy to play a mix of new and old material, pleasing her old and new fans alike. She claims to have played her biggest hit, "I Love Rock ’n’ Roll," at every single show since 1982 when the song was number one on the charts. "I don’t want to be a smart ass and pull that one from the set because people get disappointed."

As to her personal life, Jett plans to continue rocking out, while also allowing some time for introspection. After a relentless schedule of playing and recording, she hopes to find some time to discover just what her other interests are.

"Rock ’n’ roll is the only aspect of my life that I’ve paid attention to. So now I want to take just a little bit of time and find out who I am beyond the person on-stage–beyond the person that’s playing guitar. I love sports, I love animals, I love kids, I want to save the world. So how do I combine all those things? I don’t know. I’m gonna start working on that instead of being so regimented and only accessing one aspect of myself. It’s time to grow a little bit.

"I think what I’m gonna do is to just try to get more balance in my life–to still be able to play the hard rock ’n’ roll and do what I like in music, but also to take a month off here and there. I don’t want to come to a point where I say fuck all of this and just leave it behind. I think it’s just about getting into other aspects of life, not just always being in a band. But I am not softening. Rock ’n’ roll music is still what gets me off the most."

Page 1, 2

Back to Music Features Archive