A SWIK Icon with a Bad Reputation

This week is the anniversary of my first SWIK Music blog post. I want to say that I can’t believe that I’ve been writing this for a year. But I’ve barely posted in 2010, so I don’t think that I can call it a year. The anniversary does seem to be a good excuse to finally get back to the business of the SWIK Music blog. Unfortunately, it was a night of drunkenness and some karaoke a few weekends ago that motivated me to finally draft this post. I was out with my friend Michelle. She is frequently my partner in activities that involve music and drinking. I met up with her and a bunch of her friends at a karaoke bar in the East Village. (A shout out to the Jersey crew, including the birthday boy, his lovely wife, and everyone else who made it such a great night.) Michelle and I sang some classic Joan Jett tunes, reminding me of the post that I’ve wanted to write for two months. It’s Joan Jett though. I want to do her justice. With a new greatest hits and a movie about her former band, The Runaways, it’s time to get it down and pay homage.




I vaguely recall hearing “I Love Rock N' Roll” on the radio and shortly thereafter heading to the mall to buy the album. What can I say about listening to Joan Jett for the first time? I can’t remember actually, because I listened to the album over and over again. It’s one of those albums that’s in my blood from start to finish. I know it by heart. Apparently my mother does too and claims to like her (see holiday post). Jett’s music was loud, her voice rough. She played guitar and her songs were filled with pain and anger. It also sounded like a lot of fun. Songs like “Nag” could easily be about parents. Other songs spoke to my broken 6th grade heart. Shouting “Bits and Pieces” and “Love Is Pain” helped me recover from the end of my very first relationship. Let’s face it, holding hands while roller skating was serious stuff and required an appropriate break-up soundtrack. Thank you, Joan.



Jett’s second album, Bad Reputation, which was actually recorded before I Love Rock N' Roll but released afterwards, had more angst ridden songs. “Bad Reputation” made me start to think that maybe I wanted one. At least, I thought, if I had a bad reputation or any reputation, I certainly shouldn’t care about it. Jett’s other hit from this album was the provocative “Do You Wanna Touch Me” which brings powerful attitude to a song originally written and recorded by a man. Granted, at the time a bit confusing and seemingly forbidden for a young Catholic school girl, but a great song none-the-less.



On her third album released in 1983, simply titled Album, the song “Fake Friends” resonated amid the daily trials and tribulations brought on by mean pre-teen school girls. One day someone is your best friend, the next she’s not speaking to you. Guys just beat the crap out of each other at that age, which seems much more reasonable. Jett’s music made this difficult time bearable, which is what rock n’ roll was supposed to do. It’s an outlet for anti-establishment sentiments and overall rebellion. Jett covered a lot of classic rock tunes on these albums. She took songs mainly written and recorded by men then made them her own. She was critical to my musical upbringing.

Fast forward to last month. No more fake friends and comfortable with my admirably bad reputation, I ventured out to see The Runaways with Michelle. The movie, based on a novel by lead singer Cherie Currie and produced by Jett, is about one of the very first all female rock bands. Jett and the rest of The Runaways were all under 18 at the time. The movie focuses on Jett and Currie, the band’s rise to fame oversees, and their eventual descent into drugs. Yet the film is inspiring, knowing Jett’s eventual place in rock n' roll history. Reviews of the film were mixed. While not Oscar-worthy, I liked it. Dakota Fanning as Currie and Kristen Stewart as Jett are excellent. It didn’t last long in the theaters, so be certain to add it to your Netflix list.





After The Runaways, Jett went on to put together her band, The Blackhearts. Twenty-three (yes, 23) record labels rejected her first album. So she formed her own label, Blackheart Records, with manager Tony Laguana and put out her own music. The rest is, as they say, history. Jett went on to have several hits and continues to tour today at the ripe old age of fifty-something.

While I never managed to play guitar, thankfully Jett inspired many other young women to do so. In the 1990’s, along with bands like The Slits and The Runaways, Jett influenced a generation of young women who picked up instruments and began the riot grrrl movement. Riot grrls deserve their own post and I will get to that one eventually. I missed most of the movement as I was far too steeped in goth music durning the late 80‘s and early 90‘s to be a riot grrrl. Suffice to say, it was essentially an ‘underground feminist punk’ movement. Bands like Bikini Kill, Sleater-Kinney, and Bratmobile sang in-your-face songs about sexuality, domestic abuse, rape, and female empowerment. It was a movement in the sense that it went beyond the music. There were zines (self published magazines) and art as well as political activism. Mainstream media often made them out to be ridiculous or over-sexualized and rarely took their politics or music seriously. Much the same way that the Runaways were treated two decades earlier, as a novelty rather than a band of talented rock musicians who happened to be women.





A decade after the riot grrrls, women have yet to make major strides in rock ‘n roll. A few years ago, Jett was one of only two females on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of ‘100 Greatest Guitarists.’ The other woman on the list is Joni Mitchell. Seriously? That’s it? There are plenty of other talented female rock guitarists, yet the music media seems loathe to recognize them. On the other hand, in February, the media called this year’s Grammys ‘the year of the woman’ due to the major music awards going to Beyonce, Taylor Swift, and Lady Gaga. But they are pop signers. While Beyonce stands out for touring with an all female band and Lady Gaga gets props for consistently being over the top, where are the women in rock? Don’t get me wrong, as regular readers know, I love me some cheesy pop music, but..BUT where are the rocker chicks?

Last month, I was delighted to find that they are still out there. Once again, Michelle joined me for the show. We went to a semi-underground club in Brooklyn to see a stellar bill of female-fronted bands. The club was in a warehouse with no sign on the door, cheap beer, and lots of cigarette smoke. The line-up included Love of Diagrams from Australia, a solid post-punk band with a stand out female drummer, Wetdog from London, and Partyline, featuring Allison Wolfe of Bratmobile, one of the original riot grrrl bands. It was an inspiring night of rock music. I need to thank the man, yet another music-pusher, who invited me to the show.



While rock n’ roll is not for everyone, it provides a great outlet for strong emotions. We all get frustrated with life. Screaming to a crowd of strangers that you don’t give a damn about your bad reputation helps release the tension. Banging on drums, wailing on a guitar or bass are also valuable creative outlets. So ladies, don’t let your daughters grow up to be pop stars. But do, DO get them some guitar lessons or send them to rock n’ roll band camp. They will thank you. Who knows? Maybe in 20 years, four or five instead of just two of them will make a top 100 guitarists list.