I love the all girl rock band The Runaways. I have all of their albums. I used to stare at their pictures in the Gatefold, trying to figure who was my favorite (Joan... but then Cherie.... and Lita was cool). I love their style, their hair, their attitudes. And I love their music. They were before my time but no matter. I needed these girls. I needed all girl groups (see The Ronettes, the 60s band She, and The Carrie Nations, even if a Russ Meyer/Roger Ebert creation. They were something else. And Joan Jett thought so too).
I also love that they, those Runaways, rocked out on their terms, using bad boy rock star swagger with sexual female aggression. Sure they were young -- teenagers -- but they seemed more in charge with their sexuality and what they wanted than say... Jessica Simpson or every other trussed up pop tart of late. It was in your face and honest and real rock and roll.
If the David Bowie obsessed sexy Cherie Curie was going to wear her lingerie on stage (before Madonna, by the way), good for her. If future rock star Joan Jett was the ultimate bad ass in the leather jacket, hanging with The Germs and the Dead Boys and later covering epic Gary Glitter songs (yes, we want to touch you there, Joan), god bless her. And making them even cooler, all of the girls not only loved Cheap Trick, but they opened for them (as well as other great bands like The Ramones and Van Halen). What's not to love about these girls?
They were tough, young, gorgeous and they could play. And they were teenagers. I adore them.
So I was excited by the idea of the Runaways movie (called, of course, "The Runaways"). And though others weren't sure about Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning paired up as Joan and Cherie, I thought they at least looked perfect. And guess what? They embody these women/girls splendidly. The movie is a little thin (Lita Ford was barely there -- and perhaps that's how Miss Ford wanted it), but focusing on the young actresses as Curie and Jett, they worked beautifully. And of course, the often brilliant Michael Shannon is perfectly cast as Kim Fowley.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for platform shoes, feathered hair and super tight jeans writ large. But, well, I'm a human being after all.
I talked with the young actresses, briefly, and they discussed Jett, Curie and the band's
sexuality. Both were charming. Watch below:
with their eyes closed on their worst day. Barbra Striesand , who is shall we say is known to be somewhat of a "prima donna" musically, had them as her back up band on her single of "stoney end"
which was i believe written by Linda Ronstadt, but i'm not sure about that part.
When the band was in its prime, Joan was just amazingly beautiful and cool like you would not believe. I am so glad she pulled herself out of it. Believe me, her revival seemed like a miracle.
As much as I thought that the Runaways were cool even with Kim Fowley being involved, Girlschool, for my money, were the first women's band to make it seem like female hard rock musicians could keep up with the boys. Kelly Johnson (RIP---she died of cancer) made the cover of Guitar Player magazine and their gigs smoked. Rock Goddess weren't bad, either.
I've got a video DVD collection of various rock performances (Rockin' In the USA), and one of the most surprising is the Fanny performance. Those girls could rock, too, but were definitely NOT punk. More like typical early 1970s blues-influenced R&R. I've heard from some people who saw Fanny in the early 1970s, how good they were live.
Fanny could probably have a decent movie made about them; they also felt sexually exploited for marketing purposes, including the name "Fanny", of which the band never really was into but their record company & management forced them to use it.
There was also the black all female band Isis. Not my cup of tea, but they had a cult following.
Then you had the Slits, Goldie and the Gingerbreads and the Poison Dollies.
It's encouraging to go on You Tube and see so many women picking up electric guitar and blazing on it. Check out Lori Linstruth and Yasi sometime. They smoke.
Unlike you, I actually was there - I saw The Runaways 6 or 7 times. I saw them open for Cheap Trick. I saw them (along with The Quick) open for The Ramones. I saw them at The Whisky on several different occasions. I don't need to see a movie with some "Twilight" twerp attempt to whitewash history.
Go find "Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways" instead, people.
As for Joanie, I suspect the lawsuit between her and Jackie might have something to do with it, no?
Maybe I'll shout it out to Joan when she and Cherie play at the Pacific Amphitheater in Costa Mesa in August. Though I'm not sure my seat is close enough to scream that loudly.