Bad Reputation
The Unauthorized Biography of Joan Jett
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- £13.99
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- £13.99
Publisher Description
Bad Reputation is the unexpurgated story of Joan Jett, the single most exciting rocker of the American 1980s, one of the biggest-selling acts of the age, and one of punk rock's most valued elder statespeeps.
Through its pages, a welter of exclusive interviews and observations paint what might well be the last great tale of rock hedonism, but one that comes with a twist in its tail. The rockers are women, the groupies are guys. It could have been the plot line for a movie or even a sitcom, but the Runaways, Jett's first band, made it happen, and Jett made it last.
The first serious female rocker of the 1980s, Jett became the template for everyone that followed. But unlike so many of her peers and counterparts, she never lost her credibility, never sold out, and never gave up. And she has backed her reputation up with genuine star power, following the chart-topping “I Love Rock 'n' Roll” – one of the most played '80s anthems of all time – with “Crimson and Clover ” “Do You Wanna Touch Me ” and “I Hate Myself for Loving You” before the decade ended. And, while the 1990s saw Jett purposefully step away from the spotlight, she remained, and remains, America's number one Queen of Noise.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
To trace the trajectory of singer-songwriter-actress Jett's rocket rise to fame, Rolling Stone contributor Thompson begins with her 1958 birth as Joan Larkin in Pennsylvania, followed by her family's move to L.A., enabling her at age 16 to dig the glam rock scene at Rodney Bingenheimer's English Disco. Absorbing Suzi Quatro's look and style, Jett was 17 when she launched her career with the Runaways, "the first all-female band to play high-energy rock 'n' roll." They encountered hostility and sexist taunts, but toured internationally until "personal differences" split the band apart in 1979. Jett reinvented herself, holding auditions for the Blackhearts: "I want guys in the band I just love the Runaways too much to do another girl band." When major record labels rejected the new group, they formed Blackheart Records and sold direct to fans. Success came in 1982 when "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" climbed to Billboard's #1 spot, prompting her comment, "The Blackhearts were this punk garage band that nobody would even deal with; then, all of a sudden, we have this #1 song and we're mainstream. It's all perception. We didn't change a thing." Thompson's narrative moves at a fast clip, highlighting producers, band members, fans, films, rival groups, albums, and videos, as he details how Jett fueled a high-octane frenzy with her confidence, drive, and blistering performances.
