Joan jett has been writing great rock music since she penned "Cherry Bomb" at 15 years old on the Runaways' debut LP, insisted on testing herself anew on SINNER. "If anything, the lyrical content might be expanding", she explains " it's not all about falling in or out of love."
For example, there is "Naked". "I think everyone's first image of the word "naked" is about being physically naked, and this isn't that at all. This is about introspection. This is a very lonely song in a sense. I think it's kind of cool to go inside and figure out what's behind the emotions of what makes people who they are. It can be scary to think about it all".
The album kicks off with "Riddles" and pulls no punches.
"Five" is about the tabloids.
At only 17, Joan was headlining clubs like CBGBs with bands such as Tom Petty, Talking Heads, Television and Cheap Trick opening up for her, and she later toured with the Ramones. Joan has since worked with Bikini Kill, Peaches, Ian MacKaye of Fugazi, Lars Fredrickson of Rancid, Bratmobile, L7, The Gits, The Replacements' Paul Westerberg, The Sex Pistols and Blondie among others. Joan produced G.I., the lone album of the seminal L.A. punk act, The Germs.
About her Sirius radio show, "That's been interesting, and different. I never aspired to it, I'm really kind of shy, so for me to get on the radio and talk, I had to build up to it. But I'm having a good time, and I get to turn people on to different things!"
Another is her ongoing acting career. She's appeared in movies like Light of Day (with Michael J. Fox and Gena Rowlands), the indie films Boogie Boy and The Sweet Life (she and her Blackhearts sing the title song) and was actually killed in an on-screen karate fight with martial-arts legend Chuck Norris. On Broadway, Joan was in the original cast of The Rocky Horror Show. "I wanted to be an actress before I wanted to play the guitar!"
One of Joan Jett's proudest accomplishments is the 25th anniversary of her record label, Blackheart Records. This company was forged during the trials and tribulations of trying to get a record deal after The Runaways, and she was rejected by every label out there....28 to be exact. Believing in themselves, Joan and her long-time songwriting partner and producer, Kenny Laguna, decided to be the masters of their own fates and pressed the records up and sold them out of the trunk of Kenny's car. It was almost immediately that they had a hit on their hands, and the company has not only survived, but flourished, in a volatile record industry.
In addition to Joan's long awaited CD, Joan and Kenny produced The Vacancies, a punk group from Cleveland. That Blackheart release A Beat Missing Or A Silence Added, has gone Top 20 on the college charts. The Eyeliners, a pop/punk band from Albuquerque, released No Apologies on Blackheart. Since the Warped tour, The Dollyrots, a pop punk band from LA and Girl in a Coma, indie rock band from San Antonio, have joined the roster. The Dollyrots, Girl in a Coma, and The Vacancies all have upcoming release this Spring/Summer.
Jett stands at a point in her life where she can appreciate her past and longevity, but still look towards the future. It is an exciting time. "I went to a school reunion in Maryland not long ago and some people reminded me I had said I was going to go to California to become a rock n roll star! I hadn't remembered that I had focused on it that early!!! To say that as a kid and actually do it is pretty cool. It just goes to show you that if you can believe in yourself, if you're lucky and have the right timing, you have a shot. I'm an example of what can be, if you don't give up!
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