Sep 072021
I don’t even like Joan Jett, but I stumbled on this little “documentary” and couldn’t believe how impersonal it was, as if a program “read” a transcript that someone drafted based on an app that compiled stock details about Jett’s career.
Technology!
Binge-enheimer!
Wait, Kim Fowley was a creep? He seemed like such a nice boy!
I got as far as “she modelled herself on British rocker Suzi Quatro’, (who came from that well known English village, Detroit) before bailing out.
Our youngest watches YouTube videos done like this all the time, at least this one doesn’t have every pause for breath edited out. Those are like listening to the Barenaked Ladies on speed, completely exhausting.
The ones he watches are mainly about engineering, and what claims to be maths but doesn’t look like anything I encountered at school.
This one is pretty poor, it’s difficult to imagine who it’s for, other than the “influencer” making a few cents from advertising.
If you haven’t come across it, I recommend the Hydraulic Press Channel.
It’s not, strictly speaking, anything to do with music, more about a guy with an impenetrable Scandinavian accent crushing things in his hydraulic press. I didn’t expect to enjoy it when my family first set me down to watch a couple of episodes, but it’s strangely compelling.
The narrator’s voice reminds me of Jeff Tweedy’s from this tour promo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrreKh2syCk
Happiness Stan and cdm, you have CRUSHED IT, as the kids might say!
OK, that’s awful but you “don’t even like Joan Jett?”
How can anyone not like her? She’s a true believer and keeps it fun. Too many people take their Rock way too seriously and suck all the fun out of it. Joan never does that. I don’t really follow her outside of The Runaways, but I never turn off her music when I hear it. Do you just not like fun?
2K, you know that the LAST thing I ever want to do around here is get sidetracked by a passing comment I or anyone else makes. I’m usually all business, but I will take you up on your question out of respect for you and your clear-headed contributions to our dialog.
I never liked Joan Jett. When I was a teen and she first broke through, I simply didn’t like her music that much or her delivery and “tough-chick” persona. I always knew she meant well. Our local FM station WMMR used to play live concerts by her, and I recall her doing cool covers. (I had no idea “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” was a cover until maybe 15 years ago.)
Over the years, I’ve matured a bit. I think Freaks & Geeks use of “Bad Reputation” as its opening theme broke down some of my barriers to her “fun, tough-chick” persona. Whenever I see her interviewed or taking place in some all-star jam at an awards show, her “good egg” points continue to build. I still don’t get much out of her music or “rocker” persona. It feels hokey to me.
I’m pulling this from my butt, but I could probably map out my comfort with various “fun, tough rockers” from the ’70s as follows:
Comfortable enough – even excited, in small doses: The Ramones
Slightly uncomfortable bot tolerable in my kinder, wiser late-50s: Joan Jett
Morally opposed and objectively dismissive: Kiss
Totally bored and, in fact, actively lacking in appreciation: Alice Cooper
I agree with the Mod 100% about Kiss, and I am mystified by all attempts to rewrite rock history with Alice Cooper as an artist of any importance. I recently took a stroll through the early Alice Cooper albums, and, while they were maybe not as bad as I feared, they were certainly not as good as some people now claim.
I like the classic era Cooper hits well enough, especially “I’m Eighteen,” but a weird thing that helped me appreciate the Alice Cooper sound, going back to the original band, was a realization on seeing the Rocket From the Tombs lineup with Cheetah Chrome and Richard Lloyd was how Cheetah Chrome had based his guitar style on those classic AC era records, Killer etc. I’m not even a big Cheetah Chrome fan but it made me realize the degree that the Cleveland bands, including Mr. Mod’s beloved Pere Ubu included a large pinch of Alice Cooper seasoning. Check out “30 Seconds Over Tokyo” for example.
I wouldn’t diverge far from Mr Mod’s analysis. Kiss never made much impact here, but I never liked what I saw or heard, and they just found like Boston or Foreigner to me. Likewise the Runaways, who were overshadowed by girl groups who meant it, like the Slits, and those like Girlschool, who I notice are playing in a pub not far from us soon, although the one at the end of our road wouldn’t be close enough to tempt me even if someone gave me a ticket. I guess I just never got over my crush on British rocker Suzi from Detroit, which probably prejudiced me against imitations. Which is 100% unfair and misogynistic, since I never dismissed fat old bloke rockers in that way.
I used to have a copy of Billion Dollar Babies, which I’d happily listen to again, but what came after felt like diminishing returns.
Saw the Ramones perhaps a dozen times, don’t listen to them much these days but probably have a higher tolerance than the big M.
Pretty sure I loved Kiss when I was a kid but then I pretty much just hate them and at this point I can’t remember for how long I’ve hated them, but I’d guess since I turned about 15. Geo may really be on to something in regards to Alice Cooper Group. I love a handful of their albums, and even like Alice’s first couple of solo albums. I grew up on Cleveland radio, and we listened to Alice Cooper all the time. I usually give people Killer or School’s Out when they tell me they hate Alice Cooper, and they usually come back and say they liked it way more than they thought they would. Billion Dollar Babies could have been the absolute best, but it really runs out of steam on side two. I love stuff like Halo of Flies and Ballad of Dwight Fry. That’s some little teenage stoner music that really stuck with me.
The Runaways are just great. Nothing but fun.