M&C Exclusive Interview: Rocker Joan Jett talks politics, ‘Sinner’ and the road

Punk rock icon Joan Jett recently took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to Monsters and Critics about her new album ‘Sinner;’ her thoughts on politics and the current administration; and what life is like on the road touring with Eagles of Death Metal.

‘Sinner’ is a classic Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’s album filled with 14 tracks of attitude, hard guitar riffs and the signature sound that made Jett a legend in rock. Although she has been rocking since the 1970s, Jett shows no signs of slowing down, or compromising her beliefs to fit into what is considered “radio friendly.”From song tracks like “Riddles” (the first track on the album where Jett attacks the current political administration and the way they choose to communicate with the public) to the hard guitar-driven track “Fetish” (which Jett describes as simply a “dirty sex song”), ‘Sinner’ is packed with what fans expect out of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. From start to finish, the album won’t disappoint.M&C: Lets start off with “Riddles” and why you thought it was time to write a song like that? What was it like writing the track?Jett: I am not so sure it was a conscious effort to be political at this moment. It was something that just sort of happened. We had been writing this song for a couple of years. As we held onto the song and kept working on the lyrics, there were a couple of lines in there that were vaguely political, and Ken (Laguna – the song’s co-writer and producer of ‘Sinner’) and I kept working on the lyrics. As we got close to the deadline, we had come up with some lyrics that weren’t quite as political as the song turned out to be. We went into the studio, and started singing.As I was singing the song, Kenny and I were listening and I would come up with different phrases, and we would stop and re-write a line here and re-write a line there. I would go back in the studio and sing it. So as I was singing the song and re-writing the lyrics, things were coming to us in the moment. I think the real breakthrough part came when the (guitar) solo comes and I say “Clear skies baby.” It sort of set in motion the direction. We would stop and think about it more, and it became more political. We started thinking about “I wonder if we could get some of these clips that we have heard from various administration (such as a clip from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and President George Bush).M&C: Is that what the song is really getting at? It is not that the times are confusing and what is going on is the “riddle,” but what the administration is saying to the public?Jett: Yes, that they don’t speak to us clearly about the issues. They confuse us. So that we can’t have a true conversation about what is happening in this country. It is a game almost.M&C: Do you feel as a musician who plays “punk” rock that your format has the best chance of reaching the youth of today? Does the rock of today still carry the political “weight” of the 1960s?

Photo by Cody Smith

Jett: Not everybody is affected by what goes on. Today, people might not think that it is so great that we are in a war, but since they are not directly affected they don’t have to think about if they have to go. They are not invested on it on the same level (as people were in the 60’s). So, I don’t think it (rock music) carries the same weight. I think if everybody was worried that their ass might get sent to Iraq, it would be a whole different story – if the draft was happening today. I wish it (rock music) did and I think it should (carry the same weight). Music and art speak to people about these important issues and can cross barriers. It can be and I wish it was a little more weighty. Some of the things I have seen, such as with the Warped Tour this summer, there were several bands that were very political and discuss the issues, and the kids seemed to be paying attention. So, there is an audience out there for it.M&C: When you are writing songs like “Riddles,” or other songs like “A.C.D.C.,” are you concerned at all about how it will be received by your audience and critics. Or do you do you not even think about the issues the songs are dealing with while you are writing it?Jett: I think I just craft them the way I always do. I think about the direct repercussions of it later on. I don’t think it affects the way I am going to do it, but I am aware that there are issues here or there.M&C: Do you feel that it is important for you, given your status in rock, to address the issues you bring up in ‘Sinner’ from politics to just general feelings on issues like love and every day life?Jett: I think I am just sort of a metaphor for what a lot of people go through in life. Whether you are writing about love, sex, or breaking up, or falling in love, or politics. These are things that everyone goes through. So hopefully, you are touching people on something they can relate to deep inside. They are human issues. Even though people say I am sort of a rock icon or whatever, I am still a person. So I think I go through things like everyone else and that is where we can all always connect. M&C: How is it touring on the road now compared to when you first started out? Is the road still the road or has it changed?Jett: Well, you know it is still pretty similar. The bus, the driving, the horrible food, and the gigs and sound checks. So most of it is pretty much the same. There are little things that are different like everybody’s cell phone is a camera. You didn’t have that when you started, but I think in general it is the same.M&C: Is it still as much fun to get up on the stage as it was the first time? Jett: I think it is so different. I don’t think you can ever recreate the fun and that sensation you had when you had never done it before and when it was brand new. I think I am a lot more relaxed now, which allows me to enjoy it more.Before, early on and for years well after the Runaways broke up and well into the Blackhearts, I was always really nervous before I went on stage. It would affect how much fun I had or I would let things bother me. I think now, I don’t care about the little things (like if the monitors aren’t perfect). I just deal with it, and try not to let it affect if I have fun with the audience.M&C: What can fans expect to hear on the current tour? Are you playing the classic Joan Jett songs as well as songs from ‘Sinner’ or are you sticking with mostly new material?

Photo by Cody Smith

M&C: What can we look forward to coming down the road? Is there a new album in the works or will you be heading into the studio soon?Jett: I am sure that is going to happen. We still have some songs that we haven’t quite finished from the last time in the studio. I am sure we will be working on new material once the touring winds down a little bit. It is all we know how to do – tour and make records.Sinner is now available at Amazon. Visit the music database for more information, a link to M&C’s review of the album, and a complete track list. Click here to see Joan Jett and the Blackheart’s video for the hit single “A.C.D.C.”For Joan Jett Tickets visit M&C’s Ticket Database. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts tour dates with opening act Eagles of Death Metal include:Oct. 26          Chicago, IL                  Vic Theatre
       27          St. Louis, MO               Mississippi Nights
       29          Denver, CO                  Gothic Theatre
Nov. 1           Seattle, WA                  Showbox
       2           Portland, OR                  Roseland Theatre
       4           San Francisco, CA          The Fillmore
       7           Los Angeles, CA             Henry Fonda Theatre
       10         Las Vegas, NV               House of Blues
       11         Tempe, AZ                   Marquee Theatre
       13         Dallas, TX                    Gypsy Tea Room
       14         Austin, TX                     Stubbs BBQ
       17         Orlando, FL                   House of Blues
       18         Atlanta, GA                   Roxy Theatre
       19         North Myrtle Beach, SC   House of Blues