Joan Marie Larkin certainly knew where she wanted to go. At a tender age, she changed her name to Joan Jett, much befitting the rock star she became – a best-selling, chart-topping rock/hard rock/punk rock singer and guitarist who has shared the bill with Bruce Springsteen in Red Bank, held the No. 1 Billboard spot for seven weeks with “I Love Rock ‘n Roll,’’ recorded with The Blackhearts, packed the Stone Pony in Asbury Park and venues around the world, and in April, will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Some musicians who have been selected for induction into the Hall of Fame have not embraced it as an institution marking excellence, but Jett does.
About the loyalty of her fans, Jett said by email, that “I am humbled and honored when young people and fans tell me I have had a positive influence on their lives.”
Beyond that, Jett has pursued a life of purpose, lending her name and time to causes she cares about. “I am passionate about fighting against man’s inhumanity to man, and even more dedicated to fighting for animal rights. I am also involved in many charities that work to find and administer cures for sick children,’’ Jett said in her email to the Two River Times. “I never got into music for fame or accolades,” said Jett. “I am pleased to be included into the Hall of Fame, but I am not interested in over-analyzing the politics of the different genres of Rock and Roll. I respect those who feel the need to show up, as well as those who feel the need not to.’’
On the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s Website, Jett said, “It’s a culmination of all you’ve dreamed of doing as a musician. I’ve always been hopeful that I’d get in because I think it’s an incredible acknowledgement. I’m very proud to be with all these great musicians,’’ Jett says.
One of those great musicians, Debbie Harry of Blondie, a Two River area resident, is Jett’s longtime friend and was herself inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006.
She told the TRT, “I couldn’t be happier or prouder for Joan Jett being voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is a truly dedicated musician born into the genre of rock seemingly with it in her bones and a natural talent. Having known Joan since she was a teenager and always loving her songs and performances, it is totally appropriate that she be included in the list of incredible people in the Hall of Fame. Rock on Joan. All my love, Debbie Harry.”
Springsteen and Jett crossed paths when she was cast in the movie, “Light of Day’’ (1987) with Michael J. Fox. Springsteen wrote the title song, “Light of Day,’’ especially for the movie. It was Jett’s movie acting debut.
In October 2001, Jett and Springsteen performed in Red Bank to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. They performed “Light of Day’’ and those who saw them said they were an electric combination.
Those who know Jett and her music call her a “pioneer,’’ a “trailblazer’’ and a performer with integrity and unwavering standards. They also say her induction into the Hall of Fame is overdue (she was first eligible in 2004).
Jett, who grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia, made a major splash at 17 as a member of The Runaways, an all-female rock group formed in 1975 and a hugely popular touring band/opening act for Van Halen, Cheap Trick, The Ramones and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
Bob Santelli, a former Monmouth County resident and rock critic for area newspapers, interviewed Jett over a period of years, beginning when she was first starting out and then later, after she had become a major star. Santelli was vice president of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and is now executive director of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
“Joan Jett is one of those female pioneers who broke away from the cute girl image or the sex goddess thing,” said Santelli, who has written liner notes for Smithsonian Institution archives and more than a dozen books. “Basically, she created her own feminine mystique in rock ‘n’ roll and on her own terms. The Runaways was one of the great early girl rock ‘n’ roll groups. She just broke the mold of convention and I think her induction is really long overdue.”
Santelli, who used to cover concerts in the NJ/NY metropolitan area, saw Jett locally at the Stone Pony and the Fast Lane in Asbury Park. He was struck time and again by the intensity of her performing.
“She was at the top of her game. She brought attitude, anger, a darkness and a defiance that was pretty special, pretty amazing. For those people in the audience, who like their rock hard, the fact that it was heavy and a bit belligerent they could take that. I think it was the fact that she was a woman and the way she looked, with the over-the-top eye makeup, it was scary but sexy scary.’’
Lauren Onkey, Ph.D., vice president of education and public programs at the 55,000-square-foot Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, has written books about women in rock ‘n’ roll and thinks that time has proven the enormous influence of Jett’s music on the genre and on other performers.
“Joan Jett embodies a kind of spirit of rock ‘n’ roll that has never given up that guitarist-driven, riff-driven rock ‘n’ roll music,’’ Onkey said.
“When we talk about inductees, we talk about their impact, their innovation, their influence. The Runaways were very unique when they emerged as an all female rock band. They weren’t taken very seriously by a lot of critics then; they were thought to be a creation of their manager,’’ Onkey said.
“But we see that that is not the case. Joan Jett emerges out of that into a solo career and she really carries the flag of guitar-driven rock ‘n’ roll. She was an inspiration to movements like the Riot Girl movement, and she becomes a producer, too. She has been tremendously influential and her longevity and influence are part of why she has been inducted,’’ Onkey said.
A committee puts together a ballot of nominees, which then goes to a larger voting group that includes all current inductees; music journalists and music business members, plus several museum staff members, and performers. To be eligible, nominees must have had their first recording released at least 25 years earlier.
“In 1986, the first performers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in that time, about 10 percent of the inductees have been women,” Onkey said.
To the question of why Joan Jett was not inducted earlier, Onkey said time and the mood of the music scene are factors.
“It depends on whom the nominee is up against, and the mood of the times. Sometimes people look more or less important.
“It’s not a science. But now you can look back see the impact she has had, the influence,’’ Onkey say.
And continues to have. Santelli says you need only look “at the enduring power of what she has done musically,’’ to understand why she is being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
“She has gotten older like anyone and she’s not as intense, but she can bring it on, on a good night and she has a very loyal female following, a very loyal post-punk following,’’ Santelli said.
And how many 56-year-olds undertake a nationwide performing tour, including stops in Canada? Jett and the Blackhearts are on the The Who Hits 50! Tour, from April 15 through Nov. 11 this year, with a break on April 18 for the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies.
The 41-city tour ends, fittingly, in Philadelphia (with gigs in Newark, Atlantic City and New York in between). Forty years on, Joan Marie Larkin is still realizing the dream.
— By Eleanor O’Sullivan
