(9.28) One night only. I sure hope that the Girls Rock! Rhode Island crew is planning a field trip to see this new documentary. Joan Jett was the first and the best and paved the way for all the female rockers who followed. She’s still touring and she still kicks ass. (Facebook event.)
Jett put her hard work in long before the fame, ripping it up onstage as the backbone of the hard-rock legends The Runaways, starting her record label out of the trunk of a car after being rejected by 23 labels, and influencing many musicians—both her cohort of punk rockers and generations of younger bands—with her no-bullshit style. Bad Reputation gives you a wild ride as Jett and her close friends tell you how it really was in the burgeoning ’70s punk scene and the rocky road to rock stardom decades on.
Directed by Kevin Kerslake, the film features interviews with an array of musicians including Billie Joe Armstrong, Iggy Pop, Pete Townshend, Debbie Harry, and Miley Cyrus. I would like to take this opportunity to say something concerning my enormous frustration with Miley Cyrus: That gal has a great punk-rock voice which she continues to squander on overproduced, formulaic, pop rubbish. Somebody needs to lock her in a studio with some guitars and some drums and let her rip.
Go here for movie trailer. All Ages, 21+ with ID to drink.
Joan Jett Bad Reputation, $10, 7pm to 9pm, Friday, September 28, Columbus Theatre, 270 Broadway, (directions)