The Runaways

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"We gave one guy who messed with us a popsicle that was 10% lemonade and 90% pee. We were smoking a joint and licking our popsicles when he goes 'This tastes like shit. Without missing a beat Joan said. 'You're gettin' close." Jackie West Mojo May 2000

"Girls got balls...They're just a little higher up that's all...

'We're gonna end up like The New York Dolls. Having our albums repackaged and bought and drooled over by the people who said we were shit before we split." Joan Jett 1978 NME

 Much maligned band who deserve some recognition.  Created by Kim Fowley as a males heavy rock wet dream you have to give credit to the girls for just managing to continue and keep their dreams alive.  Revolving around the strong rhythm guitar of Joan Jett, the heavy metal lead of Lita Ford and the sex appeal of the prima donnish Cherie Currie there were too many personalities for all to survive. Cherie was the first to go then Jackie Fox then her replacements before they all called it a day.
Viewed as jailbait with no possibility of respect for their music they probably endured more taunts of 'get them off' than anyone yet they were a group of musicians who were both sexy and could play. Fowley's pre- tour training involved "..how to beat up guys with guitars and basses and drumsticks...they could take a bottle, brick or a a stick and keep playing." They may have looked available, but as Rat Scabies or the drummer from 999 found out, hit on them too hard and you would find yourself punched out ! Young, average age was 16, manipulated, they somehow grew up on the road. Their sound though was heavy as hell and their songs about sex, drinking and disobeying parents and authority figures, though typically American, pre-figured later punk. 'Cherry Bomb' is a bone fide classic. 

Dressed in tight lycra, corsets, stockings and hotpants meant that they would feature in music papers as flesh rather than for musical ability; yet they could play. They also encountered animosity from male bands like Molly Hatchet, who they headlined over, and the pompous arseholes Rush who didn't think girls should play rock'n'roll or even other bands who wouldn't let them soundcheck. In contrast great tours with bands like The Ramones, Cheap Trick and Motorhead showed that all men weren't dickheads.  

"I think we're great, so fuck off anybody who thinks we suck 'cause we're girls. Stop putting us down" Joan Jett Sounds 1.7.78

From the start Lita preferred a more heavy rock sound to Joan Jett's punkier leanings and eventually differences between Joan and Lita would see the band split up for good permanently.

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