Australia missed the impact of The Runaways. The year was 1976. FM Radio in Australia was still four years away and AM radio was still the domain of Top 40 pop.
The Runaways glowed bright, burned fast and extinguished over the course of just a few years and never really achieved the greatest and respect of latter artist like Blondie yet the story needed to be told … and now finally it has.The movie The Runaways is about that moment in time just before New-Wave had a name. It is the story of an all-girl rock band, the best-known member being Joan Jett and also featuring Cherie Currie and Lita Ford.
The Runaways were pieced together by producer Kim Fowley who first connected Jett and drummer Sandy West. Before The Runaways, Fowley was known more for novelty acts like B. Bumble and the Stingers (Nut Rocker) and The Hollywood Argyles (Alley Oop).
In 1976, The Runaways toured America and their support acts were Van Halen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Cheap Trick. They were THAT big.
A second album 'Queens of Noise' followed in 1977 and then a world tour. They were big in Japan, Beatlemania big … but then it all started to fall apart.
Ford despised Currie, Currie was having an affair with Jett and the bass player position was a never-ending casual position.
The movie stars Kristen Stewart (Twilight) as Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning (I Am Sam) as Cherie Currie.
After The Runaways, Joan Jett couldn't get a record deal to save her life. She was knocked back by 34 labels before releasing her "unwanted" album 'I Love Rock and Roll' independently. (Imagine a time when there was 34 labels to knock you back. How times have changed.)
The Runaways had a preview screening at SXSW in March. It will open in Australia in July.
