Category Archives: News

by - 0 comments

Hurricane Sandy: How to help

My heart goes out to everyone who has been devastated by Hurricane Sandy.

Dozens of people have died from this hurricane, and that number is climbing. Millions are without power, and gas and food are becoming scarce. Massive flooding continues to isolate people and hinder travel. Here are two state-by-state guides to the damage in the United States: http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/29/state-by-state-guide-to-hurricane-sandy/ and http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/us/tropical-weather-state-by-state/index.html.

The Caribbean fared worse. Haiti, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Bahamas all took direct hits from Sandy, and thousands are homeless: http://rt.com/news/caribbean-sandy-storm-damage-647/

As you know, Joan and the Blackhearts are from New York City, one of the regions hit hardest in the U.S. Blackheart Records has not tweeted or posted any official updates to any of their websites about how they are doing, so I’m guessing that it is taking them time to sort through whatever the storm has left them. However, the Blackhearts’ bassist, Acey Slade (@AceySlade1) has been tweeting regularly since the storm, so I am assuming that they are all at least physically OK. I hope that they didn’t lose any loved ones, or their homes, and that they can get back to normal as quickly as possible.

At the very least, the folks at Blackheart have most likely witnessed the destruction of many places they hold dear. For example, here is what the Boardwalk at Long Beach looked like before the storm – The Blackhearts filmed the “Change the World” video here:

The boardwalk at Long Beach, NY. From Larry Richman (@larry411). Taken in mid-October 2012, pre-Hurricane Sandy.

…And here’s what it looks like now. The beach is gone.

The boardwalk at Long Beach, NY, one day after Hurricane Sandy. Via Larry Richman (@larry411)

Change the World – YouTube

And here’s a news chopper video of the area after the storm: http://www.newsday.com/news/weather/6-homes-catch-fire-in-long-beach-as-sandy-affects-city-s-water-sewer-system-1.4169263

How we can help:

1. Donate money, volunteer, or give blood.

The Red Cross and other agencies cannot accept food, clothing, or other supplies directly, so go to http://www.redcross.org/ to find out how to donate money, volunteer, or to give blood. ABC News and CNN have posted contact information for various other charities HERE and HERE.

CharityNavigator.org is a great resource for determining if a charity you wish to donate to is legitimate. They have 10 great tips on how to donate properly, so that your donation has the best chance to do the most good. Avoid telemarketers and email solicitations, make sure the website you visit is official before you donate, investigate the charity to be sure they are going to spend your money the way you want, and designate your gift for a particular crisis to make sure the money goes where you want it to. Read the rest HERE.

Don’t forget our friends in the Caribbean when deciding where to donate your money. Haiti is still trying to recover from the 2010 earthquake on top of all of this.

2. Vote on November 6th.

If you are American, and if you are a registered voter, I cannot stress enough how important the elections are this year. The timing of this hurricane is horrific in terms of the number of people who will have difficulty getting to their polling place on November 6 due to power and transportation problems. If your neighborhood was damaged by the storm, contact your local board of elections to find out if your polling place has been relocated. If your loved ones are out of power and can’t read this, please help them research their polling places and assist with transportation if you can. The presidential race is close, and every vote counts. PLEASE do not waste this opportunity to have your voice heard. It will be four years before you get another chance.

3. Vote for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts for the 2013 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

This won’t rebuild any homes, but it will make a nice gift for the band to lift their spirits (and ours too)!

♥

*Thanks to Liz Cullen for the voting button.
**Thanks to Larry Richman, @larry411, for permission to use his photos. Follow him on Twitter for more NYC updates. (He’s a pretty awesome film critic too.)

by - 2 Comments

Jettheads have plenty to celebrate despite Rock Hall snub

When the official list of 2012 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame circulated last week, without Joan Jett and the Blackhearts on it, we were all disappointed and sad. But I think I wallowed in it a little longer than I should have. The truth is, we Jettheads still have plenty to be happy about! For example:

1. THEY WERE NOMINATED. I still remember the blinding joy–and total surprise–I felt when I first found out that The Blackhearts were on the ballot. It’s now one of my favorite Jetthead memories, and I’m always going to carry it with me.

2. WE GOT THEM INTO THE TOP 5 OF THE ROCK HALL’S READERS’ POLL. This is the first year the Rock Hall has done one of these polls, although we knew the results would not affect the outcome. The Rock Hall hasn’t published the final results anywhere yet, and the poll has been taken down, but I watched that thing like a hawk up until the last day it was open, and I know Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were in 5th place. And this poll didn’t even allow multiple votes!

3. WE EARNED GOLDMINE MAGAZINE’S VOTE. Goldmine was the only official Rock Hall voter I heard of that gave its readers full reign over its ballot. Our votes in their online poll landed Joan one of the coveted spots. This poll didn’t allow multiple votes either. Great job!

4. WE ARE NOT ALONE. The haters are definitely out there (aren’t they always?), but Jettheads didn’t champion for Joan in a vacuum. Many blogs and articles expressed outrage at The Blackhearts’ exclusion. (Salon.com, sheknows.com, and austinchronicle.com are among the most vociferous in defense of Joan.) Not that we need to care about random bloggers or journalists: Michael J. Fox and Lita Ford are on our side!

Lita’s interview from Examiner.com in October:

Q: What do you think of Joan (Jett’s) nomination for the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame?
A: Oh, it’s great! She absolutely deserved it.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

But the best thing to be grateful for?

5. NEW MUSIC IN 2012 AND BEYOND!  Yeah, baby!!

Reality Mentality:

TMI:

Hard to Grow Up:

 

by - 4 Comments

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts nominated for the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

JETTHEADS: The day we’ve all been waiting for has arrived: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have been nominated for induction into the 2012 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

NBC Nightly News gave Joan top billing on tonight’s broadcast:

Vodpod videos no longer available.
msnbc video: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominee…, posted with vodpod

From the Rock Hall’s official press release:

Ballots will be sent to more than 500 voters, who will select artists to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 27th Annual Induction Ceremony. To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first single or album at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. The 2012 Nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1986.

All inductees are ultimately represented in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, the nonprofit organization that exists to educate its audiences on the global impact of the rock and roll art form via the museum, as well as its education programs and library and archives.

The 27th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be held in Cleveland on Saturday, April 14, 2012. Leading up to the ceremony, the Museum will host 10 days of special events, including tours of the newly redesigned Museum, the unveiling of a major new exhibit, and the grand opening of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s new Library and Archives. The Library and Archives will be the world’s most comprehensive repository of written and audio-visual materials relating to the history of rock and roll.

Tables and VIP Packages for the 27th Annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony are available now. The ceremony will again be open to the public, as it was – for the first time in the event’s history – at the 2009 Inductions in Cleveland. Individual tickets for the Induction Ceremony will go on sale to the public in December 2011. Visit rockhall.com for details.

Read the rest HERE, including the artist bios. LOVE this quote from Joan in her bio:

“It’s a feeling thing, it’s emotion. You don’t think about it. If you start thinking rock ‘n’ roll, you’re f**ked. That’s when you’re homogenized. That’s when it’s boring. And that’s when it’s bullshit.”–Joan Jett

Congratulations to Joan Jett AND the Blackhearts, and to all nominees!

by - 1 Comment

Joan Jett to present at the 2010 Long Island Music Hall of Fame ceremony

Joan Jett is one of the confirmed presenters for the 2010 Long Island Music Hall of Fame Gala this coming Tuesday, November 16, at the Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York. (Source)

More information from the Hall’s press release:

(Port Jefferson, NY) – The Long Island Music Hall of Fame (LIMHoF) Third Induction Gala on November 16th will feature a star-studded array of celebrities.

Red carpet entrances begin at 6:30PM [Eastern Time] at Oheka Castle (135 West Gate Drive, Huntington), the induction ceremony begins at 7:30PM, and VIP party immediately after.

Among the artists being inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on November 16 are Eric B. and Rakim, Oscar Brand, Roy Haynes, Eddie Palmieri, Teddy Charles, Carole and Paula, Lou Reed, Dream Theater, Al Kooper, John Zorn and The Shangri-las.  LIMHoF will also present the 2010 Music Educator of Note Award to a recipient who will be selected by November 1, and will formally present the 2009 Award to the family of Joseph Sugar, who passed away in 2009.

Event: Long Island Music Hall of Fame Third Induction Award Ceremony and Fundraising Gala
Date and Time: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 (6:30PM Red Carpet, 7PM Doors)
Location: Oheka Castle (135 West Gate Drive, Huntington, NY).
Tickets: $100 General Admission, $250 VIP tickets (includes entrance to special VIP party with the inductees, open bar and buffet), available at www.limusichalloffame.org, 631-331-0808 or at Cinema Arts Centre.

Read the rest, including the full list of inductees and presenters, HERE. Read more about each inductee HERE.

To purchase tickets, click HERE. If any of you are lucky enough to attend, let us know!

The Long Island Music Hall of Fame honors musicians and music professionals who are native to Long Island or have lived a significant part of their life there. Its first ceremony was held on October 15, 2006, and Joan Jett was its first inductee. 🙂

Cool trivia: Two of this year’s inductees, rock ‘n’ roll photographer Bob Gruen and Lou Reed, each have Joan Jett connections. Bob has taken some awesome pics of Joan over the years (see his work HERE and Google “Joan Jett Bob Gruen”), and The Runaways covered “Rock and Roll” by The Velvet Underground, written by the band’s lead singer, Lou Reed. (Can you spot any others?)

Watch on YouTube. Source.

And here’s the original–it’s like night and day, isn’t it?

Watch on YouTube. Source.

 

by - 1 Comment

Joan Jett’s Australian dates: Festival tickets on sale NOW

Tickets went on sale just a few hours ago (Thursday, September 9th, Australia time) for all three of the festivals that Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are scheduled to perform in December and January. (Australia: I apologize for posting this so late, but I’m on the East coast of the US and it’s still Wednesday here. I only found out about this last night and couldn’t post until now.)

1. The Falls Festival. The Lorne festival has sold out, but there are still tickets for Marion Bay. There may be a few packages for Lorne left over through Virgin Blue. See the Falls Festival official website for details and tickets. They’ve temporarily taken down the lineup pages to allow ticket purchases to go through more easily, but they will restore the lineup later today. (Via Twitter). The last time I checked, The Blackhearts were scheduled to play both cities, but the exact dates had not been announced. I’ll check back later.

2. Southbound Festival. Buy tickets HERE. “There are various tickets and ticket combinations available, and different artists play on different days (click here (http://www.southboundfestival.com.au/artists) for more details), therefore it is extremely important to ensure you select the correct ticket type.” If you go to the artists’ page linked above and click “Sunday”, you will see Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. They’re listed only under “All” and “Sunday”, so it looks like The Blackhearts will perform on Sunday, January 2, 2011.

3. Sunset Sounds. Ticket info is HERE. Buy tickets from Ticketmaster or Moshtix. The festival runs on January 5th and 6th, 2011, but the exact date of The Blackhearts’ show hasn’t been announced. Which sucks, because if you really want to see Joan there, at this point, you will have to pay $238 for a 2-day pass.

I’ve been getting a lot of questions from Australian Jettheads asking if Joan is scheduled to play anywhere else in Australia, preferably in a club and not in a huge festival setting. Unfortunately, nothing has been announced, but as soon as I hear anything I’ll post it. You have been waiting patiently for Joan to come back to you since 1995, so I can definitely feel your pain! Hopefully, these festival dates will cause enough buzz around Australia to warrant a more thorough tour of the area. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

by - 23 Comments

Joan Jett will spend New Year’s in AUSTRALIA!

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts are returning to Australia for the first time since 1995*, when they play three festivals in December and January.

I have no idea who took this beautiful picture. Whoever you are, thank you!

Tickets go on sale soon! None of the festivals’ schedules have been finalized yet, so check the following sites for more info and tickets:

1. The Falls Festival, December 28, 2010 – January 1, 2011:

This festival is in two cities, Marion Bay, Tasmania, and Lorne, Victoria. The Blackhearts are on the list to play in both cities, but I don’t know which dates are in which city. Visit the official festival website for more details and tickets. Also follow the official festival Twitter.

(*Source, source, source)

2. The Southbound Festival, January 1-3, 2011:

http://www.southboundfestival.com.au/

http://www.southboundfestival.com.au/artists/joan-jett-the-blackhearts

Southbound 2011’s official Twitter

(Source)

3. Sunset Sounds, January 5-6, 2011:

http://www.sunsetsounds.com.au/

http://www.sunsetsounds.com.au/artists/detail/joan-jett-and-the-blackhearts

Sunset Sounds on Twitter

😀

Congratulations Australia!

by - 2 Comments

Joan Jett will open for Aerosmith in Canada this September

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts have been added to the Western Canadian dates of Aerosmith’s current tour.

Read more HERE.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, July 29, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. local time in all markets and can be purchased through Ticketmaster.ca.

AEROSMITH Western Canada tour dates:

Sep. 08 – Winnipeg, MB – MTS Centre
Sep. 10 – Calgary, AB – Saddledome
Sep. 12 – Saskatoon, SK – Credit Union Centre
Sep. 14 – Edmonton, AB – Rexall Place
Sep. 16 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena

Click HERE for the Joan Jett search results at Ticketmaster.ca. As of this writing, the Vancouver date isn’t listed there, but it is listed when you search for Aerosmith. The joanjettbadrep.com Live Dates page does list the Vancouver date, so that one has been confirmed for Joan for now. Tour dates do change and get canceled, so verify everything with the venue several times before selling your house or any major organs to pay for a trip to The Couve or anywhere else.

😀

Rock on, my Western Canadian Jettheads!

by - 4 Comments

Joan Jett show in Iowa canceled due to flooding

Joan Jett and The Blackhearts were scheduled to perform with Styx and Grand Funk Railroad at the Great Jones County Fair in Monticello, Iowa, on Saturday, July 24th, but their show was called off in the wake of a devastating flood caused by a dam breach at Lake Delhi. (source and source.)

While I am obviously concerned for the safety of all of the bands and their crews, my heart goes out to the people in Iowa that have lost their homes or businesses to the flood. As a Pittsburgher, I live in one of the soggiest places in the country, and the fear of a major flood is always in the back of my mind. I’ve seen enough.

If you would like to donate to the cleanup efforts, you can donate directly to the Grant Wood Area chapter of the American Red Cross, or to the Red Cross’s Disaster Relief Fund, which helps victims of natural disasters both locally and globally.

To all current, past, and future flood victims all over the world, Jetthads and non-Jettheads alike, this is for you. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Don’t Surrender

by - 2 Comments

Updated Joan Jett/Runaways schedule for March 2010

Multiple Sarcasms, the movie starring Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in drag as the “night club band”, may not be released in March as originally planned. The IMDB page still lists the release date as March 2010, but Moviefone now lists the release date as May 7, 2010. The official website still just says “Spring of 2010”. I’ll keep you posted if it changes again.

Here is the updated schedule for all of the Runaways/Joan Jett stuff coming in March:

March 1st:

  • Release of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics Volume 1: Hard Rock Heroes, which contains a Joan Jett and Lita Ford comic. You can pre-order Volume 1 at Amazon HERE. The Runaways will make an appearance in Volume 9, SMASH! A Punk/Alternative Retrospective. Read more about each volume HERE. Since I originally posted about this, Jay Allen Sanford, one of the minds behind the original Rock ‘N’ Roll comics, told me that a full-length comic dedicated to Joan Jett, Lita Ford, and The Runaways was in the works by Bluewater Productions, but Bluewater has not made the official announcement and no release date has been set. Rock ‘N’ Roll comics were originally published in the 1990’s, so if you already have those comics, it doesn’t look like these will be anything new for you.

March 9th:

  • Release of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits, on Vinyl, CD, and now iTunes. You can preorder all three now. The iTunes version is a Deluxe Edition with a bonus track and music videos! (At first, I wasn’t going to buy this because I have all of these songs, but the music videos on iTunes are calling to me. I think I’m going to buy that one.)

March 16th:

  • Release of The Runaways: The Mercury Albums Anthology on Hip-O Select. You can preorder it from Hip-O Select, CD Universe, and Amazon.
  • Release of Cherie Currie’s book, Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways, on It Books. Preorder it HERE.

March 19th:

  • Premiere of The Runaways movie in the US and Canada.

March 23rd:

  • Release of The Runaways Official Motion Picture Soundtrack. You can preorder it from Amazon HERE.
by - 1 Comment

Reuters News – Joan Jett Rocks Sundance

I don’t remember seeing this before:

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts headline the weekend party atmosphere at the Sundance Film Festival. Video

Vodpod videos no longer available.

by - 6 Comments

Joan Jett wrote a book too! Due out April 15th

UPDATE

This book isn’t really a memoir or biography. Blackheart Records was kind enough to set us straight in a comment on the About page:

From Blackheart Records:

Hello – I wanted to set something straight. The Joan Jett book is NOT a memoir, but rather a photo book of Joan Jett through her career, designed by Todd Oldham. Its going to be absolutely beautiful but definitely not a memoir, autobiography, or anything of the sort.

Thank you!

The Amazon description was a little misleading, but I’m still excited for this!

~

Joan Jett and the folks at Blackheart Records have announced today that an autobiography of sorts, written by Joan Jett herself with Todd Oldham, will be published on April 15, 2010, and is available for preorder at Amazon. The book will cover Joan’s time with The Runaways and her solo career.

Cover of the Joan Jett book, Ammo Books

From the description at Amazon:

Product Description

Rock ‘n’ roll goddess Joan Jett holds a beloved place in the world of music. She started her first band, The Runaways, at age fifteen and has blazed a trail that has inspired and thrilled her fans to this day. AMMO Books is proud to release this loving tribute to Joan that covers all aspects of her career and passions — from the behind-the-scenes story of forming The Runaways to her years of touring with her band Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. JOAN JETT features many never before seen photos and ephemera covering the multi-decade career of a real rock ‘n’ roll icon. Written in Joan’s own words, this smart and insiring story is a must read. A thoughtful introduction written by renowned indie rocker and Riot Grrrl Kathleen Hanna brings context to this exciting title.

About the Author

Joan Jett is a revered songwriter, musician, and American icon. In keeping with her pioneering spirit, she went on to be the first woman to start her own independent rock label, Blackheart Records. The Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits compilation will be released in March 2010. A film based on The Runaways starring Dakota Fanning, and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett, will be released on March 19, 2010.

This is the first that I am hearing of this, and I don’t think the other Jettheads knew about it either. I’ll find out after I post this on the message board. I’m guessing that they didn’t make a huge deal out of this before now because they didn’t want to overshadow Cherie Currie’s book, Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway, which comes out on March 16th and is also available for preorder on Amazon.

2010 is definitely a great year to be a Jetthead!

See Todd Oldham and Joan Jett making an ottoman on Todd’s Handmade Modern show back in 2005:

Source

😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀 😀

by - 8 Comments

EXCLUSIVE: Bluewater Productions will publish a full-length Runaways/Joan Jett/Lita Ford comic in 2010

UPDATE 08/24/2010: Click HERE for the latest news on this comic.

A few days ago, I reported on the Joan Jett events and merchandise coming in March, and I told you about the Joan Jett/Lita Ford comic that will be published in Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics Volume 1: Hard Rock Heroes on March 1:

March 1st:

  • Release of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics Volume 1: Hard Rock Heroes. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series was published in the 1990’s and is now being republished by Bluewater Productions as a series of graphic novels. Volume 1 contains the Joan Jett/Lita Ford comic. These comics were unauthorized biographies, so take it with a grain of salt. But they are still cool to have. You can pre-order Volume 1 at Amazon HERE. The Runaways will make an appearance in Volume 9, SMASH! A Punk/Alternative Retrospective. Read more about each volume HERE. (FYI to Twilight fans: Bluewater Productions also publishes the Female Force comics; you may have seen the one they did on Stephenie Meyer.)

Jay Allen Sanford from Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics reached out to me after seeing that post to give us the exclusive scoop on Bluewater Productions’ upcoming full-length comic dedicated to The Runaways, Joan Jett, and Lita Ford. This news comes to us weeks before Bluewater makes the official public announcement!

I WISH I was being paid to tell you this, but I’m not.

Follow the jump to see a sneak peek of the art and more.

Continue reading →

by - 9 Comments

Runaways’ “Mercury Albums Anthology” Due on March 16th

Start saving your money. You will be broke in March. But you will be happy. 😀

According to MusicTap and Pause&Play, Hip-O Select is releasing an anthology of all of The Runaways’ Mercury Records albums on March 16th, called The Mercury Albums Anthology. (Thanks to blacknblue77 for the tip on the message board.)

The Hip-O Select website doesn’t mention it, so I have no idea yet what it may cost, or if it will include anything rare or previously unreleased. I’ll let you know when I hear something.

Click HERE to see a discography of Runaways music. The Mercury Records albums were The Runaways, Queens of Noise, Live in Japan, and Waitin’ for the Night. I have all of these on CD from Amazon.com, but it looks like most of them are out of stock there or nearly so.

For those keeping score at home, here’s everything we have on deck for March so far:

March 1st:

  • Release of Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics Volume 1: Hard Rock Heroes. The Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics series was published in the 1990’s and is now being republished by Bluewater Productions as a series of graphic novels. Volume 1 contains the Joan Jett/Lita Ford comic. These comics were unauthorized biographies, so take it with a grain of salt. But they are still cool to have. You can pre-order Volume 1 at Amazon HERE. The Runaways will make an appearance in Volume 9, SMASH! A Punk/Alternative Retrospective. Read more about each volume HERE. (FYI to Twilight fans: Bluewater Productions also publishes the Female Force comics; you may have seen the one they did on Stephenie Meyer.)

March 9th:

  • Release of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts Greatest Hits, probably on Blackheart Records.

March 16th:

  • Release of The Runaways: The Mercury Albums Anthology on Hip-O Select.
  • Release of Cherie Currie’s book, Neon Angel: A Memoir of The Runaways, on It Books.

March 19th:

  • Premiere of The Runaways movie in the US and Canada.

March 2010:

  • US release of Multiple Sarcasms, starring Joan Jett and the Blackhearts as the night club band. The exact date hasn’t been announced yet, but right now it is supposed to happen sometime in March.
by - 6 Comments

The Blackhearts’ Greatest Hits coming March 9th

From therunaways.com:

~

From therunaways.com

~

We’ve been hearing rumblings about a monster JJBH greatest-hits package since 2008. (Source) The Runaways’ website announced this week that it would be released this March, no doubt to coincide with the release of The Runaways movie on March 19th. Continue reading →

by - 0 comments

Joan Jett to play at Harry O’s 01/23/2010 for Sundance

Via @larry411 on Twitter:

Joan Jett will play at Harry O’s in Park City, Utah, during the Sundance Film Festival on Saturday, January 23rd, 2010.

Tickets should go onsale on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. at harryos-pc.com

For VIP info, call 801-652-7955.

Read more HERE.

Go to Harry O’s website HERE.

by - 0 comments

Joan Jett’s “Dancing With the Stars” connection

Contestants on “Dancing with the Stars” performed a team number to Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” this week. I don’t watch that show, so I almost wasn’t going to talk about this, until I read that Mark Dacascos was one of the contestants dancing to this song!

One of Mark’s most recent projects is The Chairman on Iron Chef America, but veteran Jettheads may recognize Mark’s name from Boogie Boy, the 1998 movie he starred in with Joan Jett herself. Joan played Jerk, a singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band (a huge stretch for her). 🙂 Mark’s character is Jesse, an ex-con running from a troubled past who meets Jerk during a show. After Jerk’s drummer (played by real-life Blackheart drummer Thommy Price) passes out in the middle of a song, Jesse saves the day by filling in. Joan has two or three scenes, including a performance piece where Jerk’s band performs “Full Cycle,” the original song written by Joan for the movie.

Here’s a clip. (WARNING: Boogie Boy is rated R, and this scene contains drug use and cursing. View at your own risk.) Jerk’s band is played by the 1998 Blackhearts lineup of Thommy Price on drums, Tony Bruno on guitar, and Sean Koos on bass.

Source

And here’s the clip from “Dancing with the Stars.” Personally, I think ballroom dancing to Joan Jett is very odd, but if it floats your boat, who am I to judge?

Source