An Open Letter To Rolling Stone (Joan Jett is PISSED and I don't blame her!)

JoanJett.com ^ | Joan Jett

[TJFLSTRAT]

The day I saw R.S. editor give a "Beasty Boy" c.d. a 5 star rating {highest possible}, was the day I began to ignore R.S.

[andrew]

My teen years were spent in LA traveling around to see X, and other local bands like Fishbone and the Chili Peppers. Clearly, X, during the Billy Zoom years, were the best of the bunch. I ended up going to college in Louisiana and in the Fall of 87 the Chili Peppers were starting to get a national following and appeared at Storyville in the French Quarter on their 'Rock Out with Your C$&ck Out tour. That night X opened and Exene was like 8 months pregnant. X was huge here. their vaguely countrified punk rock sound did wonders for drowning out the Sunset Strip scene of the time (Poison, Ratt, etc.) I have seen X in recent years at the House of Blues here in LA and it is a pleasant event, but kinda sad to see how we've all aged and how the spirit of your teens and 20s can't be replicated.

On another note, I hope they gave a nod to Liz Phair. she has sorta waned in recent times, but her first two albums, Exile in Guyville and WhipSmart were excellent.

[Skooz]

Just a note of useless trivia: Billy Zoom taught Jane Weidlin how to play the guitar.

[John Lenin]

I just loaded up Best of The Pretenders in Winamp, those were the days !!

[Dems_R_Losers]

Chrissie Hynde RULES. The new Pretenders CD is AWESOME.

Others not mentioned here:
Tina Weymouth
Annie Lennox
Tina Turner (esp. pre-"Private Dancer")
Bonnie Raitt

[dogbyte12]

Niether did Maria McKee or Exene Cervenka.

God has blessed Maria Mckee with about the best set of pipes that has bestowed a human being. I have a Lone Justice album and her first solo album in my collection and they do get occasionally brought out.

Madonna, who can't sing her way out of a paper bag is a millionaire... Maria Mckee is mostly unknown. Go figure.

[Dems_R_Losers]

Jane Wiedlin! Damn! I could not remember her name! She rocks too.

[Skooz]

Madonna, who can't sing her way out of a paper bag is a millionaire... Maria Mckee is mostly unknown. Go figure.

Maria has more talent in her discarded fingernails than Madonna has in her whole body. Not even close.

I remember seeing Lone Justice on Saturday Night Live about 14-16 years ago. I was so blown away by her that I wanted to marry her, or at least someone exactly like her!

[WarSlut]

Neither did Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon either.

Any press Sonic Youth ever got was too much. One of my absolute least fave bands of the era.

But to each his own...

[Ford Fairlane]

David Bowie was on Last Call with Carson Daly last week, he made some similar comments when asked what he thought of the state of the music business & some of these boy bands, Britany Spears, etc.

[Morrigan]

I can't believe no one has mentioned Janis Joplin yet!

[45semi]

Posted on her forum at joanjett.com

Joan Darling!
Two Things:
Your letter to Rolling Stone!
BAM ! Nailed em to the wall...
watta piece of fluff that rag is!

Shows for the troops in Afghanistan!
What can I say but, others may talk the talk...
But YOU gotta know going there, and doing something for our troops,
means more than anything the rest of the 'entertainment' industry has done as a whole...

I spent a year in the Saudi desert prior to the fight in 90-91, never saw one face from the 'entertainment' industry the whole time.
Thanks for showing the grunts a good time!
FReegards!
Semi

[Search4Truth]

So a Public Relations ploy wipes the slate clean. OK. Now she can go back to doing the work of the Democrats, Liberals, Feminists, and Abortionists. No doubt she will be selling lots more records as a result of her so-called patriotism.

[Revolting cat!]

Dude, Wanda Jackson, Janice Martin and Brenda Lee rule!

[L.N. Smithee]

Britney's Rock credentials? Well, she butchers the song "I Love Rock'n'Roll" on her latest record, and when asked about it the genius replies "Well, I've always loved Pat Benatar." And SHE is your Rock issue cover girl?? You should be REALLY embarrassed.

JJ, you are so, so, right!

Personally, I can't stand Jett's original "...Rock N Roll", and while most of Joan's covers are pretty good ("Roadrunner" and "Do You Wanna Touch" are better than the originals IMHO), others sound like the original put through a meat grinder (Her jackhammer version of Tommy James' "Crimson and Clover" and a limp-wristed attempt at "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"). Nevertheless, when you do a remake, you should at the very least know WHO DID THE ORIGINAL!

(Tip to Brit: NEVER attempt to cover anything by Pat Benatar. You don't have the pipes. True, few do, but you ESPECIALLY don't.)

I haven't heard Britney botch Joan yet, but if Spears' cover of the Stones' legendary "Satisfaction" is any indication of what her version of "...Rock N Roll" sounds like, Joan has reason to be angry.

[hattend]

...and you're turning your whole publication into a joke

Gee, Joan. They did that 20 years ago.

[McGavin999]

I hardly think it was a public relations ploy since it got almost NO coverage here at home. It was also quite dangerous for her since she performed at the Bagram Airport and she didn't exactly dress "modestly".

It doesn't wipe the slate clean, but it does give her a measure of my respect. I'll argue with her about her views, but at least she put those kids first before her own safety. That's more than I can say for most of the popular scum that masquarade as "entertainers".

[hattend]

BTW: I vote for Ann and Nancy Wilson. Heart rocks. Maybe not as hard as Joan, but they still rock.

[Search4Truth]

Point taken. It is conceiveable of course, that she has had a change of heart and has have moved to the Right side. I'll be watching :)

[ABG(anybody but Gore)]

I haven't heard Britney botch Joan yet, but if Spears' cover of the Stones' legendary "Satisfaction" is any indication of what her version of "...Rock N Roll" sounds like, Joan has reason to be angry.

Oh my God. I just listened to that link you provided. If that is not a Saturday Night Live skit, it should be. It's so bad it's funny. This belongs in the MST3K Hall of Fame, Music Wing.