How Robert Plant got Joan Jett arrested in England: “Put me in a jail cell”
During the 1970s, hard rock began dominating the mainstream, with bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple frequently receiving radio airplay across the world. These classic rock bands were at the height of their fame, and with that came a world of excess. Drugs, alcohol and groupies defined this period of music, where musicians became symbols of bad behaviour, chaos and open sexuality. The musical landscape was dominated by men who took advantage of their celebrity status, sleeping with much younger women who were simply seen as accessories.
There were hardly any women who played rock music during the early ‘70s. The androcentric nature of the industry deterred female musicians and presented them with few opportunities. Women who operated in musical spheres were often assumed to be groupies and were ridiculed for playing instruments. Many women simply felt as though there was no place for them in the music world because there were hardly any female guitar players or drummers to look up to. They didn’t think it was possible.
Yet, in 1975, a group of teenage girls became one of the most prominent and influential all-female rock bands, inspiring many other women in their wake: The Runaways. At just 15 years old, Cherie Currie became the lead singer, while Joan Jett, the most recognisable member, also contributed lead vocals and guitar. The band took the world by storm, finding success with their song ‘Cherry Bomb’.
Their tenure was relatively short. By 1979, the members had moved on to different projects, with Jett starting a successful solo career. At the age of 21, Jett had achieved rock and roll success, although she endured several years of chaos to get there. Back then, the music industry was particularly rife with corruption, and the teenage Jett and her bandmates quickly got swept up in its tumultuous waves. Currie became addicted to drugs, eventually having a mental breakdown. Meanwhile, Kim Fowley, the band’s seedy manager, reportedly raped bassist Jackie Fox, which she alleged in 2015.
The band worked as hard as they could to be respected, and despite the difficult and wild times they endured, they achieved great success, touring with some of the decade’s most established acts, such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Rush. While on the road, they partied hard, did copious amounts of drugs, and encountered some of music’s biggest names.
Yet, despite all of the illegal activity they engaged in or were in close proximity to (predominantly hard drug use), Jett claims she has only been arrested once, and it was for something rather juvenile. When The Runaways were on their first tour in England, they met Robert Plant from Led Zeppelin, who inspired Jett to do something that landed her behind bars.
Talking to The Guardian, she revealed the one time she ended up under arrest. “I blame Robert Plant because we once asked him what souvenirs we should get on the road; he said he took hotel room keys. In England, the keys were big, ornate, metal things. I had four. At customs, the guy said, ‘Hmm, sticky fingers, you’re under arrest’, and put me in a jail cell.”
So, while Jett found herself in the centre of an industry full of drugs and alcohol, the underage musician only ever got arrested for attempting to hold on to some keepsakes, symbols of her teenage success.
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