Joan Jett is a trailblazer, that is pretty much a known commodity. How much resistance Jett received to be taken seriously as a rock n’ roll badass is one of the astounding highlights of the documentary that celebrates her life and legacy—Bad Reputation.
Jett is a member of the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, but her acceptance by the music business was never a given. In fact, despite having success as a member of the all-girl rock group The Runaways—radio, record companies and the music world as a whole would not give her the time of day. Bad Reputation gives us all the background one would need to feel enriched by what happened to Jett prior to I Love Rock n’ Roll hitting the big time, but what it does so incredibly well is show how the cards were stacked against her by a system that is custom built to not only promote male singers and bands, but to prevent anyone who is not male from breaking into the boys club that performs, manages, programs and creates music.
It is established early in Bad Reputation that it was Jett’s parents that changed her life. They gifted her a guitar for Christmas when she was 13 years-old and from that point on, her destiny was written. Living in Los Angeles, the young aspiring artist was surrounded by rockers making the most of the music scene in the City of Angels in the early and mid-70s. It was a landscape that can be heard through the music she wrote, how she dressed and even how she carried herself.
The film brilliantly chronicles the effort for Jett to be heard and taken seriously. One would argue that even though she is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, that this is an effort that continues to this day. Even though she was part of a somewhat popular rock group, not one record company would take a chance on her and release her debut solo record with her band, The Blackhearts. Bad Reputation boldly shows how she took control of her and her band’s fate by releasing the album on Blackheart Records—their own label. Once I Love Rock n’ Roll hit number one on the charts, everyone wanted a piece of Jett.
It is a bold lesson in believing in oneself and not only refusing to take “no” for an answer but finding an off ramp for your own solution to the issue that keeps you from making dreams reality. That was merely the beginning. Even with the cache of having a number one single, there was still difficulty haunting Jett around every corner. We see in the documentary that radio stations, even though sales were through the roof for the song, limited its play due to their archaic rules about how many female artists can be played in any given hour and any given day.
Director Kevin Kerslake has compiled a riveting and rocking collection of footage and insight into the legend that is Jett. The insight that Kerslake gets from his chats with Jett, as well as a legion of those who know her and industry experts alike, add priceless color to an already colorful life story. It is a mesmerizing documentary that transcends the rock doc subgenre and gives us a powerful and inspiring look at an individual who not only listened to their inner voice and passionately pursued what it told them, but also serves as a roadmap to anyone who is seeking to break down barriers (and a few glass ceilings) that keep any human being from reaching their full potential.
Grade: A