03•2019
Suzi Quatro, circa 1975
from that, I got in touch with somebody who
books these gigs saying that I now want to
come back to my home country. I really
wanna do some American gigs, no bullshit
— I’ve had enough now of not being there.
IE: Didn’t it seem in the ‘70s like Joan Jett pret-
ty much pilfered your entire look? Or were there
subtle nuances we were all missing?
SQ: I know, I know. And it is what it is. But
the only thing I stand up strong for and
shout about is the truth has to be said. And
this is the timeline. I started having hits in
1973, million sellers around the world. I was
Suzi Quatro. I was in a black jumpsuit play-
ing bass guitar, and I did not. Have. A blue-
print. I was the first. I couldn’t look at any
other girl and say, “That’s who I wanna be
12 illinoisentertainer.com march 2019
like,” because she didn’t exist. Lots of people
came after me, sure. But years after, we’re
talking six or seven years after I started hav-
ing my success. And that’s bound to happen
— that’s the whole point. You start some-
thing, and you open the door. So Joan —
bless her, I’m real proud of what she’s done
— there are documented pictures of her sit-
ting in a room with Suzi Quatro wallpaper.
And she knows this. She was a big fan, and
she came to all my shows in L.A. All of them.
With the haircut and the jacket. And I
thought it was really cute. And — as my ex-
husband pointed out — she always came
with, not just a couple of things to auto-
graph, but a stack of things. I'd have to sit
down there for hours while I signed every-
thing. And then I heard four years later that
she was starting a band from my publicist,
Toby Mamis. And the first words out of my
mouth were, “Thank God!” Because if some-
body was that big a fan of what I’m doing,
then they should be doing something them-
selves. And she did. But people tend to for-
get the timeline, and this I don’t like. I don’t
like history being rewritten. The truth is the
truth.
IE: Like a comic book origin issue, how did
you acquire your super rock goddess powers
and create that striking image?
SQ: When I look back in hindsight, I never
did — and I still don’t — do gender. Never
have done. I’ve never once called myself a
female musician, not one time. I call myself a
musician — that’s just who I am. So my first
single was coming out, and it was time to do
my photo session for this song that Mickie
Most said was going to be #1. And they said,
“What do you wanna wear when it comes to
the image?” That was the first time it was put
to me with a potential hit record in front of
me. And I immediately said, “Oh, that’s easy.
I wanna wear leather.” Because ever since I
was a teenager, I’ve always been a
tomboy/blue jeans/jacket as an accessory.
I’ve never been a female female in my whole
life. And Mickie said no, no, no, that was old
fashioned, but I insisted. And he said, ”Okay
— well what about a jumpsuit?" I thought it
would be quite sensible, and I honestly had
no idea — no idea — that it was going to be
sexy. Not until I got the actual photos back,
and I went, “Oh, my God! What did I do?”
But I didn’t wear makeup — I was just real-
ly insistent on being very natural, plain black
suit — that's what I always wanted. And the
reason it’s lasted so long is — and at 68, I can
still go up there, and it looks correct— and
the reason is that it’s me. So it took somebody
like me, before all these girls who came after,
who was non-gender and not up there trying
to show the guys what I could do. I was just
up there being a rock and roller. So you need-
ed somebody with that kind of focus to bring
this all home, and that’s how it happened.
IE: Is there any message that’s been forgotten
over the years that you think young girls
need to know now?
SQ: Oh, my God. Any girl starting off now
that wants to be a musician in this industry
— and I’m a serious musician, that’s what I
am — I would say make sure it’s what you
want because you’re gonna have to give up a
lot along the way. It’s a tough job, and you
have to be one zillion percent professional —
don’t do the drugs, don’t do the alcohol, do
the job. And if you’re gonna pick up an
instrument? Fucking play it. Don’t pretend.
Tom Lanham