THE LOOK WAS BLACK LEATHER. THE SOUND WAS POP ROCK. THE MUSICIAN WAS SUZI QUATRO, AND SHE OWNED THE '60S AND '70S AS THE QUEEN OF GLAM. ARTIST AND MUSICIAN LIZZI BOUGATSOS CATCHES UP WITH HER
Dear Suzi,
This is quite an honor to be interviewing a rock legend. It’s intimidating I must say. You broke ground as the first female rocker to assert herself in the male-dominated glam scene of the ’70s—a trendsetter with a cult following, and your wild performances inspired everyone from Joan Jett to Chrissie Hynde. When I first moved to New York, I worked at a gallery. The owner was known as the Keith Richards of the art world. Your version of “Crimson and Clover” was always playing. We had some serious traffic in there...some crazy individuals. This art couple was salivating over your self-titled record, Suzi Quatro. Then I was singing for this band, and your image had quite an effect on me—it inspired me to wear all leather in a no-wave punk film, in which I played a madam of a brothel. Anyway, I think it was the bravery of your material and the woman behind it! So fierce. Well, here are my questions... Love, Lizzi Bougatsos
LIZZI BOUGATSOS I was wondering what it was like to deal with men salivating over you in the rock world? You toured extensively all over the world. Did you ever feel extremely harassed to the point that you couldn’t work?
SUZI QUATRO I never thought about groupies. They just came with the turf. Most of the time I would have equal amounts of girls and guys at the front. I have always had this appeal and it’s one of the reasons Mickie [Most of RAK Records] picked me out. It was mostly the guys looking at me cuz they thought I was good. They would salivate over my blonde sister but end up applauding me. I am told by people all the time (mainly guys) that they had my poster on their walls and then they go on to divulge more details than I need to know. But groupies never made it hard to perform.
LB I am really interested in your experiences as a woman in the ’70s. Was it more fulfilling to live in England rather than your native U.S.A? Do you think it was easier to play rock and roll as a woman?
SQ I moved to England for my career. In truth, I wanted to be far away from everything I knew, so I could do what I wanted without being dragged down. Mickie was my guy, for sure. At first, it was harder to live in England because I was alone—no money, no food, no family, just my dream. I don’t think it was harder or easier to play rock as a woman. I never thought about it in terms of gender. My only thought was to be an excellent bass player, singer, and musician. I never worried about holding my own with any man—never did, never will. I don’t know why, it’s just the way I am. Maybe that explains the whole Quatro persona. You tell me....
LB You have quite a stage performance reputation. I know of the wheelchair incident of the guy who gave you the thumbs up from the audience. I was wondering what other performance incidents were memorable or shocking to you?
SQ I remember doing Vietnam in 1967. We were asked to walk around the hospital corridors to cheer up the soldiers. It was soon apparent that the soldiers were directly off the battlefield and not really even cleaned up. I saw missing limbs, blood, guts, horrific things... I was only 17 and the very last guy I spoke to was an 18-year-old soldier. I asked him whether he’d like to hear something specific, and he replied, “Yeah man, do you know ‘Try A Little Tenderness?’” I went out the front door and fainted.
LB Who did you consider your rock contemporaries? One lady that comes to mind is Marianne Faithfull.
SQ I don’t really have any contemporaries. I was the first, so I had no female role model as a rock musician. The genre didn’t exist, so I had to create it and I am happy to say lots of girls have continued in my path. What’s the point of blowing down a door if no one walks through it? I do, however, like Marianne Faithful. She had hits when I was a teenager. She’s a survivor and very beautiful.
LB Did you and the Runaways play shows together? I am aware that Victory [Tischler-Blue, bass player of the Runaways] worked with you on the DVD 48 Crash. Did you ever play with Joan Jett? Was it weird that she based her whole style on you?
SQ The Runaways movie, Edgeplay, is actually dedicated to me because they wouldn’t have existed without me. Joan was a huge fan, a fact that she has discussed many times. She used to go to all my gigs in California and sit in the hotel lobby waiting for me to return. She had my haircut and my leather jacket. It was quite spooky at times. She was sweet, but also got a little annoying... I was so happy when I heard that she had finally formed a band and also very happy when she succeeded. Imitation is indeed the best form of flattery and I have moved on so very far. The image she copied is a very old image of mine, although traces remain. You can’t take the rocker out of the girl.
LB The Pleasure Seekers. Whoa, that band lasted for five years and with your sisters no less. Were there bitter feelings when you went out on your own?
SQ The Pleasure Seekers ran from 1964 to 1969 and then mutated into Cradle, which was three sisters and our drummer. Both were all-girl bands. Yes, there were a lot of bad feelings. I left them all to pursue my solo career. I took my chance and there was a lot of jealousy, which stands today. But there are times in your life when you have no choice but to move forward. It’s what I had to do.
LB I’m super interested in your upcoming project Naked Under Leather. It seems like a feminine-relationship type DVD. Super exciting. Did that project fulfill your creative desires? It seems super intimate.
SQ Naked Under Leather has been a project close to my heart for many, many years. I never trusted anyone to do it properly until I met Vicky Blue. We connected and I asked her to do my life story with me. She is an excellent director who understands me sometimes better than I understand myself. In short, I trusted her with my life. This movie has turned out to be something very special. It is more than my story, it is the story of success and what you must leave behind to achieve it. I can’t wait to see it myself. As Vicky keeps telling me, “Wait till you see what I’ve got on film.” “I know, I was there,” I reply. And she keeps saying, “No, you don’t.” Shit, maybe I should be scared.
LB Your BBC playlists reflect a rock and roll history that I feel is missing from the retro rehash right now. I really miss blues aesthetic in rock and roll. Do you think the younger generation will bring this back? Or do you think that they are not smart enough?
SQ The rock and roll I play on my radio show is the original thing—the real deal. This music was created at the beginning, at the birth, when there wasn’t an industry as such. People were drawn to it because it was in their soul. They worked for nothing just to be able to play. They weren’t motivated by fame, they wanted to play music. This is definitely missing today. Fortunately, I make music because I FUCKING LOVE IT.
LB I recently read a quote from Morrissey that said there were too many bands for there to be good music. I thought that was a little harsh on the newcomers. What do you think? Are you a supporter of up-and-coming bands?
SQ I think there are definitely some good up-and-coming bands, such as the Kaiser Chiefs and Coldplay. As far as females are concerned, I think KT Tunstall is a happening chick and I would love to do a duet with her.
LB What was it like to tour with Alice Cooper? Who else did you tour with whom you found memorable or challenging as a woman?
SQ Alice is an old friend from the Detroit days. We are like brother and sister. The whole tour was filled with familiar faces, so it was like being back at school. We had great fun. Mostly I’ve toured by myself with supports. I did do lots of gigs in America with ZZ Top, Kiss, Rufus, Grand Funk Railroad, Uriah Heep, just to name a few.
LB Your acting in musicals makes sense to me when I hear songs like “Devil Gate Drive” and “Candy Man.” The dramatization is feverish and full of spirit. Did you enjoy your experiences in theater, like acting in Tallullah Who?
SQ I love acting—in plays, movies, television, or musicals. Annie [Get Your Gun] was fun because I was able to use everything I can do—acting, singing, dancing. Writing and starring as Tallulah Bankhead in Tallulah Who? was a dream come true. The only trouble was that it took me a year to get rid of her.
LB Did the fame and attention of Leather Tuscadero [Fonzie’s rocker girlfriend on the television showHappy Days] freak you out? When they asked you to continue playing the character, you declined. And when Elvis invited you to an event, you declined. Were you protecting what you worked so hard for?
SQ I enjoyed my time on Happy Days, but I always had my sights on furthering my acting career. I didn’t want to get typecast as a female Fonzie forever. I figured fifteen episodes were enough to show them what I could do. Regarding Elvis, he invited me to Graceland when I was 24. I had had a few hits, but basically I wasn’t ready for it yet. I didn’t feel worthy to meet my absolute hero.
LB Tell me about your new record. Do you think that Back to the Drive is similar to any of your other records?
SQ Back to the Drive is my best work to date because it’s the whole picture. There is a lot of the expected rock and roll and some unexpected ballads. I am an entire person and for the first time, I have thrown out the rules and written straight from my heart—best decision I ever made.
Source
xoxo
Carrie
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