Review: Bad Reputation (2018)
★★★★
“Bad Reputation” chronicles the life of one of the boldest rock stars of all time, from receiving her first guitar for Christmas when she was 13 to her induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. This documentary is loaded with great original footage and photographs that convey the absolute debauchery that was the 1970s rock & roll scene. A scene which Joan Larkin pushed her way into despite pervasive misogyny and abuse that kept women artists down for decades.
Original interviews with fellow artists who influenced Joan, like Blondie and Iggy Pop, help us understand her stylistic roots and appreciate her almost immediate impact in the industry. Original interviews with fellow artists who Joan herself went on to influence, like Kathleen Hanna, Miley Cyrus, Laura Jane Grace, and Billie Joe Armstrong, help us grasp her monumental and enduring legacy on the industry, particularly amongst women artists.
“Bad Reputation” also explores Joan’s dedication to being more than just a rock star, as in her support for animal rights. It didn’t touch as much on her early 2000s music, much of which satirized the Bush Administration, but it did illustrate her rise to being a feminist icon, all by simply being herself. Also touched on is Joan’s involvement in the Riot Grrrl scene of the early 90s, particularly with Bikini Kill, and how she lent a helping hand to many up and coming artists in the industry.
From Joan’s initial all-girl band The Runaways to her many solo hits over the decades (such as “Crimson and Clover,” “I Wanna Be Your Dog,” and “Do You Wanna Touch Me?”) her art was revolutionary and inspiring in its reclamation of female sexuality. One of my favorite songs of hers, “Androgynous,” compassionately explored gender fluidity nearly two decades before that issue really went mainstream.
Joan Jett was, and is, a pretty shy, awkward, and soft-spoken person. But she also wanted to make history by paving new ground for women in rock & roll. And she did. And she understands that very well. While she rightfully takes pride in her amazing and hard-fought accomplishments, Joan’s grounded personality never seems to fade.
The world would have been a far darker, more boring place if Joan Jett had let her bad reputation keep her down. Lucky for us, she didn’t.
