My guitar hero

It's probably the most obvious thing to say at the moment, bearing in mind the Jett-mania which seems to have swept the world since the release of the Runaways film, but I am still going to dedicate today's best thing to Joan Jett. Watching the film, I was completely in awe of a teenage girl who could live the rock n roll dream to its fullest, who dressed so completely her own way and who really did beat the boys at their own game.

Women in rock is thankfully a well-worn path now, but there are still shamefully few female guitarists who compete in that Hendrix/Clapton/Slash league. In fact, Joan Jett and Joni Mitchell were the only two women featured in Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists poll a few years ago. Is this because women aren't inspired to play the guitar in that very male tradition? Or is it because women's pop music is more collaborative - not allowing for the attention grabbing geeeetar solo favored by their male counterparts? Maybe it's because guitarists are a bit geeky and all that obsessional stuff about types of guitars and pedals doesn't appeal to many girls. Lita Ford played lead in the Runaways - but Joan played rhythm guitar - and always seemed to be the beating heart of the band.

I wonder if this film will encourage young girls to pick up the guitar and learn to play - and I mean really play. I always dreamed of being in a band when I was 15, but I completely lacked the discipline and confidence needed to take it to any level beyond after school pub discussions. What impresses me the most about the young JJ is that she took Bowie, T-Rex and the Pistols and rampaged head first into the dirty music business taking no shit from anyone. She never once seemed to think she couldn't do it. Her stance, her sneer, her raw power unlike any other female musician before her - she made the blueprint. My favorite bit of the film, incidentally was the beautiful Crimson and Clover segment which I won't discuss in more detail, in case you haven't yet seen the film. It's probably one of the most romantic (lesbian) moments in 21st century cinema. Hmmm - there probably haven't been that many admittedly - but let's start a list!