Dir: Joel Marcus, 2018, USA, 93 mins, Cert: 15
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Tue 13 November 2018 // 20:00
Tickets: £5 (full) / £4 (concession)
Bad Reputation chronicles the life of Joan Jett, from her early teenage years as founding member of The Runaways to her enduring presence over four decades later as a Rock ‘n’ Roll icon.
It’s true, Joan Jett became mega-famous from the number-one hit "I Love Rock n Roll," but that's only part of the story. That fame intensified with the music video’s endless play on MTV, world tours and many hits to follow like "I Hate Myself for Loving You," but that staple of popularity can’t properly define a musician. Jett put her hard work in long before the fame, ripping it up on-stage as the backbone of the hard-rock legends The Runaways, starting her record label out of the trunk of a car after being rejected by 23 labels, and influencing many musicians - both her cohort of punk rockers and generations of younger bands - with her no-bullshit style.
Bad Reputation gives you a wild ride as Jett and her close friends tell you how it really was in the burgeoning ’70s punk scene and the rocky road to rock stardom decades on. Their interviews are laced with amazing archival footage. The theme is clear: Even though people tried to define Jett, she never compromised. She will kick your ass, and you’ll love her all the more for it.