DEADLY WEAPON
Fight for your right to party? Lita certainly did, and lived life to the full during her time as guitarist in The Runaways in the 70s then as a solo artist in the 80s.
Lita Ford was one of the great shredders of the 80s, an era she still sees as a golden age. Having started her career precociously young as a guitarist in The Runaways in the 70s, and then finding solo fame with hits including Kiss Me Deadly, she embraced the rock’n’roll lifestyle with gusto.
Last year you published Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir. What was it like going over all those memories?
It was interesting. There were times where I had to walk away, clear my head and just think: “I’ve got to get away from this,” and then there were times where it was hysterical, where I was crying laughing.
How did you go about putting it together? Things would pop into my mind and I would write the story, and then put it in chronological order. For instance when I was thirteen I went to the Black Sabbath concert, and then I would move on to The Runaways days. When it got to the part where I spoke about my children, that was difficult. I haven’t seen them in eight years. [After the split with her husband, their children went with him.]
What did you think of the film The Runaways (released in 2010)?
They tried to make me out to be a bitch, bossy, and really I wasn’t. I was just more interested in what was going on in the music industry, and our lives, and why were these men taking all our money.
Were you being exploited?
Well, you want to know things. Or I did. And every time I’d ask, I expected the girls to back me. At least tell us how much we made! And they wouldn’t, they would look at me as if I was the bad guy. So I’d just get a bottle of Jack Daniel’s and go and sit in the hallway of the hotel. But there were a lot of parties. I met a lot really great people.
When you started out with The Runaways did you have any idea of the impact the band would have?
I did, actually. I had a vision. When [manager] Kim Fowley first called me he wanted me to audition. He gave me the rap of a lifetime: “You’re going to play the biggest arenas, you’re going to fuck the best rock stars…” I was like: “Wow! Really?” And he was right. It all came true. I held on to that vision and I never let it go. When you were first learning to play guitar, who were your big inspirations?
I loved Ritchie Blackmore. His playing was phenomenal. The double-picking guitar parts that he used to do, nobody did that, it was so unique. I also loved Tony Iommi for his riffs, those dark and heavy riffs. They were so badass.
“Being a rock star is a state of mind. You can either be a rock star or just
be a musician.”
You’re well-respected as a guitarist. How did you develop your onstage persona? It’s just a matter of practice and developing your own style. I remember Cherie [Currie, Runaways singer] came in one day and she was dressed up like David Bowie. Cos we all wanted to be our superheroes, and you can’t. You learn from them, steal from them, but create your own style and become yourself.
What was the eighties rock scene like for you when you became a solo artist?
It was the best decade for rock’n’roll, for me. The people that came out of it, all the different musicians and different things you learnt.
The money was great. You got paid big-time for what you did. Now everything’s just microscopic. Like: “You get ninety-nine cents if you download this.” Fuck you.
It was a decade that can never be beat. Bands like
Van Halen, Mötley Crüe.
Music was in its prime.
What memories do you have of being on the road with those bands?
There are a lot of good stories in the book, with rock stars and people in the industry. You know, if you work in a bank then chances are you’re going to date somebody that works at the bank.
It’s the same with rock music. If you’re on tour and you run into bands that you’re opening for, you’re gonna end up having a drink with them at the bar, and next thing you know they’re your best friend!
And those are people who understand the touring lifestyle.
It is difficult, though. You get a lot of:
“Oh, you slut!” When the book came out, the New York Times made a list of everybody I slept with. But I didn’t hold back,
I told everything in terms of sex and drugs. Why would I not talk about it?
Did you enjoy being a rock star? Being a rock star is a state of mind. You can either be a rock star or just be a musician. I liked to dress up, and because I was who I was, I could wear anything and get away with it. You could wear little tiny bra tops and walk the streets, and people would look twice and then they’d go: “Oh, it’s Lita Ford, no wonder.” So yeah, it was a lot of fun.
You had a long break – fifteen years – in the nineties. Did you miss all of that? When the grunge scene kicked in I was really sick of it. I didn’t like what had happened to music. I met this guy and had two children, and I wanted to be a great mom, and all of a sudden being a mother was more important to me than being a rock star.
How was it coming back after that fifteen-year break?
I had to study myself. I had to remember: how did I move on stage? How did I play that certain guitar run? None of it was easy. But the first thing I did was make the record [Wicked Wonderland], and that helped me a lot. Then we started a fourmonth tour with Def Leppard. I was just like: “Wow, is God watching over me, or what? This is bad to the bone.” I felt at home. All my aches, pains and hurts went away. It was where I was supposed to be.
You’re working on new music. What can we expect from it?
It’s very dark. Since my divorce
I have fallen into a very dark side. And a lot of people relate to it. It gives them a place to let loose their anger and their hatred. They have a place to go. They understand.