Joan Jett’s favourite album of the 1990s
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(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Punk had come a long way by the time the 1990s truly kicked in. Even though everyone and their mother knew what the concept of punk stood for, the entire grunge movement seemed indebted to the golden age of the genre when everyone was wearing spiky leather jackets and adopting the mohawk haircut. While Joan Jett may have always been focused squarely on rock and roll, though, it’s not like she didn’t have the punk credentials to back her up when she struck out on her own.
The Runaways had already been the archetype for an all-female punk act, and when they split, there was no doubt that Jett was going to be a star. She had the same no-bullshit approach that every other all-star frontman had, and if someone like Johnny Rotten could carve out his place in the world, there was no reason why Jett couldn’t own the entire rock scene as well once she made ‘Bad Reputation’.
For all of the great punk classics under her belt, though, she was still interested in the idea of songwriting. She still had a penchant for making riffs that hit someone like a sledgehammer, but looking at where she would go with people like Desmond Child when making ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You,’ she clearly had as much respect for someone who could knock out a pop single as the adolescent punk looking to rebel against their parents.
And despite 1977 being a banner year for punk rock, later acts like Social Distortion were the perfect example of the punk singer-songwriter. Although Mike Ness didn’t have to argue about being one of the most grizzled badass in the room whenever he played a show, something started to change in their sound when they made their second record Prison Bound.
Mommy’s Little Monster was still a fine underground punk record, but there was always a heart behind their tunes, and by the time they hit their stride, Ness had combined all of his influences under one roof. There were moments that still were indebted to the punk godfathers, but every now and again there would be a downtempo song that felt like something that Johnny Cash could have written.
While Jett had been keeping tabs on Social Distortion, it wasn’t until their self-titled record that they really came alive. They were big enough fans to cover Cash on their version of ‘Ring of Fire,’ but a lot of that rock and roll troubadour attitude was accounted for in their own songs. A lot of punk was about being angry, but no one had been as introspective as Ness was on ‘Story of My Life’ or willing to write something as mainstream as ‘Sick Boys.’
And listening to what Jett was doing at the same time, she may have seen a model for where she could go as well. After all, the rest of the 1990s would see punk bands getting more and more sanitised like Blink-182, so having someone like Ness still fighting the good fight for punk reminded everyone that the troubadours of the world have stuck around for a damn good reason.
Social Distortion may have never reached the same heights as some of the biggest names in punk rock, but their style isn’t all that different from what Jett brought to the table. Both of them knew the power of a good song, and even if it divided fans down the middle when they made bids for the mainstream, for Ness, there was no shame in rocking a spiky collar and Doc Marten boots the same way that cowboys used to boast their gun holsters.
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