Queens of Noise; the real story of the Runaways

Queens of Noise is a biography on the Runaways, by Evelyn McDonnell. This is a story of how five teenage girls got together, made some noise, and reversed the stereotypical “male dominant” rock and roll genre. Coming straight out of the 70’s punk scene and on the threshold of the glam metal scene; the Runaways refused to be force-fed any beliefs, etiquettes, stereotypes or actions which were expected from young ladies at the time. Consisting of Cherie Currie, Sandy West, Jackie Fox, and major stars-to-be Lita Ford and Joan Jett, girls all no older than 16 longed to express their angry emotions through aggressive rock and roll, which is exactly what they did. The image on the cover provokes a strong image; five bad-ass looking girls with a “don’t mess with me” look in their eyes, and I found that reading this book confirmed these thoughts. With their instantly recognizable hits “Cherry Bomb” and “School Days”, the Runaways short length existence, only four years long, produced amazing riffs; completely original, and not the usual rip off of some other big shot band. This book includes intimate interviews with Joan Jett, Cherie Currie, Lita Ford, and Jackie Fox of the Runaways as well as their manager, Kim Fowley. If you have seen, or are thinking of seeing the 2010 motion picture “The Runaways” starring Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning, I suggest you read Queens of Noise first, because as the saying goes, the book is always better than the movie.  Reading this book was a clear and impressive example of how true that saying is. Queens of Noise talks about five famously naive girls who dared rebel against society with the self confidence necessary to say “Hey, women can play electric guitars too. Women dig Black Sabbath, Cream, Kiss, Blue Oyster Cult, and all that, too”. Modern trends say, liking retro or classic music is cool, including the Runaways, which is probably why their popularity is greater today than it was in 1975. The Runaways opened a door to women rock bands, even creating their own scene; a mixture of LA glam metal, classic hard rock, and punk.  Queens of Noise is a fascinating read which reveals the ingredients necessary to create a really aggressive rock and roll band. 

-Gabriella Hall

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