Welcome to a breath of fresh air with Sandy Kaye. Hello, great to have you company. I hope your week is going really well.
Do you remember this song and the band that made it famous?
Cherie, like Suzie Quatro ahead of her, helped shatter every stereotype about what girls in music could be. Fronting one of the first all-female rock bands, Sheree roared her way into the history books, but behind the glam and the chaos was a teenage girl navigating fame, manipulation, addiction and reinvention. Today Cherie Currie’s story is far from over.
She’s still carving as a chainsaw artist, still singing and still touring. Stay tuned to learn about Cherie’s incredible wild ride told in her own words. Yes it’s been quite a life I can’t believe I’m 65 that’s been almost 50 years since I joined the Runaways.
Almost 65 I’m not going anywhere until you tell me your secrets for that you look amazing. Oh thank you well I think it could be the chainsaw carving that I’ve done professionally for about 23 years it kept me into a lot of good shape but you know when you hit menopause everything changes you can’t take the heat like you used to be able to and that’s just something that I have to live with and I have to have fans on the stage all that kind of stuff. Tell me about chainsaw carving I know nothing about that.
Well everything that has been great in my life since I left the Runaways is because of art. When I was a counselor at Coldwater Canyon for drug addicted teens I had to sit in class with them and for two hours a day and I needed to do something so I started sketching these whimsical pictures with you know knights in shining armor and beautiful princesses with animals always animals and and castles and all that and my then manager Rick Frio took me to Pricetown in Sloan which was a children’s book company to see if I could be an illustrator for them and so they looked at my artwork and they went wow how long have you been doing this I said a year and they said how is that possible and I told them the story of the Runaways and that I had fallen into drug addiction and all this and that and they said we’ve been looking for our first young adult book and this is it and so I walked in there as an illustrator walked out little did I know an author and because of that book that’s how the Runaways movie was made you know so many years later was based on my book so I went from being a sketch artist to a painter and I had painted a steer skull on an old oak tabletop that I found in the trash down the street and so I was doing the carving but I happened to be on the back of a motorcycle going to the beach one day Malibu and there was a couple of guys chainsaw carving at the side of the road and I looked I went well that’s that’s neat but we didn’t stop and I didn’t ask to stop and but every night I went to bed that voice Sandy you know that voice that we should never ignore every morning you have to go back like why before I go to bed you have to go back two weeks it took me to finally turn around say all right already I’ll go back and I went and I walked into this gallery and instead of like you know the squared lumberjack type bears that you would expect to see there were these beautiful mermaids and dolphins and and seals and this voice as clear as yours said you can do this and I was like what I never in a million years thought that I would pick up a chainsaw and start being a chainsaw artist but I did and I started winning ribbons like right out the gate and I’ve been doing it now for pushing 24 years so you mothers can book it down I ain’t wrestling Jackson No I’m a rebel with a groove The chainsaw is not a light tool it’s heavy no heavy work right oh it is yes and I’ve got chainsaws as big as me believe it or not but it’s just something that I’ve that I’ve really you know through all these years become pretty good at and what is so interesting about it is it’s not like clay work where you can take things off and put it back on and you cannot make mistakes when you’re chainsaw carving because if it comes off and you make a mistake or you do an overcut then you have to almost start all over again make it much smaller because you can’t have mistakes so it’s pretty cool that I really don’t make mistakes anymore There wouldn’t be too many women in this field would there? There was a handful for sure but not many not many but now there seems to be a lot more Well it’s typical Sheree Curry isn’t it? You set the pace for women all the time I mean that’s what you did with the Runaways you were just a young girl when you started yes tell me about 15 yeah I mean I know you were a surfy chick and you had a big board and you loved the waves in Southern California and hanging out like that that’s why it didn’t surprise me when you said you were on the back of a motorbike how did it all get going for you at 15 well I was if I hadn’t have gone to my very first David Bowie Diamond Dogs concert at the Universal Amphitheater I believe I was at just the tail end of being 14 It was again one of those that voice in my head because I was a surfer chick and I was you know I’m an identical twin and my twin was the real popular one I was the runt that was not popular and I was very insecure but I was in that audience and I saw him and just this just it washed over me that you have to do this you’re going to do this and I so I walked out of that place a different person I started to prepare for it believe it or not when I met just separating myself also for being a twin because you know you have to because that was my whole identity was being the twin of my of Marie and I just wanted to find out my own identity and so I ended up cutting my hair into a shag and I was just laser focused that I was going to find a rock band and believe it or not they found me and that was Kim Fowley and Joan Jett at the Sugar Shack at the Sugar Shack we all know that from the song don’t we doesn’t matter where you live everyone knows that name I know that your mother remarried and moved to Indonesia a little while before that did that have a great impact on you I mean she left you guys behind yes she did well Marie stayed which I’m grateful for she did take my younger brother but my dad who was in Texas he ended up coming back and we all lived in this little house with my aunt Evie and my father and my my grandmother and it was so full of love that house but I mean as soon as I joined the Runaways I mean it was just I spent almost no time at home for those two years they just really did work us hard I just wish they would have given us a little bit of a break I think we could have stuck together a little bit longer but by the time I left we were pretty exhausted and there was a lot of infighting you know when you’re a kid especially girls there was jealousy and and just nobody was there to help us through it no one so you know it ended up taking a toll unfortunately well you had a manager in Kim Fowley he didn’t step up to that role oh no and you know I took care of Kim towards the end of his life I moved him into my house and I had to forgive him for the way he had treated us because I really realized that that was just eating me alive it was a very strong life lesson that that you know forgiveness is very important in this life and he had been raised with a very unloving mother he had never been a father how could I honestly expect him to know how to handle five teenage girls he couldn’t and he what he did do is he tried to toughen us up enough for this business that was not really geared for females especially teenagers yeah so yeah he would throw food at us and he would do all you know try just to get us ready for this new adventure that that turned out to be sometimes great and sometimes a struggle you know we had to fight our way through a lot of these shows with boy bands that really didn’t believe girls had any place on a stage doing rock and roll but we changed their minds we speak in coke and drink top but we live in a double life history and crazy schemes secrets we got dreams that we’ve seen a street that shadows me but we live in a double life a chair that fits somewhere but we live in a double life you said that you started going to the sugar shack in North Hollywood the club there for teens and you met Kim and you met a young guitarist named Joan Jett and they just happened to be searching for somebody out front that could sing was it pure coincidence it was they were looking for a bass player a guitar player Lita was kind of iffy about it but they you know they just walked up to me Kim Fowley and Joan was staring at me and I kind of knew who she was because there was so much hype about this trio The Runaways which was her and Mickey Steele and Sandy West but it wasn’t making any traction obviously with the record labels but they walked up and they said you know can you sing or play an instrument and they just liked the way I looked I guess I had some aura about me and I said well I can sing a little and they took my number and next thing I knew within a week I was auditioning for them. What was your look Charade? Well you know me and it’s funny we almost had the same haircut you know I really was so into David Bowie that I had a shag haircut you know I went from my long surfer chick look into a more punk I would imagine and I didn’t do a lot a lot of makeup but who knows when I see pictures of myself today you know with the eyeliner and all that stuff it’s almost amazing that a 15 year old would be allowed to leave the house like that.
A lot of times we had to sneak out you know but it was unique I guess because a lot of kids really started picking up on that look from The Runaways. Absolutely Kim sort of threw you out there a bit as jail bait didn’t he? Was it your idea with the stockings and the lingerie or was that his design to get the boys in more? No that was absolutely me and I happened to be at the Starwood and we were there for a sound check and I looked across Santa Monica Boulevard and there was this single mannequin in the window of this little shop that sold women’s you know racy underwear and that corset was there and it was literally I was just drawn to it. I remember walking across the street and like pushing my face and I just had to go in and try it on and I did and that voice again said you must wear this for Cherry Bomb and I bought it.
Then I had a meeting with Scott Anderson and Kim Fowley at my home and I put it on and I walked out and I said I want to wear this for Cherry Bomb and Kim. I said but the girls are going to hate it and boy was I right about that they hated it. The girls in the band? But Kim knew.
Oh sure yeah that was not something that made them feel comfortable. Like even Lito would turn around and go oh that effing corset you know but I knew in my heart that wearing that corset was going to bring a lot of attention to the band and we needed it and it certainly did. It certainly did.
Did the girls get over it? They accepted it? Not really. I don’t even think, well I think Joan has now but I don’t think Lito’s ever going to get over it. It did what it was meant to do because I only wore it for three minutes.
I only wore it for Cherry Bomb and then I would walk off stage and change back into another costume but sometimes people believe I wore that the entire set and I didn’t. It was just for that one song. You didn’t go home in it afterwards? Oh hell no.
This is a breath of fresh air with Sandy Kaye. It’s a beautiful day. Cherie Currie’s extraordinary life really reads like fiction and she was always taking the road less travelled.
Born and raised in Southern California, Cherie was into surfing and skateboarding until she was discovered one day in a local club by producer Kim Fowler. He had admired her looks, just picked her out of the crowd and asked if she could sing. He then quickly wrote the song Cherry Bomb for her to use as an impromptu audition piece.
Cherie joined the band and that song became the Runaway’s biggest ever hit. Today it still stands as a universal anthem for teenage rebellion. They had asked me to learn a Suzy Quatro song.
Suzy, who is one of my dearest friends now and of course I know she’s a big, big Australia chick as well. Absolutely, she loves this country. Yeah, she does, she does.
So they asked me to learn a Suzy Quatro song. My background was always the Andrew Sisters and Dean Martin, which nobody even knows. But that’s what I would sing with my dad.
My dad was a great singer and so I learned Fever. Never know how much I love you Never know how much I care When you put your arms around me I get a fever that’s so hard to bear You give me fever When you kiss me Fever when you hold me tight Fever In the morning Fever all through the night The girls were not impressed. And they didn’t know the song.
I think they were about to learn Can the Can or something. That was really what they were expecting. So Kim just turns and he goes to Joan.
Joan, you, come with me. And they walked into the home because we were doing this audition in Carrie Crome’s garage. Carrie Crome was a young gal that was writing a lot with Kim Fowley at the time and Joan.
And they went into her house and came out 20 minutes later. And he handed me the lyrics. And he told Joan, play.
And so she starts playing and he starts kind of singing. But it’s, you know, Kim didn’t. And he just said, do it.
So it’s like I had to kind of come up with a melody and make it all work on the spot. And I kind of really realized at 15, I never knew I should have gotten writing credit for that song. But I should have.
Darn it. But, you know, that was, I sold them on that song. And in the movie, you know, that’s the one thing.
You know, they manipulated a lot of stuff that I think that they didn’t need to do. That, you know, Dakota Fanning in the film turning around and saying, you know, I don’t want to sing this. It’s like, are you kidding me? I was all over it.
I loved it. And I still, even at 65, saying, you know, I’ll have you and grab you till you’re sore. I’m just wondering when people are going to start.
You know, I think you’ve got quite a way to go. Well, you know, I mean, it’s just to me, it’s it’s it’s what I breathe. That song will always be.
That’s your signature. My song. Yeah.
Yeah. What did it feel like for you becoming part of the band and being the front person of that band turned your life upside down overnight? It did. And there was so much insecurity, too, because it just all happened so fast.
I’d only been in the band, I think, two weeks when Danny Rosenkranz from Capitol Records came in to this little trailer that we were rehearsing in. And I’ll never forget because he had turned Kim down before with Mickey Steele as the front person and the trio. And I’ll just never forget him going.
And that was it. So two weeks in, we get a record deal and then it was it just never stopped. I mean, we rehearsed.
We weren’t rehearsing. We were doing photo shoots. We weren’t doing photo shoots, interviews and touring.
So, I mean, we just never we never had one break, not one. And a little over two years that I was in that band. Were you getting paid adequately for your time? No, no money, no money at all.
In fact, we didn’t we were you know, you would ask for like twenty dollars for Tampax or, you know, can we have a hamburger or something? Kim would always give us a hard time about it. The first time we actually got paid was after Japan, which was my final tour with the Runaways, because we we knew with all the merchandise and everything else that was selling like crazy. We were sold out all of our shows.
There was no reason why we were staying at like cheap motels. How can we not? Why are we not being paid? And Kim would always turn around and say, well, we have to pay the record company back for their investment. Well, I know that record.
We cut that record. I think it took us two weeks and Kim would only let us do like a couple of takes. And you say, you’re done, dog.
Get out. You know, I know the record was made cheaply, but it was after Japan. I think we each got a check for twelve hundred dollars.
I found you when you appeared. The band was playing. You drove away that Saturday.
Wanted you, knew where you were staying. Backstage, right above my edge. Didn’t care that you were older.
Stop, look, listen. To my heartbeat. Stop, look, listen.
To my heartbeat. With all of the merchandise, the millions of dollars they made, you know, we did have to go after Kim and sue him and Polygram Records. Me, Lita, Sandy and Joan.
Jackie had already done it without telling any of us. She had made a deal with them back in the 90s, early 90s. So she was off the table.
And then we went after him. And now at least we get royalties because we didn’t even get that until the mid 90s. So you’re done, dog.
Is that how he talked to you? Oh, yeah. Sure. Yes.
Yeah. Dog and dog puke and all of that stuff. Oh, sure.
And that, you know, bothered me a lot. It really did. But, you know, I had to put on my big girl pants.
I needed to be in this band. And any time we would rock the boat about money, anything like that, Kim would just turn around and say, well, you know what? I’m just going to walk away. And if we sign that record contract through Kim Fallon.
So we were never individually signed to Mercury. It was through Kim because we were all underage and our parents had to sign off and all that. But that is what he would do if we started at all complaining.
He says, well, I’m just going to walk away and you guys will have nothing. And so our parents kind of learned that, you know, because we wanted this so bad. You gave me the answer.
Now I got the answer. Oh, yeah. I got Queens of Noise.
Come and get it, boys. Queens of Noise. Not just one of your toys.
Queens of Noise. None of the girls’ parents ever said anything to him, tried to score a better deal for you. They just let it happen.
Yes, they did, because we would fight our parents on it. Because, I mean, when Kim says I’m walking away and then there’s no deal, there’s no more records. I mean, that was very scary for kids at early 16, 17, you know, 18.
He was our producer, our manager. He was our everything. And we didn’t know how to do this.
Being a mother myself, I don’t know how they did it, you know, to have the guts to let your child. You know, when my son was 16, my twin sister was married to Steve Lukather of Toto. And their son, Trevor Lukather, who is five years older than Jake, he had put together a band.
He was going on tour and he wanted Jake to go on tour with him, play rhythm guitar. And I looked at Jake and I said, how would you like your no, fast or slow? Jake said, but mom, you did this when you were 60. I said, exactly.
No, not unless I can go with you. Yeah. But anyway, you know, this was uncharted territory.
This was new. It really hadn’t been done before. So we just wanted to continue to play.
And that’s what we ended up doing. But unfortunately, we imploded, you know, after three albums. The Runaways were a significant band, especially for their time.
While not a massive mainstream success in the U.S., they were a groundbreaking all-female rock band, gaining recognition for their music and rebellious image. In Japan, their popularity soared and included sold-out shows, a TV special, numerous TV appearances and a gold-selling live album. Their formation and success inspired many young women to pick up instruments and form bands, challenging the male-dominated music industry of the time.
Cherie says despite this, she was never swept away with the success they enjoyed. Not really. I mean, I honestly thought that we were just a flash in the pan.
And even in the I didn’t even look at any of the videos or anything until the mid-90s. So we’re talking, you know, 20 years. I couldn’t bring myself to look at anything because I was still so injured by the experience and leaving on such bad notes with Joan.
And as Joan and I were very close, Lita and I never were. And she always just really scared me. But Sandy West and I continued to be best friends all the way up until she passed.
What happened with Joan? She just, for some reason, she thought that I didn’t really want to be in that band anymore. And that wasn’t true. It was just when Lita, you know, attacked me basically in the dressing room because I had to leave.
We were sharing a car, my twin sister and I. My twin needed to go to acting class. And I had told the photographer, Barry Levine, that I needed to leave on time. But he had run late.
They had gotten there late. I’d been there setting up shots and everything with Barry. And then Barry kind of threw a hissy fit, threw his camera on the ground and got Lita all riled up.
And when I said, well, I’m sorry, I have to go. And Lita kicked in the door and pushed me up against the wall and said, you know, you’re going to choose between us and your family. And that was all I needed.
I mean, there had just been so many bad feelings with nobody helping us navigate all of the insecurities and jealousies that happen when you’ve got teenage girls doing something that hadn’t been done before. That was the final straw. Lita was the final straw for me.
It would have been very different if you had a guiding person there. Yes, truly. Very, very true, Sandy.
Couldn’t one of the mothers step up and be that influence for you? Well, Jackie’s mother did come with us to the UK, which was great. And she was a registered nurse. So that was good.
But, you know, they had their lives. They were all working parents, too. And what about your sister? You said that she was always the popular one.
How did she handle your success? Was she happy for you or a little envious? I think envious. I mean, unfortunately, that’s why the record with Capital happened, because my dad had pulled me aside after I left the Runaways. And I was shooting Foxes at the time.
And he just said, Kit, you’ve got to help her, because she’s working at Pup and Taco. You’ve got to help her. And I said, Dad, let me, please, just let me become a solo artist.
There’s interest in me right now. Please let me do this on my own, because my sister had never stepped on a stage. I’d been doing it for years.
But he said no. He goes, I’ll have to cut you loose if you don’t. Really? You know, family comes first, yes.
And my father went to his grave very, very sorry he did that, because Marie thought she wanted to do it. But once we did it, she realized she didn’t want to. And she felt like it really wasn’t.
It does take a special person. It is really a calling. It isn’t just something that anyone can do.
And after we made our record for Capitol, she and Steve Lukather called me, and it’s a quarter of a million dollar record. We’re talking 1981. I mean, that’s a lot of money to spend on a record.
That’s messing with the boys. Right. You’re coming to me with some 50-60 la- Cut me some slack and let me toss it back I know what to do to pull this thing through You can stop messing with the boys for starters They don’t mean nothing to you, no, no You can stop messing with the boys for start- You’re hanging around with some 50-60 boys You’re spending money on girls Your continues were so sophisticated What do you do? What do you do? Marie said, you know, we’re calling you because we just really want to have babies and I don’t want to go on tour with you.
And I said, well, you know what that’s going to mean. They’re going to drop me. And they said, no, they won’t.
You’re Cherie Cur- No. But they did. So it was really a mistake that- It cost you a lot.
It did. It cost me my career. And that was too bad because a part of me knew, you know, that inner voice that I keep talking about, knew this was wrong.
But I love my family. I love my family. Never, never do what family tells you.
You have to listen to that voice no matter what. They will come around, Sandy. They will come around, but you’ll never get back.
Like I said, that inner voice that told me, do not do this. And I knew that I would not only have to bring my level of performance down to meet hers. And even Steve Lukather would turn around and say, you know, Cherie, you’ve got to bring it down a bit because you’re making Marie look bad.
It’s like, oh, my God. I mean, you know, it was really a rough go. But Marie, she just, she’s never wanted to do it since.
Never. It wasn’t in her blood. She just thought it was.
Teenage kids. Yeah.
This is a breath of fresh air with Sandy Kaye. It’s a beautiful day. In their heyday, The Runaways’ headline bills over legendary bands like Van Halen, Tom Petty, The Ramones and Cheap Trick.
By the time their sophomore album was released, they’d gone international and became known as the fourth most popular international act, behind Led Zeppelin, ABBA and Kiss. What a thrill. Yeah, it really is.
They were so good to us and there were so many bands that really weren’t. So you did get some support? A little bit. Yeah, and also like Boston, the band Boston, who were huge.
They were just so gracious. They really wanted to protect us because they knew how tough it was and we were just kids. 🎶 🎶 Do you ever regret walking away from the band? Always.
I do, but yet I also know that there was no way it could continue without some kind of support, some mental health support for all of us. And Jackie had left in Japan. She had hacked herself up with glass and, you know, so they shipped her off, you know, home.
And so we had to finish the tour as just a four-piece with Joan on bass. But that was really when we started going downhill, when no break, not one, and no guidance whatsoever. And then you get tired.
I was tired. I’m sure you were. Even though you were a teenager, I mean, if you’re working long hours and I’m sure you weren’t eating right, you weren’t sleeping right, it would wear you down completely.
And no money. Yeah, right. And no money.
And we’re not making any money at all. Gosh. Yeah.
I mean, it became a point where I knew something was off and I knew that, you know, that we were being really ripped off. Because, you know, you’d see T-shirts everywhere. I mean, it sold out crowds and we’re not getting paid.
How confident were you in establishing your own solo career after that? Well, I would have been a lot more comfortable. I got a – Neil Bogart from Casablanca offered me – I did a show for him that he had arranged and he offered me a deal, but then I had to bring Marie in and he wouldn’t do it with Marie. I saw you, the hug, we were all alone.
I had to walk away from that and the same thing happened with Capital. Capital said, we’ll give you a deal, but not with Marie. Because they knew what was painfully obvious, that this really wasn’t for her.
But, you know, what do you do all these years later? I mean, it’s been so long. And really, I used drugs to kind of get those feelings away from me because I knew I’d screwed up majorly, big time, when my sister walked. And when I got dropped, I knew that I had lost a huge opportunity.
And that was hard. That was really hard. How did you get yourself off drugs? I moved home to my Aunt Debbie’s house and – Started again? I sure did.
And I became a fitness trainer. And I went to work at a mall just down the street from me because I wanted to know what it felt like to be normal. So I just took any job that I could get.
I walked in selling linen and I was paid, I think, $2.50. She goes, how much do you want an hour? Well, I didn’t know. And so I said, $2.50 an hour? He goes, great. Well, little did I know it was actually legal.
He had to give me $3.50 an hour. But even though there was a record store directly across from us, people would – even Rosanna Arquette, the actress who’s been a friend of mine, walked and said, what are you doing here? And I said, I’m working. What does it look like I’m doing? But I needed to get grounded.
I needed to know what real life was like. So I’m very glad I did that. I’ve been so rowdy for 18.
Never read a single book. Headed home again to dirty looks. But now I live my life.
There’s a lot I’ve seen at 18. And then you fell into the movies. Well, the acting – I had done a show and Dennis Brody was his name from William Morris Agency, and he just happened to be there.
And he walked up and he said, Cherie, have you ever thought of acting? I said, well, it’s entertainment, sure, why not? And little did I know, I mean, he sent me out – the first movie I think was Rock and Roll High School. And the second one was Foxes. And I chose Foxes because I love Jodie Foster so much.
And at that time I was making the record with Marie. So there’s a lot of lying, because I couldn’t let my sister know the truth either. The company didn’t even want her singing on the record.
It was just a terrible situation, to be honest with you. But the only way that I could numb those feelings was through drugs. And that took down my movie career as well, was cocaine.
But I’ve learned a lot in my 65 years. I wish I would have listened to that inner voice. And that’s why I always tell people you must.
That is the lesson. You listen to that inner voice and you will never be steered wrong. And you have to believe it.
Because if you don’t, bad things happen. And I lost both my record career and my acting career all because I didn’t listen. Is that what prompted you to write the book? Well, of course.
And your overriding message in that was listen to your inner voice. Well, it was also a book about forgiveness. There had to be forgiveness all the way around.
I mean, a lot of things happened. Right after I left The Runaways, I was kidnapped by a guy that was a murderer. I’m just so lucky I got out of there alive.
Things like that, that you can survive. I’m so lucky because six women didn’t. He killed six women.
And, of course, me being a people pleaser was the only reason why I got into this car. Just to pull around a park at the Sugar Shack. All my friends are there.
The guard is there. I thought I was safe, but I wasn’t safe. And I had no idea that this man was an attractive looking guy driving a big green limousine.
Did I know that I was stepping into more than likely what was going to be my demise? On a bonbon shirt that I’m wearing well. Your mama says you’re going straight to hell. In 360, you’re a rebel queen.
And I’m champions in the dust. I sleep on the streets. I wouldn’t change anything in my life except I really wish I would have just told my dad no when it came to Marie.
And Marie, to this day, you know, she feels terrible about it. You know, it’s tough for her because she knows that I had a real shot there as a solo artist. That I’ll never know if it would have happened or not, but I certainly had a lot of support.
And I’d worked really hard for it. The Runaways film made its debut in 2010. How did that come to be? That was my book.
That was the original paperback. And Kenny Laguna was my manager at that time, who has been Joan’s manager. And John and Art Linson, who did Fight Club and all that, they stepped in to produce this film with Bill Pollad.
And then we had Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart and Michael Shannon signing up to do this film. So if it wouldn’t have been for that book, if it wouldn’t have been for me drawing those little whimsical things, there wouldn’t have been a movie. So everything kind of fell into place.
Yes, yes. And your solo career picked up after that, too, because you ended up making more albums, too, didn’t you? I did. And, of course, I did my latest one, which I’m so proud of, Boulevards of Splendor.
I mean, that was through Joan Jeffs Record Company. That was Blackheart. And I had opened for her at the Pacific Amphitheater.
Matt Sorum from Guns N’ Roses was my drummer. And we were offered a deal that night. I mean, we just blew everyone away.
And, again, I mean, I was—Joan’s been doing this, you know, for, what, 30 years, 40 years at that time? And I was very fresh. And so I really—I won Performance of the Year and all that, even though that Kenny was my manager. He didn’t let me feel good about that because Joan was the one he wished would have won Performance of the Year.
Shady baby, won’t you say you’re sorry You’ve had your fun Crazy baby, how you make me worry What’s done is done You sit around a thousand years to find out you’re the one I just want your love I just want your love I ain’t gonna wait Down, bottom, bottoms, and up You’re the last They don’t have a clue what you need, darling I shine like a glass I just want your love I just want your love I ain’t gonna wait For the record deal, but then Kenny said, no, I want to. We need to protect you. We want you to do it on Blackheart.
And Matt Sorum, that voice in his head said, this is not good. There’s too much of a conflict of interest. And he was right.
And it’s tough for me to forgive myself because I really believed that Kenny would protect me. But unfortunately, he shelved that record for 10 years. And after I opened for Joan and had such praise and acclaim from that, I never worked again.
As long as I was with Kenny Laguna as my manager. So I just counted down the days. Two years.
Two years I had to sit after that amazing show. And he just would never let me play. And I think I was a little bit of a competition for Joan.
And Joan was number one. So that’s when they decided to release the album, Digital, during COVID. Because Joan was not on the road.
And now that’s the next thing I have to forgive. Because I was 50 years old. 65 is 15 years ago.
And I have to be able to forgive him. I forgave Kim Fowley. But this one’s a little tougher, believe it or not.
Because he was really my best friend for 20 some odd years. But you know what? Life balances everything out. And to be able to talk to you and come to Australia balances it all out.
First time to Australia? My second time. I was there in 2016. But this is going to bring a spark that I haven’t felt since The Runaways, working with my son and these players.
So this is really exciting for me. How fabulous that you can travel with your son and play together. And no chance that we’ll ever see you and Joan get back together as part of The Runaways.
Well, I mean, I’m the only band member that’s played with all of them. I played with Joan and Lita, Sandy, and of course Jackie. But Lita just hates Kenny Laguna.
And she and Joan don’t see eye to eye. So no matter what, I kind of had to just give up the ghost and just say, you know what? It’s just not going to happen. Which is sad.
Because I really wish that they would consider, because when I’m on stage with them, there’s such chemistry. We could have that. But it’s just they really more so Lita and now even Joan.
I just don’t think they like each other. And that’s just too bad. There’s just nothing I can do.
So you’ve got to walk away when you need to. The same teenage things persist, don’t they? Apart from Cherry Bomb, what’s your favorite Runaways song? What should we go out with here? I love Queens of Noise. But wait a minute, I would say my favorite is American Nights.
Queen, rock and roll. It’s a new night for tonight now. It’s hot tonight.
In the dark of the night. We hot. Dancing after the moonlight.
Party from the streets is so strange. I want to change. Yeah, Curry, absolutely fabulous talking with you.
You’re fabulous. Sandy, thank you, honey. I so appreciate it.
I can’t wait to see you in person, give you a hug. Ditto. All the best to you, Shirley.
Thank you. Because it’s a beautiful day. You’ve been listening to A Breath of Fresh Air with Sandy Kay.
Beautiful day. Oh, baby, any day that you’re gone away. It’s a beautiful day.