An extended and dedicated blog.
Suzi Quatro
Lyrical 2018
Wrecking Ball Press
Now I'm at '78 born girl
So how would I remember or even know Suzi?
I saw via Wrecking Ball Promotions and Gary's Facebook promoting Suzi was coming to Hull.
Firstly I thought this couldn't be true, I knew the name and face I also knew she was a huge iconic star but thought where did I first see her?
You've got it
HAPPY DAYS
Suzi did a huge fifteen episodes!
Her part came about from a Rolling Stones collage on the casting directors daughters wall.
Previous to that they'd looked at
Joan Jett and thought she was tough and Debbie Harry as too old and the director pointed out Suzi and said "who's that, that's who we're looking for"
Was flown back from Japan where she was on tour and had to audition for the part.
Wearing her leathers, they thought she'd come dressed for the part, in fact, she was just wearing what she'd always of worn at the time.
Here's Suzi as Leather on
HAPPY DAYS
Happy Days was one of my windows into American life, culture, and attitudes
Okay, this may have been very nieve but back then there was no social media I'm first generation social media so wouldn't have known any different.
Happy days was a happy go lucky programme that I was an avid viewer off, an image of Suzi in a leather jacket and her hair popped into my mind.
I was and am all for strong women, with talent and attitude Suzi was one of many women I admired and had a girl crush on.
Yes I was born '78 but that doesn't stop me having a burning desire even at a young age to be myself and look up to women like Suzi for inspiration to be something to be admired also, for strength and female empowerment, not the weird pretense that's flung around now.
I contacted Gary of Wrecking Ball Promotions and was granted my press pass
(sigh of relief resumed)
Quietly I wanted to get there as early as I could, sit in the front and listen intently.
I had no idea what would be said or what would happen.
I wasn't really prepared for laughs, goosebumps and the simple task of admiration but it all came in droves.
Now normally at gigs in Hull you can at least have a set of us Hu5's
(That my neighborhoods finest and dearest to you none Hull types)
Not one, not one soul apart from me and Michelle Dee, who for the record is a total joy to be around.
The crowd ranged but mainly an older set, calm, quiet and many dressed with gusto for the night.
I found that endearing and a show of respect for the first lady of rock herself.
How on earth am I saying that, really?
Suzi was introduced by Russ Litten, from a previous Blog.
Russ, as we all know, is a great guy and bodes well to have such a well spoken, gentle tone to the contrast of Suzi's accent which I could listen to all day long.
Down to earth is always used but Suzi has been around all famous types and is one of them but you'd think you'd met her in Hull and was one of us.
That's what made Suzi so relatable, easy to listen to and connect with.
There was an instant roar of agreement that people are people and she doesn't do gender.
In a world of hate, fear, and confusion these are fresh and relevant words.
The first lady of rock sat in Hull talking to us folk, I still can't understand how I was sat there amongst people I think feeling the same as me.
Suzi is a plethora of talent, bass guitar, piano, percussion and many many more I guess I need to learn about.
Starting out on the road at fourteen in a girl group.
Four girls and one boy Suzi came from talent and was surrounded by talent.
I loved how Suzi described her dad bringing them up as "all of us girl have balls"
Suzi was open, married twice, two children and spoke about being equal and joked because of her lack of maths he joked he had 51% and at a party was brought up that she was only 49% to which was all laughed and she'd realized what he'd done and said "we're still married"
'65 signed as an all-girl banned and was always busy and spotted by Mickie Most
Who's sadly passed mentioned by Suzi at the beginning of the interview that he's still around to this day by her side watching her.
Mickie went on to offer Suzi a solo contract, whilst Jack from Electra wanted to make her the next Janice Joplin and take to NYC Mickie saw Suzi could just be Suzi and saw her for who she is not an imitation of someone else.
At twenty-one Suzi made her first trip to the U.K after being asked what she thought of it her reply was strange, small streets, small milk bottles, cute small rooms and quaint.
Loving our sense of humor bragging about us and that you can't keep us down with unity, which was greeted by a round of rapture.
Unquie, unusual, very special and that it just works and we are very fair.
'72 on stage opening for Slade Suzi met her first husband he was the guitar player.
Trying to make it, feeling lonely describing only what you could call surviving her mum and dad came to see her, saw her room and was furious s' she'd come from a wealthy background and well brought up tells us how she took them to her "tiny room" said "Christ sake my daughter living like this"
Doing what all daughters do suggest she come home and dads being dads, a parent being a parent he said "no Mickie believes in you" made
Russ gave a very sweet anecdote that is his daughter did that she'd say it was all his fault if it all went tits up my recording device went blurry from all the laughing at that point.
Suzi, just knew she had to continue and that music was her life.
You know when you know, right?
Anyone with a passion and knowing their path knows, claiming she knew from the age of six she was going to be in entertainment and can hold an audience.
The description of the forty-eight hour ego was a resolute here though.
She describes how she'd sat with her first husband and her welcomed her back out of it.
Russ started to talk about the glam side of rock and Suzi retorts "I was the anti-glam"
Great line from a great woman!
The conversation lead to Joan Jett
with fond words and tone Suzi described how Joan was her biggest fan and had a lot to thank her for even amongst the piles of things she'd bring Suzi to sign.
Remisisng about a scene in Happy days where she was put into a situation where she imitated herself being Joan playing her, telling Joan and Joan maybe not being so humored about it.
Suzi has sold fifty-five million records and rightfully said it's not difficult to have success but what's difficult is to maintain it.
She's right you can see that in many rises and falls within Hollywood for example.
I loved how the conversation flowed though, a real natural progression.
I've not really seen many interviews live through and I am pretty sure watching via the screen has nowhere near the impact of a live interview.
It really didn't feel like there was a stage,
more like a group of people sitting around and having a chat and I guess in essence of what a good interview or Q&A is?
Like when you see a film that draws you in and encapsulates every emotion you can muster, Russ held the stage well and Suzie reciprocated with beautifully heartwarming responses soaked up by us all.
Not stopping at Happy Days there was Minder
and
Annie get a gun
Suzi went onto write a musical about
Tallulah Bankhead
Starring as Tallulah herself
Here's an interview courtesy of
Pennyblack Music
Turning down the chance to meet Elvis was the biggest revelation of the whole talk.
Being a fan herself from six years old, Elvis has heard her version of
All shuck up
He called her at her hotel and told her her version was the best since his own.
I mean the KING said that those words and invited her to Graceland and she replied
"I'm very busy"
and then the moment you know in your career she just wasn't ready, it wasn't the right time.
To that, the audience let put the biggest rip raw of the whole night.
Elivs even had a hand in her Happy Days part,
Elvises personal costumer maker was on set of Happy Days to make her outfits.
Leading on Suzi wrote a song dedicated to him called Singing with angels.
Recorded in Nashville with Elvises guitarist James Burton
The song was the "end of the chain" for Suzi and a spiritual song and that everything happens for a reason which was a great response to the links to Elvis was fitting and honest.
The night closed with questions from the audience and a book signing.
So I queued and with a futile question od when was she last inspired and where, which with hindsight was silly and maybe a waste she replied with shock
"I'm always inspired, it was last week"
I smiled, walked away and thought I should have used my time more wisely to think it through and deliver a better answer but still, I smiled and laughed she could be straight from HU5 with a great tongue and reply like that.
A great woman indeed.
This blog was brought to you by
The Early Bird Eater
With thanks to
Wrecking Ball Press Promotions
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