Suzi Quatro Retrospective and Interview with the Glycerine Queen:

By: Lucy Hall

Suzi Quatro Photo by Bob Gruen

            The world of rock and roll is definitely not just a man’s world, thanks to Suzi Quatro. Today women play a significant role in hard rock music because Suzi broke down the barrier for women’s participation in the genre. Suzi was not just a pretty girl singer in a band. She was the first to hold a bass and play amplified hard rock, and the first to earn the title of major rock star.          
            In the 70’s Suzi Quatro was “the quintessential hit maker,” starring on a hit television series, producing a string of hit singles and albums.  She was one of pop rock’s biggest stars. Prior to Suzi’s influence there was little place in rock for women and those places were reserved mostly for folk and R&B singers. She paved the road to hard rock music and made it easier for other female musicians to follow her lead.                        

            Suzi Quatro is a multi-talented artist; she is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, radio personality, actress, and author. Her diverse talents originated from the encouragement and support she received from her musical family. Growing up she had lessons in playing piano and percussion. However, she was self taught in bass and guitar. As a child she played drums with her father’s jazz band, and as a teen she was a member of the all girl band, The Pleasure Seekers with her two sisters, playing bass and singing.          
           The 1970’s was the age of glitter and glam rock. Suzi’s musical peers at that time were of the British glam rock persuasion, which included the likes of David Bowie, T-Rex, The Sweet, and Slade. Although the genre was male dominated, Suzi easily harnessed their sound and style. Yet, her quality of work was not just a mix of glam rock and bubblegum pop, but rock and roll at its purest and she rocked just as hard if not harder than the guys. Being the first female in glam rock was not the only thing that separated her from the other bands. Suzi had a hardcore rock n roll attitude, raspy voice, repetitious chants, ascending riffs, and a highly energetic stage performance. Her big bottom bass playing created a thunderous beat and infectious grooves which resulted in an edgy combination of danceable boogie glam rock, and protopunk music. Her renditions of 50’s cover songs were delivered with her own hard rock twist which were punchy, punky, and very reminiscent of the Ramones sound.            
        Although Suzi’s primary music genre has been hard rock, her music has covered several genres. She released her self-titled debut album in 1973. She scored a string of hit singles "Can the Can", "Devil Gate Drive", “48 Crash", “Too Big", “Daytona Demon", and "Your Mamma Won't Like Me". In 1979, she had a top 40 soft rock ballad duet hit with Chris Norman, lead singer of Smokie. Some of her notable covers include Elvis Presley’s “All Shook Up”, and Beatles' "I Wanna Be Your Man".

Australian 2015 Tour, Photo by Megan Garth

     In 1977, Suzi had a recurring role as bass player Leather Tuscadero on the popular sitcom Happy Days. Leather was the younger sister of Fonzie's girlfriend, hot-rod driver Pinky Tuscadero. Leather fronted an all girl rock band, Leather Tuscadero and the Suedes.

Leather and Fonzie hanging out at Arnold’s

    In 1980, she had a song “Rock Hard” featured on the cult film, Times Square soundtrack.  During her acting career she guest starred in several television series which included, Minder, Dempsey and Makepeace, Absolutely Fabulous, and Midsomer Murders. In 2006, she performed the voice of Rio in the Bob the Builder film Built to Be Wild.  Quatro has also performed in theatre. She has performed as Annie Oakley in a London production of Annie Get Your Gun, and in the title role of a musical about the life of actress Tallulah Bankhead, Tallulah Who?  
    Quatro marked her 50th anniversary in the music industry with an anthology, Girl from Detroit, in 2014 with two new tracks. In 2005, a documentary chronicling Quatro's life, Naked Under Leather was released.

Australian 2015 Tour, Photo by Chelle Carr

     

            Within the androgynous spectrum of glitter glam rock artists like Bowie and T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, wore makeup, heeled platform shoes and feminine-styled clothing. On the contract Suzi was tom boyish sporting minimum makeup, jeans, sneakers, and full body leather jumpsuits. Society may have found the male glam rockers shocking because of their styles, but Suzi broke the traditional image of what a female pop singer should be. Suzi was a definitive trend setter. Just what “The Rachel” hairstyle from the Friends series craze did for young girls in the 90’s; Suzi made her signature shag hairstyle just as popular in the 70’s. People took notice of Suzi’s style and in particular that of Joan Jett who would also adopt her shag hair, denim and leather look. Joan Jett proclaimed that Suzi had been her idol and primary influence. Joan has been quoted saying, Suzi Quatro made her realize that girls could be successful at playing rock. While the other members of Joan’s group, The Runaways patterned their stage personas after male rock stars, she chose Suzi’s tough rocker chick role. Joan Jett is not the only female rocker that Suzi inspired; she has paved the road for various strong female musicians such as Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Tina Weymouth of the Talking Heads, Girlschool, Heart, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

Suzi Quatro Promotional Photo

       Suzi Quatro is an icon who was ahead of her time and broke all the rules. Because she was a strong woman with a loner persona this made girls identify with her because she was genuine and independent. Suzi had a legion of fan copycats dressed in leather with shags. She made a cultural statement by not making gender be an issue. Suzi saw no gender or musical barriers to whatever she wanted to do. She made playing instruments and rock accessible to girls and revolutionized rock and roll for generations.    

Suzi Quatro Album Cover Photo

I had the honor of interviewing the rebel queen of Rock, Suzi Quatro:

HEAVY MAKEUP: You came from a very musical family. You have played in bands with your sisters, your father and your brother was once your manager. What was it like working musically with family members?

Suzi Quatro: Very safe, like a continuation of family life at home. A big family is so self supporting

HEAVY MAKEUP: You are a multi-instrumentalist; you have played drums, guitar, piano and bass. When did you get into playing bass and why did you mostly stick to playing that instrument in particular.

Suzi Quatro: I started on bongos...then played drums in school orchestra, also studied classical piano...picked up the bass at age 14, from the time I strapped it on, I knew it was me…I don’t know why it just felt right.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you remember your first professional gig? What was that like? 
           

Suzi Quatro: Oh yes…with the band, at the local gig, The Hideout…we knew three songs…all same three chords…I looked out at the audience looking up at me, and thought to myself, “This is it for the rest of my life”.

HEAVY MAKEUP: What artists or bands do you currently listen to? Are you inspired by any new artists today?

Suzi Quatro: Yes loads…love Ed Sherian, Bruno Mars, Adele; working with KT Tunstall on some songs…my granddaughter keeps me up to speed.

HEAVY MAKEUP: What is your lyrical inspiration? Do you write from personal experiences? 
  

Suzi Quatro: Always, Always, Always.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Do you warm up your voice preshow or have any preshow rituals?

 Suzi Quatro: Oh yes…big time…ever since doing my first musical, Annie Get Your Gun, in 1986…where you are really exposed…I started doing a vocal warm up…its wonderful…I am singing better than ever.

HEAVY MAKEUP: You have experimented with various musical styles, ranging from jazz, commercial pop, punk, and hard rock, to smoother mellower styles. In your own words how would you describe your sound?

                       

Suzi Quatro: Organic…what ever I am doing…ballad, country, rock…I always sound like me…my tastes are wide…although rock is the stone on which I stand.

HEAVY MAKEUP: If Ozzy Osborne is the godfather of heavy metal, then you would be considered the godmother of glitter rock. How do you feel about being compared to glitter/glam bands? Where did you see yourself fitting into the music scene at that particular point in time?

Suzi Quatro: I am not glitter or glam, and don’t understand why I am always put into this category…I am pure rock and roll, going back to its original sound…always have been…the boys had makeup on…I had nothing…just a plain leather suit that I still wear, I consider myself the queen of rock and roll…always have.

HEAVY MAKEUP: Is there a facet of the music business that you prefer? Recording, touring, or writing?

Suzi Quatro: No…I love it all…but live, has the edge.

HEAVY MAKEUP: What is your favorite song to perform live?

Suzi Quatro: That’s hard…”Devil Gate Drive” is always a joy…as is “If You Can’t Give Me Love”…I have recently started to do “Desperado”…which is on my box set, “The Girl from Detroit City”, with Jeff Beck, Piano and just me singing. This is a real moment for me live.

HEAVY MAKEUP: You were not just a music revolutionary, but you were also a fashion icon. You totally rocked the full body leather jumpsuit. Was this look directly influenced by your love for your role model, Elvis?

Suzi Quatro: Yes…He influenced me in everything…I saw his comeback special…and leather became my thing.

HEAVY MAKEUP: You are recognized as not the typical girl singer role model. You wore black leather, denim, played bass, and rocked as hard if not harder than your glitter boy peers. Was image ever really important to you?

 Suzi Quatro: Yes and no, I wanted to be taken seriously…so although I wore a leather jumpsuit I refused to wear makeup…go figure!! But yes, image is important in “show business”…of course it is.

HEAVY MAKEUP: If there was a movie produced about your life and based on your biography, Unzipped who would play you?

Suzi Quatro: I don’t know…needs careful consideration.

HEAVY MAKEUP: During concerts, you could kick those platform shoes high in the air; did you ever have any mishaps or Spinal Tap type experiences?

Suzi Quatro: My platforms…were really quite small, just one layer…not like the others…I can kick quite high still…re Spinal Tap moments…I have so many you would need another six pages…my falls onstage are legendary.

HEAVY MAKEUP: During a time when it was fashionable for glitter rock guys to sport what was considered feminine looks, you were the opposite. You wore minimal make-up, and wore edgier clothing. You were often labeled a tomboy due to your look and attitude. Yet you were a natural beauty and desired by both males and females. You were not bound by gender and aided in breaking down androgynous stereotypes. How does it feel to have had such an important impact on society, females in particular?

Suzi Quatro: I like to feel that I stood for being “me”…that’s what I tried to put out…be true to whatever it is you are…and let nobody ever change you…I am happy with my place in history…and the place that is still to be written.

HEAVY MAKEUP: There was a period in rock music when glitter pop rock or cock rock was dominant in the early seventies and was lead by an elite British boys club. This included such acts as T. Rex, Gary Glitter, Slade, and David Bowie. However, you were part of that movement which primarily belonged to males. You single-handedly created a new wave of female cock rock. By blurring the lines of gender and playing gutsy, raw, attitude filled rock. You opened the door for female rockers to be accepted into the mainly male industry. What was it like for you to be in the middle of a male dominated genre of rock? What was your outlook during that glam rock movement? Do you believe views on women musicians are continuing to improve today? 

Suzi Quatro: I was aware that I was the only female around...but saying...I guess it stood me in good stead being a tomboy...I have always skirted all the genders...I don't know why...the only thing I was aware of at the time was that I had to be able to play hardball with the big boys...and...to keep my femininity such as it was...it's a hard balance but I managed and still do manage it...somewhere in between all that is my gender...whatever it may be.

HEAVY MAKEUP: You have been a musical role model who inspires toughness and independence for females. Prior to your influence, most women were traditional singers only. You were the first female bass player/singer that was a major rock star. You broke barriers for women in rock. You have been a major influence not just on Joan Jett and The Runaways who credits you for breaking all the female rules of rock and being her biggest influence; but also for Heart, The Pretenders, Girlschool, Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie and the Banshees and all other riot grrl rockers to come. You set the template for every tough rocker chick to emulate your style, music and attitude. This I have also totally identified with throughout my life as a rock fan. How does it feel to be ahead of her time in terms of being a strong female pioneer of rock? Do you have any advice to female musicians?

Suzi Quatro:  Yes, learn one instrument properly…and then gig, gig, gig, gig…it’s the only way to learn your craft. And always be a professional…if you can’t stand the heat…”Stay” in the kitchen!!!

HEAVY MAKEUP: In 1977, you joined the cast of Happy Days as the iconic recurring character, Leather Tuscedero. Did you enjoy your time spent on the set? Who came up with your famous hand gesture, the thigh slap-finger gun? Also, was Henry Winkler as cool as his character the Fonz?

Suzi Quatro:  This was discussed with the director who wanted some kind of “business” to identify the character…we sort of thought of it together…it worked…

HEAVY MAKEUP: Today you continue to play live, work in radio, film and even Broadway. You have had fifty years of entertainment. What is your secret to longevity in music? Looking back on your music career would you change anything?

Suzi Quatro: There is no secret to longevity…I just try to keep learning, keep giving onstage, keep loving the business, keep doing all the artistic things I do, IE poetry, acting, writing novels, writing songs…performing…being a disc jockey…basically communicating and being creative…and never ever let anyone put me into a box…I continue to defy it.

HEAVY MAKEUP: You have had an extensive background in music and film. What else do you do outside of music? Is there anything that would surprise fans? Do you have any upcoming projects? Anything else you would like to tell your fans?

Suzi Quatro: Lots and lots…new supergroup, Quatro, Scott, and Powell, myself, Andy Scott original guitarist Sweet, and Don Powell original drummer of Slade…got together and recorded an album…eight covers and six originals…we supported me on my last Australian tour…album was released in that territory only and got number sixteen in the charts…ongoing BBC 2 Radio show…Quatrophonic…working on new album with Mike Chapman…working with KT Tunstall…and gigging, gigging, gigging.

      Suzi Quatro was not just a fading gimmick or one trick pony. She is a transcendent, ground breaking visionary who continues to write memorable songs with quotable lyrics, and perform live. She had an important role in rock history and is still active now, involved not just in music but also radio hosting and films. In 2007, her autobiography, Suzi Quatro…Unzipped was released. In 2017, Camry Toyota commercial features Suzi’s song “Wild One”. Suzi teamed up with Slade’s Don Powell, and Sweet’s Andy Scott, forming the supergroup, Quatro, Scott, and Powell (QSP). They released their self-titled debut album and kicked off a tour in February 2017.
       Suzi had to look up to and imitate Elvis and The Beatles because she did not have any female rock role models of her own, but thanks to her generations of girls had an amazing, kick ass, riot-grrrl, rock and roll rebel role model.

The Wild Cool One, Suzi Quatro

Suzi Quatro and Her Bass, Photo by Tink K

Suzi Quatro Discography:

Suzi Quatro 1973

Quatro 1974

Your Mamma Won’t Like Me1975

Aggro-phonia 1977

If you Knew Suzi 1978

Suzi…And Other Four Letter Words 1979

Rock Hard 1980

Main Attraction 1983

Annie Get Your Gun (Orginial London Cast Recording) 1986

Live & Kickin’ 1991

Then & Now 2002

What Goes Around 2003

Back to the Drive 2006

In the Spotlight 2011

Suzi Quatro Filmography:

Midsomer Murders 2007

Bob the Builder: Built to be Wild 2005

Absolutely Fabulous 1994

Dempsey and Makepeace 1985

Minder 1982

Happy Days 1977-79

Visit Suzi Quatro’s Official Website"

http://www.suziquatro.com/

Lucy