Interview through: Mark Lacey
When the Runaways shaped in 1975, their arrival at the scene brought about a direct stir. No longer best had been they pioneering as an all-girl rock band, however they carried out their very own tools, and had a repertoire of catchy melodic rock songs that impressed a technology of feminine musicians. With Cherie on the helm, along Joan Jett, Lita Ford, Jackie Fox and Sandy West, the Runaways recorded two studio albums and one reside album, ahead of Cherie moved on in overdue 1977 to pursue a solo occupation. The Runaways would proceed for an additional two years, however with a lot of line-up adjustments, and the band after all cut up in 1979.
Cherie’s personal occupation since has been each various and unpredictable; from TV and movie, to changing into a drug counsellor, and in recent times an award-winning chainsaw artist. While additionally returning to a making a song occupation, Cherie’s trail was once bogged down through the long-delayed unlock of her ultimate studio album, on the behest of her report label. It stays most likely her greatest recordings to this point, however that extend and her perceived betrayal through her supervisor and report label have left lasting scars.
MyGlobalMind.com stuck up with Cherie on what has been described as her ultimate ever UK excursion.
MGM: We’re lately sat behind the curtain, simply ahead of your London display at Dingwalls in Camden. It’s nice to have you ever again right here, however that is being described as your ultimate excursion. Why did you’re making that call?
Cherie: I like it right here. I truly do. I needed to come to a decision, after all, to only name it quits. I’m government manufacturer on a movie referred to as ‘Leaving Amy’, and I’ve additionally been a chainsaw artist for just about 23 years. I will be able to best do something at a time, consider it or now not. If truth be told, if I’m signing an autograph and also you’re chatting with me, my hand simply is going. It stored my lifestyles, clearly. I’m an upside-down left-hander. My focus is so intense, since you’ve were given a chainsaw blade so on the subject of my face every now and then. And so, after 23 years of doing that, after I listen, I will be able to best do something at a time.
MGM: It was once reported that you simply injured your self slightly badly while chainsaw carving.
Cherie: I did. That’s the place you spot this mark on my brow. I used to be up in this scaffold. I used to be a minimum of 10 toes up. I simply take into account carving the foot of a endure. Then the following factor I do know, I come to and I’ve ice far and wide my face. I’m at the concrete. What came about was once what they name catching an edge. I used to be on personal assets, and my assistant had walked away for the reason that proprietor had requested him a query. As an alternative of retaining the plank for me, he walked away, and I stuck an edge, which yanked me ahead. All I do know from my accidents is that I fell again, broke my tailbone at the scaffold, and the chainsaw was once working. In my head, clearly, I held it clear of me, and I did a again turn, mainly onto my face and my shoulder. I cracked my cranium and the left facet of my face was once paralysed for just about a yr. I used to be fortunate for the reason that man I used to be carving for was once a retired trauma surgeon, so I had speedy scientific consideration.
MGM: It sounds such as you’re fortunate to be right here in any respect.
Cherie: In point of fact. I’m additionally fortunate I don’t bring it to mind as a result of I will be able to’t even believe the concern. I stopped the carving. I in reality went again and completed it.
MGM: Smartly, you’re over in the United Kingdom presently, and also you’ve been doing a complete bunch of dates throughout the United Kingdom and Eire. This night’s display in London is the eleventh display out of twelve. How’s the excursion long gone thus far?
Cherie: There’s numerous using, and it may be just a little gruelling. However my son, Jake Hays, flew in the day before today, and he’s appearing with us this night. Jake toured with me for my first 3 US excursions, and he’s simply this sort of nice skill. I’m overjoyed that he’s enjoying with me this night and day after today evening. He loves London. He’d like to transport right here.
MGM: Your traveling band sound like they’re from Germany. Are they your standard band?
Cherie: Sure, after I come over right here. Alexx Michael, and Danny Raygun have all the time been the 2 major folks. We’ve had a special guitar participant, and we’ve had a special drummer. However Danny and Alexx are the celebs of the display, truly. Alexx places all of it in combination. Danny is his sideman.
MGM: When you fly around the pond and also you’re enjoying with musicians that you simply don’t play with for massive portions of the yr, that should create a component of adrenaline, but additionally a component of hysteria.
Cherie: I do know Alexx and Danny so neatly. We toured Australia in combination and New Zealand, and we’ve been operating in combination now for over a decade. So, it’s like coming house when I am getting to look them.
MGM: You’re going again over to Australia once more in 2025, aren’t you?
Cherie: In September, we’re going. And we’d be occurring to Japan. There’s been an be offering, however that’s 9 months away. I truly want to get Jake on that excursion.
MGM: Your set naturally leans against the ones first two Runaways albums, however you’ve additionally been enjoying from the ‘Blvds of Splender’ album which had a protracted extend ahead of being launched in 2019 for report retailer day.
Cherie: Blackheart Information shelved that album for just about 9 years. It’s very arduous to forgive Kenny Laguna for that as a result of after I opened for Joan in 2010, I had such nice critiques, and if truth be told, I received efficiency of the yr opening for her. Her supervisor, Kenny Laguna, wasn’t very happy with that. And Kenny was once my supervisor, too. We were given introduced a pleasing report deal that evening, and Kenny talked me out of going with this different report label. Matt Sorum from Weapons N Roses and Velvet Revolver was once generating the report and he didn’t need me to move with Blackheart. And it’s like, neatly, they set up me. Kenny says, I’m going to offer protection to you. However what they did is, we made this bizarre album, after which they put it on a shelf for 9 years. They wouldn’t let me open for Joan once more. Kenny would say, you’ll’t excursion with no CD, however he wouldn’t put the album out for 9 years. He let me take a seat and decay, is what he did. I in reality simply informed Joan about it the opposite day. She was once totally unaware. I believed she knew, however she didn’t know. And her quote to me by the use of textual content was once, “I don’t know what to mention”. However I believe that still contributes just a little bit to me retiring as a result of had I long gone with this different deal, I don’t know what may have came about. I like doing tune, however there’s this underlying anger that I’ve for what Kenny Laguna did, and I’ve to let it opt for some time.
MGM: Your tale is an impressive mirrored image of the business being stuffed with folks with their very own agendas, and navigating your trail isn’t essentially in regards to the tune. That should be truly irritating.
Cherie: Smartly, yeah. Blackheart doesn’t have the most efficient recognition. I imply, all the those who they’ve signed, mainly, they’d do one thing very similar to what they did to me. I truly really feel that was once Kenny’s method for Joan to not have any pageant. That’s the one explanation why he would. He was once my best possible pal for 27 years. In the future, I’m hoping, he’ll inform me why, and be truthful why he did this. Nevertheless it’s too dangerous as it’s an bizarre album.
MGM: The ones first two Runaways albums are actually 50 years previous, however are nonetheless thought to be pioneering from that duration. The Runaways had been a somewhat short-lived band, so why do you assume their legacy and the ones songs have truly lasted the check of time?
Cherie: I believe as it’s simply uncooked rock n roll. Such a lot of ladies and younger musicians play those songs as a result of somebody can play them, although you’ve simply began. You don’t need to be Angus Younger to play those songs. I believe that they’re simply easy, and I believe every now and then easy is superb.
MGM: You’ve been enjoying ‘Cherry Bomb’ right through this excursion, and it’s your flagship song. You should have performed it hundreds of instances through now. How do you stay it thrilling for you?
Cherie: It’s humorous as a result of that was once the first actual tune I ever recorded, and I used to be so self-conscious. I’d by no means been in a studio ahead of. Kim Fowley grew to become off the entire lighting within the studio, so I’d be in the dead of night, and so they gave me a hand held mic and let me dance round and sing in the dead of night. And that’s how Cherry Bomb was once recorded. I couldn’t sing to save lots of my lifestyles within the Runaways. I by no means sang ahead of, but even so with my dad when I used to be just a bit child with my dual sister. However I will be able to in reality cling a observe now.
MGM: Numerous tune at the moment has grow to be a TV audition, with an emphasis on vocal gymnastics slightly than vocal persona or musicianship. How do you assume the Runaways would fare if they’d been subjected to that?
Cherie: Are you speaking about The usa’s Were given Ability? I believe that the ones displays have destroyed extra folks as a result of the expectancies that they’ve. Almost definitely Mick Jagger and all that will were grew to become down. I believe it units an ordinary that’s unreachable in numerous younger folks’s minds, and it makes them prevent as a result of they suspect, neatly, I’m now not that just right. To me, it’s a sin. They’re all the time searching for some other Céline Dion, and so they’ll pass over a Tracy Chapman or someone that’s distinctive. I believe it’s harm such a lot of truly nice folks that will were large stars if the ones displays hadn’t come round.
MGM: You began with the Runaways on the age of 15, and feature been appearing for fifty years, however you’ve had a various occupation together with stints in tv, and extra not too long ago your chainsaw carving.
Cherie: I used to be additionally a counsellor for drug-addicted teenagers within the ’80s. I went into the scientific trade and helped children get off medicine for a lot of years. I labored at a health center.
MGM: Why was once that necessary to you?
Cherie: Smartly, I have been hooked on medicine within the Runaways. It nearly took me out, and I simply sought after to offer again. Then I become a health teacher as neatly. I educated the celebs for a lot of years, too. Then I met my now ex-husband, however the most efficient man’; my best possible pal, Robert Hays. Then we had Jake in an instant, and I did that, after which I went again into tune. When I used to be a drug counsellor, I began to attract as a result of I had to take a seat in a study room with those children for 2 hours an afternoon. I began drawing those whimsical castles, princes, princesses, kings, all that stuff. I went to Value Stern Sloan, which was once a kids’s e book corporate, to attract for his or her kids’s books. The fellow that owned the corporate stated, how lengthy have you ever been drawing? I stated, a yr. He is going, how is that conceivable? I informed him the tale about The Runaways. He is going, we’ve been searching for our first younger grownup e book, and that is it. I walked in as an artist and walked out an creator, and that e book is the explanation why The Runaways film was once made.
MGM: Speaking about drawing, Scott Gorham from Skinny Lizzy not too long ago printed his skills as an artist. No person knew he drew, however he’s simply launched a complete choice of prints from some photos he drew again within the ’70s right through his Skinny Lizzy heyday. Any person noticed them, and after all stated to him, that is too just right for you to not proportion with folks.
Cherie: Bob (Robert Hays) is a gorgeous surroundings painter, which he didn’t even realise till two years in the past. I’ve been a chainsaw artist for such a lot of years. However Jake, our son, has been a tattoo artist since he was once seventeen. He in reality painted Dakota Fanning in watercolour. He does portraits. The child’s outrageous. He tattooed himself. I believed I used to be going to kill him, as a result of Bob hates tattoos. However he tattooed a tiger. The tail begins, and it’s crawling down rocks on his thigh; he didn’t let us know till he grew to become eighteen. He’s getting a tattoo right here in London as neatly. However Jake is solely an bizarre artist, singer, performer, manufacturer, actor. Jake has extra skill on the tip of his little finger than Bob and I’ve in our whole our bodies, so we’re so happy with him.
MGM: This would be the ultimate time you’re appearing in the United Kingdom. You may have displays being deliberate for Scandinavia, Australia and Japan subsequent yr. When you’ve executed the ones 3 excursions, what does the longer term seem like for you? Will you still excursion again house in america, or will you proceed to put in writing tune?
Cherie: I do numerous consultation paintings. I’ll proceed with that. Being a chainsaw artist, I will be able to best do something at a time, and I wish to get this movie made. There are issues that I’m very , and I need so as to commit all my time and get again to chainsaw artwork. That’s one thing that helps to keep me in form, and I haven’t been in a position to do it for some time.
For more info:
www.fb.com/CherieCurrieOfficial
https://cheriecurrie.rocks/
Cherie can be appearing in Australia in September 2025:
5th September: The Rosemount, Perth
6th September: Crown & Anchor, Adelaide
eleventh September: Nook Lodge, Melbourne
twelfth September: Crowbar, Sydney
thirteenth September: Crowbar, Brisbane
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