Ah, to be in the midst of an internet storm — and have no internet! Shortly after my last post, Joan Jett released her own statement, on Facebook:
“Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened.” Jett, who still performs with the Blackhearts, wrote on Facebook. “For a group of young teenagers thrust into ’70s rock stardom there were relationships that were bizarre, but I was not aware of this incident. Obviously Jackie’s story is extremely upsetting and although we haven’t spoken in decades, I wish her peace and healing.”
Cherie Currie has also spoken:
“I have been accused of a crime. Of looking into the dead yet pleading eyes of a girl, unable to move while she was brutally raped and doing nothing. I have never been one to deny my mistakes in life and I wouldn’t start now. If I were guilty, I would admit it. There are so many excuses I could make being only one month into my sixteenth year at the time that people would understand but I am innocent. When I return from Sweden I will seek a qualified polygraph examiner to put to rest any and all allegations. I will make public the questions, answers and results of that test. I am a proud person but for this, I may need to open a Fund Me account since I do not know how much this will cost. I am not a rich person but a carver. I wouldn’t ask for funding for my new album because I am proud. I will prove I am telling the truth. I will not allow anyone to throw me under the bus and accuse me of such a foul act. I will fight for myself. It is the only thing I can do and I’m glad to do it.”
I also want to clarify two things:
1. This is not about Jason Cherkis and myself.
2. I am not attacking Jackie or her story.
Finally, I know that all of this is very hard for the many of us for whom it triggers our own difficult memories. I hope we can all keep this in mind and make this a humane, human conversation.
Populism 