Joan Jett Issues Statement on Jackie Fox Rape Allegations
Jackie Fuchs, who played bass for the Runaways from 1975 to 1977 under the name Jackie Fox, recently spoke out for the first time about a rape by band manager and producer Kim Fowley she says took place at a party on New Year’s Eve 1975-1976. According to Fox, Joan Jett witnessed the assault and stayed quiet, and while Jett’s rep denied the claim, another witness, Brent Williams, told the Huffington Post that he was subsequently asked by Jett to never discuss the incident if approached by lawyers. At the time Jett’s representative did not comment on that claim to the Huffington Post, who reported the story. Now, Jett has issued a statement. Read it below via Yahoo! Music:
“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. 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.”
As previously reported, Fowley, who passed away in January, has been previously accused of abusive behavior. In an expanded version of her memoir Neon Angel, Runaways bandmate Cherie Currie says Fowley had sex with a woman in front of the Runaways, and said he was doing so to “teach you dogs how to fuck.” Currie also described him as “a beast [who] should not be allowed near young girls.” She told The Guardian in 2010, “It was the abuse from Kim Fowley and our roadies that was so hard to take. We got such abuse on a daily basis. They were trying to harden us to the reality of the rock’n’roll world but how could we possibly know this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be?”
Read the Huffington Post’s full story here. Read our interview with journalist Jason Cherkis, who reported the story, here.
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