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Few artists have a career that can match Suzi Quatro. She has sold over 50 million records, topped the charts in multiple countries, and launched a successful acting career. Never one to rest on her laurels, Suzi is back with a strong new record called Devil In Me and recently sat down to talk about this great record and her groundbreaking career.
Please press the PLAY icon below for the MisplacedStraws.com Conversation with Suzi Quatro –
On both recognizing her past and exploring new territory on Devil In Me – (Richard) did do certain nods (to the past). “Hey, Queenie”, that was inspired by “Glycerin Queen”, which was on the first album, which was a true story about a transvestite that came into our dressing room and my ex gave him some glycerin to drink, which you don’t do. So we called him the Glycerine Queen and that’s been on my set since 1973, that stood the test of time. So when Richard was working on that riff, he said, “Why don’t we call this “Hey Queenie” and revisit this transvestite, and he’s old now. So we did it with that purpose in my little nod to that song. We even put the Wurlitzer piano from the first band that little sound, but some of the stuff just went…like “My Heart and Soul”, where did that come from? “Love’s Gone Bad”, where did that come from? Somehow, you must admit, it’s all come together. 6:02
On the working relationship with Most, Chinn & Chapman early in her career – It was Mickie (Most), actually, who never knew how to get me on record. We did maybe 18 months of recording. He just didn’t know. He knew what I was. He saw that. He said to his wife after he saw me the first time, “I found it, I found it, I found it”. So he knew what I was, but he couldn’t record it. So then we went off and did this big tour when I finally formed a band. We’re doing all my own songs, all original material. We did the Slade tour, the first Slade tour with Thin Lizzy, I had the opening spot, 15 minutes. By the time we got off that tour, the band had found its sound. Obviously, you’re on a two-month tour, you’re going to find out who you are. At that time, he signed up Nicky (Chinn) and Mike (Chapman). Mickie saw me as a singer, songwriter, musician. That’s what I was signed as. I’m a very prolific writer and I’m a good writer. But he said, “I’m not getting anywhere. Do you mind if they come along and hear what you’ve done, what you do, your live set, and maybe be able to craft you a three-minute hit single by hearing what you do?” So I didn’t have a problem with that. Not at all. All the stuff I was writing at that time, if you listen to the first album, you can see it’s very boogie-based anyway. So Mike picked that up. He picked up the way I played bass, picked up on my character, and a couple of days later after seeing us, he had the song and did this, we really meshed. They wrote for me, they didn’t bring me a song. Mickie would say, “Suzi needs a single at this particular time”. They would come up with that. And I would write all the time, I did with the majority of the album. That suited me. Mike always said. he hated it when B-sides were crap, so we said we’re going to put good stuff on the B sides and it was so good that more than once, more than once, they were all my own songs. More than once he said, “Whoa. I think maybe we should put an extra measure in here and put this sort of weird bit here so the deejays don’t flip it over”. OK, I’m not going to argue with it, it ran its course, it did what it was supposed to do. Then when I started to just do everything myself, everything went bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. So, yeah, it’s fine. It’s fine. We had a good relationship. I still work with Mike now, he’s a good guy, good friends. 8:22
On trying to gain popularity in the US while being based in England – This is explored in the Suzi Q documentary quite successfully. When I first started to tour (in the USA) I was having hits everywhere, all around the world. Number one’s everywhere. I first started there in ’74 as support for Uriah Heep, and when I was starting the tour there it was the Eagles and Linda Ronstadt. That’s all you heard on the radio. So as Debbie Harry says in my documentary, it was a little bit early to accept not so much the sound, (but a) bass playing female in a band, just a little bit early. When I did Happy Days, I mean, everybody knew me. I did the Alice Cooper tour, I toured all the time. I sold quite a few albums. But then when I did Happy Days, then they accepted a bass-playing female. So I had to come to the door as Leather Tuscadero. Doesn’t matter, you discovered me anyway. Then I had my biggest hit, which was “Stumblin’ In”, during that time. Mike Chapman said the same thing, for some reason, that little couple of years of things that were going on (in England), that was going all over the world just didn’t marry up in the States. Nobody knows why, and I was part of that, not that sound, but I was in that era. Plus, being the only female bass player ever leading a rock n’ roll band. So everything was in America was strange to you weren’t ready for it. So it’s good. I came over here when I did. 11:58
On whether she realized her impact on female rockers – Well, I’m always honest, I had no idea what I was doing was going to have such an impact. All I was doing was, and I’m still like it now at 70, I won’t compromise who I am. I won’t do it. So all I was doing was sticking to me, sticking to me. I was taking a chance. Maybe it wouldn’t be successful, but I knew that as I was coming up in the ranks and coming to England and looking around and I knew I was a square peg in a round hole, always since I was a kid and I had no other female to hang on to that was doing what I do didn’t exist. So because I didn’t fit anywhere, I just had to find my own niche, if you like. And I stuck to it and it didn’t occur to me until I watched Suzi Q with an audience the first time in the London premiere, and I snuck in and stood up because I was going up for the question and answer at the end. So nobody told me they were all watching and I kind of snuck in, I was over on the side. I wanted to see the film with an audience to feel the reaction, to feel where the laughs came, where the “Whoa” came, the “oohs”, and all that. So I was watching it and then I realized it’s like a penny dropped. First time ever, and I called my friend Cherie (Curry) from The Runaways the next day and said, “I need to tell you something”, she said, “What?” I said, “Well, I just realized something. That me doing what I did, I gave permission to women all over the world to be different”. She said to me, “And you just got that?” I didn’t think about it. This is the thing. It wasn’t manufactured. It just was me. But now I’m humbled by it. Now, when I realize. When Cherie gave me my award at the She Rocks Awards last January, she was giving a speech and she started to cry. I did a Zoom with Kathy Valentine (Go-Go’s) and Cherie for the documentary. Kathy starts to cry. So I mean, I must have had such an impact. I’m humbled by it. Wow. Well, thank goodness. Thank goodness that door was kicked down. 13:43
On owning her image and not being sexualized – I just wouldn’t have it any other way. Done. Done. I did so many TV shows that I wouldn’t even wear makeup. I was determined that they would hear my music and not look at me as a sexual object, and of course, I became a pinup, which is a joke, but that wasn’t my doing. When “Can The Can” was ready to come out, Mickie Most said. “It’s going to be a number one”, and he was right, he just had great ears, and he said, “Now it’s image time, Suzi”. So, I said, “Leather”, he said, “No, it’s old-fashioned”. We went back and forth. I won. He said, “OK, you can wear leather” because I was going to anyway. He went, “How about a jumpsuit?” I went, “Great”. The truth is, I jump around a lot on stage. I don’t give a quiet performance. And my first thought was, “Good idea. I can wear the material I want to wear and it will all stay in place”. So no idea it was going to be sexy. How dumb am I, honestly. Then I got the photos back from the session I remember I went, “Oh, dear”, look at it, how can anybody be that dumb? But it showed that I’m not contrived. You’ve got to laugh anyway. So if I had gone out there trying to be sexualized, it wouldn’t work. I didn’t look like I was trying to be sexy. Not at all. So I mean, you get like Cherie, she was in her underwear, so she couldn’t be in agreement about that one.16:54
On not even being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame – I don’t understand it. I’ve said it a million times. I’m actually getting past the point where I give a shit anymore. I think it’s almost prestigious not to be in. But it is stupid. I just say it’s just plain stupid. Doesn’t make any sense. If I could make sense of it, I would, but I can’t. So best just to let it go. Maybe they’ll correct it…Well, I mean, you really should be honoring the first if they’re worth their salt, otherwise, it’ll make any sense. 20:59
On whether the path is as rocky for women in rock today – I don’t know if it’s not as rocky, I’d have to start off again and find out. It’s not so unusual to see girl musicians now, I’ll put it that way. There’s still not that many, though. I always say it’s not an easy job. I mean, jeez 57 years of lugging that bass around, that weighs more than me. So I don’t know if it’s gotten any easier. I don’t know. It’s like I said, it’s not so unusual anymore, but it’s not an easy job. I never said this is an easy job. You have to be really dedicated, really dedicated. 22:18
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