On the other side of the line we have Lita Ford. One of the legendary figures in the history of music, who was a member of the Runaways, the first all-female band that made a commercial success (actually, they have sold 1 million albums, to this day). After the band’s split, she followed a solo career, while se attended intensive vocal lessons, in order to become a lead vocalist. Managed by Sharon Osbourne in 1988, she made an enormous hit with the album “Lita”, which included the super hits: "Kiss Me Deadly", "Back to the Cave", "Close My Eyes Forever"-a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, as well as "Falling In and Out of Love", which she co-wrote with Nikki Sixx, from Motley Crue.
Lita retired from the music scene in 1992, married with Jim Gillette, from Nitro, gave birth to two kids, and has been living in a deserted island in the Caribbean, since 2001. What was it that made her strap her guitar back on, and return to hard rock? Yiannis Dolas had only 15 minutes with her, and tried to make the most of them…
Lita: We’re coming to see you in a few days! I’ve never been to Greece before, so it’s a place I’m really excited about coming!
Rockpages.gr: What are your expectations from the gig in Greece?
Lita: Oh my God! I don’t know! Haha! (laughs) lots of loud heavy duty rock’n’roll! Lots of loud audience, I am hoping!
Rockpages.gr: What led you to the decision to make a come back?
Lita: We really had been gone for 16 years to raise our boys. We have two children, and we live in a deserted island in the Caribbean. I thought that the music industry has changed so much, that I felt like there was no place for me. I felt wrong! I felt like I needed to bow out for a while. I got married to Jim Gillette, had two children, and then when the 9/11 hit the United States, I think it was the final word for us to get out, and that’s what we did. We bough a little place in the Caribbean, developed some property, and made it our home. But, now, my children are older, and everybody is telling me “Lita you need to go play the guitar, you need to go back out there”, even my kids my kids are telling me. James, my oldest boy, he is 12, he says “Mom, for God sakes, you’ re Lita Ford! Get your ass back out there, and start playing again!”. So, when your kids start telling you to start playing, then I guess it’s time for you to start playing!
Rockpages.gr: Are you going to bring your kids to Greece?
Lita: Absolutely! We home-school our kids, they don’t go to school, we home-school them, so I think it’s a part of their education, to visit another country.
Rockpages.gr: What did you miss the most in music, when you were away?
Lita: Ohh… boy! Probably the fans, playing live, and performing live. There’s a lot of weirdos in the music industry, I certainly didn’t miss them! But, I have the best fans, I have to say that, that’s what I miss the most!
Rockpages.gr: I read that you have some new material, are you going to release an album?
Lita: There is a new album -it’s finished- that was written by my husband Jim, a guy in California who is on of the co-producers of the album, his name is Gregg Hampton, and myself. The three of us put together, really heavy, very sexy, kind of love/hate album. It’s called “Wicked Wonderland”. As soon as you hear it you know it’s Lita, that part of it hasn’t changed, although it’s very current sounding… I guess you could say that we’ve opened the doors to our bedroom, and made it very sexy!
Rockpages.gr: By saying “current” do you mean that it sounds modern, or that the production is modern?
Lita: Both! It’s tuned down. I’ve never tuned down before on my older stuff. Tuning down gives it a heavier feel too.
Rockpages.gr: So, what significant changes have you noticed in the music industry while you were gone?
Lita: Well, I didn’t really pay much attention to the music industry when I left. I sort of got my head in the sand and stayed there. It seems now a lot of the older bands are coming back, like Judas Priest, and the Scorpions, you see the heavier rockers out there playing now. As before, heavy metal, or hard rock seemed like a dirty word. Now, it sounds like everybody is coming back to life to play, so I think I am right along with them.
Rockpages.gr: Is there a specific kind of music that you listen at home, any particular bands?
Lita: When I am at home in the island… Ohhh God! What do I listen to? We listen to easier rock, like Elton John, the Eagles… if it goes any heavier than that we listen to Metallica, Def Leppard, White Zombie, those sort of things, and we’ll take a little ghetto blaster out to the pool, so we have music out of the pool.
Rockpages.gr: So far, what would you say it was the best moment in your musical career?
Lita: Oh, boy! The best moment in my musical career… probably, having to be nominated for Grammy, although I didn’t win (she was nominated for best female rock performance in1985, for the song “Gotta Let Go”). I think just being nominated was a great honour. “Kiss Me Deadly” was speciall too! At that time in my career, people were just going wild! Little girls were screaming at the top of their lungs... But, I think being nominated was one of the best times in my career.
Rockpages.gr: Is there a chance to see your back catalogue re-mastered?
Lita: Probably, but, that’s up to the record company. They own the back catalogue. That would be nice… Jim and I were talking about doing a re-make of “Kiss Me Deadly”, and “Close My Eyes”, kind of a punk, or a dance version of it, we haven’t decided yet… but, we’re going to do a re-make of those songs for us…
Rockpages.gr: Are you going to put them in the album?
Lita: No, it won’t be in the album, it will be something completely separate… Hmm, Jim puts his finger up looking at me saying “Maybe!” Hahaha!
Rockpages.gr: When you were a little girl, did you dreamed about becoming a rockstar?
Lita: I did! I absolutely dreamed that, and I followed my dreams and they came true! Pretty cool hah? (laughs) I saw it completely as a dream, and it really did happen, it really did come to life!
Rockpages.gr: So, what advice would you give to girls especially, who want to get involved in rock music?
Lita: Well, I’ve noticed now that there are more girls that play hard rock, or just rock’n’roll. I think that the Runaways were before their time. In some way, maybe even Lita was before her time, my time. So, I hope that now the timing is right, and if it is you will see more women in rock’n’roll coming back. There really isn’t any advice to give them. Just follow your heart and your dreams, give it all you got, and if you see something that you want, then go get it, don’t take no for an answer.
Rockpages.gr: It must be different to be a female rockstar, than a male rockstar I guess.
Lita: I think it’s different. I think a lot of people don’t think so, but I think it’s different… being a female there are a lot of doors that will open to you in many ways… things like fashion magazines, or house keeping magazines, as well as rock’n’roll “Guitar Player”… being a woman you are open to all these things… you can be a mom! Men can’t have babies! I think that there are a lot of things that women can do, and men can’t.