Outspoken and assertive, Joan Jett didn't hide her frustration when commenting on a Europe during a TV interview in the late 1980s, and slammed the band on the British ITV Video View
The year was 1988, and the guitarist and singer participated in the UK late-night show to promote the single "I Hate Myself For Loving You," from the album Up Your Alley . She was invited to participate in an interview and comment on some recently released music videos, among which was "Superstitious" by Europe, a single from the album Out of This World .
Alongside the other guest of the evening, Glenn Gregory , the rockstar commented on all the clips with sincerity, but didn't spare the Swedish band Europe when commenting on their track. “I don't know. First of all, this song is awful, awful. Then, I think their appeal is completely boring. I mean, it seems very pretentious to me, these guys have the clothes and the pose, but that's it. They have no attitude, none at all,” she said. “They use the pretext of rock n' roll. They're as rock n' roll as Johnny Mathis [popular music singer].”
The seriousness with which Joan rattled off the series of reasons why she couldn't stand Europe managed to embarrass Gregory ("Don't look at me!", she said between giggles), but the guitarist explained her stance. "I don't like to put other people down, but when I think about all the great bands struggling, with no chance at all, and these guys are out there with bad music... It's frustrating," she lamented.
When questioned about the problem with Europe's attitude, which she considered "very corporate" and criticized for how the band moved to the beat of the drums in the video, Joan Jett said that rock n' roll was about wanting to play for young people. "You want to get on stage and see the sparkle in their eyes. It's a way to get rid of frustration, but in a positive way, instead of starting fights or vandalizing. At a real rock show, you get sweaty, you scream, you dance and you have fun," she continued. "I don't know why anyone would pay to see them."
The guitarist wasn't the only artist to have strong reactions to Europe's success. Vocalist Joey Tempest has told stories about how the band irritated Freddie Mercury , Kurt Cobain , and Billy Idol in the past; you can read more here .
Watch the video, rescued by a fan club on YouTube , or with subtitles below.
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