Suzi Quatro brings Freedom, defiance and Detroit’s rock legacy to Australia
At 76, Suzi Quatro is still setting her own terms for the stage, a possible biopic and recognition from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Suzi Quatro’s career remains governed by a simple rule: she will keep performing until she can no longer meet her own standards. Speaking to The Guardian, the 76-year-old rocker discusses Freedom, her new album, and an Australian tour scheduled for 14 November to 6 December.
The album’s title track interpolates The Girl Can’t Help It, while Quatro also records MC5’s Kick Out the Jams with Alice Cooper. She recalls Detroit’s 1960s music scene as a collision of Motown’s influence and the rawer rock’n’roll of groups including the MC5, alongside Cooper and Iggy Pop.
Quatro’s approach to live performance has been shaped by improvisation. She recalls turning a blown PA system into a 15-minute drum solo with her drummer, while another performance was interrupted when a fan pulled her hard enough to rip her jumpsuit. She says the lesson remains to make whatever happens on stage work.
A screenplay for a possible biopic is currently being developed, with Quatro suggesting Scarlett Johansson as a potential choice to play her. She says any actor would need to capture what she calls the “Suzi Quatro vibe”, rather than simply reproduce her image.
Before her solo career, Quatro performed with her sisters in the Pleasure Seekers. She also says Strictly Come Dancing is the reality programme she would appear on, and remains “absolutely” surprised that she has not been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Freedom is out now.
