This week, Jackie Fuchs (a.k.a. Jackie Fox) of the Runaways shared harrowing allegations that she had been raped by the band's late manager/producer Kim Fowley. The bassist said that her bandmate Joan Jett witnessed the incident but never spoke out. Jett previously denied this claim through her publicist, and now she has issued a statement on the matter.
Jett again denied having witnessed the incident, and further said that she had no knowledge of it ever having taken place. Beyond that, she didn't comment on the validity of the accusations.
Jett's statement [via Yahoo! Music] is as follows:
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.
According to Fuchs, Fowley raped her at a New Year's Eve party at the end of 1975. She was 16 at the time, and was reportedly drugged and nearly unconscious. She told the Huffington Post, "I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me." The other Runaways are said to have been in the room at the time, among other witnesses. Read more about the horrifying account here.
While this is the first time Fuchs has spoken out about the incident, Fowley has been accused of abusive behaviour before. Pitchfork points out that, in 2010, Runaways vocalist Cherie Curie told The Guardian, "It was the abuse from Kim Fowley and our roadies that was so hard to take. We got such abuse on a daily basis."
Fowley died in January of bladder cancer.
Jett again denied having witnessed the incident, and further said that she had no knowledge of it ever having taken place. Beyond that, she didn't comment on the validity of the accusations.
Jett's statement [via Yahoo! Music] is as follows:
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.
According to Fuchs, Fowley raped her at a New Year's Eve party at the end of 1975. She was 16 at the time, and was reportedly drugged and nearly unconscious. She told the Huffington Post, "I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me." The other Runaways are said to have been in the room at the time, among other witnesses. Read more about the horrifying account here.
While this is the first time Fuchs has spoken out about the incident, Fowley has been accused of abusive behaviour before. Pitchfork points out that, in 2010, Runaways vocalist Cherie Curie told The Guardian, "It was the abuse from Kim Fowley and our roadies that was so hard to take. We got such abuse on a daily basis."
Fowley died in January of bladder cancer.
