Photo: WENN
After The Runaways' Jackie Fuchs revealed that she was drugged and raped by the band's manager Kim Fowley in the '70s, former bandmates Joan Jett and Cherie Currie have spoken out to distance themselves from the allegations.
Fuchs, who is better known as Jackie Fox, joined the punk rock band in 1975, shortly before her sixteenth birthday. A year later, she has revealed, she was raped by the band's manager Kim Fowley during a New Year's Eve gig in 1976.
The allegations came to light in a damning indictment of Fowley published last week by Jason Cherkis, in which Fowley, who died at the start of this year, is accused of several other sexual assaults.
According to Fuchs' testimony, she was forced to take a Quaalude by a roadie, before being raped by Fowley in front of several other people. "I remember opening my eyes, Kim Fowley was raping me, and there were people watching me," she said.
Her article also included the passage: "She looked out from the bed and noticed Currie and Jett staring at her. She says this was her last memory of the night."
Now both Jett and Currie have responded to the allegations,with Jett writing on Facebook: "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."
She added: "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."
Currie's response, meanwhile was more complicated. Her initial statement said, "I have been accused of a crime. Of looking into the dead yet pleading eyes of a girl, unable to move while she was brutally raped and doing nothing. I have never been one to deny my mistakes in life and I wouldn't start now. If I were guilty, I would admit it. There are so many excuses I could make being only one month into my sixteenth year at the time that people would understand but I am innocent."
However, when one commenter pointed out that Currie's book includes a passage describing events very similar to Fuchs' testimony, things became less black and white. "I'm not denying statutory rape," she said. "It happened in that room. Just not the way Jackie said it happened. Different culture, different time and I never saw a band member date a man under the age of 18."
Fowley recruited The Runaways after placing an ad in a fanzine, and co-wrote their biggest hit, 'Cherry Bomb' as well as producing their self-titled debut album.
