Review - Real Wild Child: Video Anthology

Apparently, Joan Jett remembers nothing about the '80s. In the interview segments that unpleasantly introduce each of the 35 videos (yeah, 35) on this double-DVD set, she has to depend on the much more talkative Kenny Laguna (her manager and longtime co-conspirator) for most of the details, however general, about these videos. One thing that does come through in the course of the interviews, though, is that Laguna was a company man and all Joan wanted to do was rock. The still-resonant story of Jett's DIY hit-making is spelled out, and even through the unfortunate, poufed-hair era of tracks like "Good Music" (filmed, ironically, at CBGB), the note that Jett keeps hitting in the interview is, "I thought the video was stupid." Which makes you realize why she forgot so much and why, in the end, she rocks so hard. Multiple versions of several videos are here, as are some rather lo-fi television broadcasts. The interface on the DVD is awful and clunky and much of the later material is negligible. But given the reasonable price tag ($24.95) for a double-disc set that includes the version of "Bad Reputation" filmed for "Urgh! A Music War" (when the hell's that gonna be on DVD?), it's easy to overlook such things.