The '80s were sitting on a shelf in Lita Ford's closet.
More specifically the blonde singer/guitarist came across analog tapes from a boozy never-released late-80s recording session, decades later in the home she was living in the Caribbean at the time.
"There were a bunch and bunch of tapes," Ford says. "And we brought them back to the United States and we baked them so they wouldn't flake and fall apart and some older tapes can. We transferred the analog over to digital and we remixed the songs and put them out for the fans because they're really special tracks. They've got really amazing musicians on them." Those musicians include Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen and Robin Zander and Mr. Big bassist Billy Sheehan. Ford is releasing those recordings as her eighth studio LP, the appropriately titled "Time Capsule," out April 15. Tracks like "Where Will I Find My Heart Tonight," "Killing Kind" and "Anything for the Thrill" benefit from Ford's gusty singing and gnarly guitar and some shout-along hooks. "War of the Angels" is a Bic-lighter-aloft-worthy power-ballad.
Ford also dug into her past for her 2016 memoir "Living Like a Runaway," the title of which refers to The Runaways, the trailblazing all-female rock band that gave the world the classic track "Cherry Bomb." The tome is a very fast, very fun read. Ford has plenty of interesting stories to tell: touring the world as a teenager with The Runaways; the band's infamous rehearsals in a grimy San Fernando Valley trailer with notorious manager Kim Fowley presiding; dating Motley Crue star Nikki Sixx (she also bought him his first tattoo); becoming metal's first female guitar hero; dalliances with various recreational drugs; solo success with 1989's sleek, sultry "Lita" album and the fantastic party-rock single "Kiss Me Deadly"; ups and downs with former manager Sharon Osbourne; scoring a top 10 hit with Sharon's husband Ozzy Osbourne on "Close My Eyes Forever"; a tumultuous engagement to Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi; staying up for days partying and songwriting with Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister; a 15-year absence from the music business; living on a deserted island; marriage drama; and, finally, a return to performing for a metal community that welcomed her with open arms.
"I enjoyed writing the funny parts the most," Ford says of her book. "The other stuff, you have to dig deep and really put yourself in the position you were in when you're trying to tell the story, to try to remember the smells and what people were wearing and clothes you were wearing. It's a lot to remember." One of the funniest "Living Like a Runaway" stories involves a tryst with Eddie Van Halen that was interrupted by a jealous former flame. Along the way, Ford also hooked up romantically with rockers ranging from Dee Ramone to Jon Bon Jovi. Friends with benefits have included Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore and Judas Priest's Glenn Tipton. Ford manages to write about it all (hey, juicy bits are a big part of what fans want from a rocker memoir) without getting too lurid. She's keeps a down-to-earth dignity while keeping us turning the pages. It's a difficult balance but she pulls it off.
Ford is appearing as special guest on Grammy-winning modern-rock quartet Halestorm's current tour. Halestorm are led by star singer/guitarist Lzzy Hale and are known for such hits as "Amen" and "Freak Like Me." The tour also features a third female fronted act, the bluesy L.A. rockers Dorothy, and makes a stop at Huntsville's Von Braun Center Mark C. Smith Concert Hall, address 700 Monroe St., on April 19. Tickets are $32-$42 (plus applicable fees) and available via ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, VBC Box Office or by phone at 800-745-3000. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.
Ford's recent performances with her band have included '80s essentials, "Cherry Bomb," the funky 1990 cut "Hungry" and a cover of "Elton John's "The Bitch Is Back." But she says the setlist is always in flux. "We just call it out as we go along. And the audience is really the ones that do that. We're going to bring in guest musicians as we go through the U.S. and just play spur of the moment songs." Referring to a lusty "Lita" LP deep cut, Ford adds, "If someone calls out 'Blueberry' then we'll play 'Blueberry.'"
Lita Ford. (Courtesy Dustin Jack Photography)
Ford's guitar sound has become more savage over the course of her career. She credits this to evolving as a musician and her vintage B.C. Rich guitars. "I've got these little pre-amps that are built into the guitars, you can turn them off or on, there's a little switch, Ford says. "I usually leave them on and they just sound wicked, just like a chainsaw you know. Bernie Rico Sr. who was the creator of B.C Rich passed away and when he passed away the recipe for those chainsaw sounding guitars went with him. Unfortunately."
With all the hubbub over the Guns N' Roses reunion of Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan, I'm curious what it would take for a Runaways reunion, minus drummer Sandy West who died in 2006, to happen. Ford says the ball is totally in the court of Joan Jett, former Runaways guitarist and later on solo star. "We're all really into it and want to do it except for Joan so it's up to her." (Ford answers this question gracefully but you can tell she's getting a little tired of the press asking it.)
And while some veteran rockers are ambivalent about being introduced into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it's an honor Ford would like to see The Runaways, receive one day receive. The band has been eligible since 2001. "You know, I know Joan got inducted (in 2015) and I personally think that it should have been The Runaways and it's not too late for The Runaways. We can't still be inducted and maybe we will be. Look at Cheap Trick. Look how long it took them to get in. And Kiss! I think we can still do it."
Ford calls in for this phone interview from the living room of her Los Angeles area home. Between sips of coffee, she comes across more like a rocker-chick-next-door than "The Queen of Heavy Metal," as her fans call her.
A couple examples: At an age when many of her male '80s hard-rock contemporaries are hiding beneath baggy clothing onstage, Ford still looks amazing in the red and black leather jumpsuits she wears while performing. Yet asked if she has secrets to keeping so fit she nonchalantly replies, "I try to watch what I eat. Just don't let yourself go. You know keep yourself on a good workout program and health program. For you." Likewise when asked what she remembers about recording the "Cherry Bomb" solo, which many rock fans can hum by heart, Ford says with a laugh, "Um, not really. I really don't have any particularly cool memories of that solo other than it was just a solo."
The image of Ford writhing across an ice-decorated stage in the "Kiss Me Deadly" music video lives forever in the souls of anyone who ever saw it as a teenage boy in the '80s. Those ripped jeans she sports in much of the clip? "I bought those jeans off of a guy that worked on telephone poles so the front of his jeans were shredded. Naturally. And back then you could not buy shredded jeans. They didn't make them. So I stopped this guy on the street and I said to him, "Dude, I want to buy your pants." [Laughs] And he looks at me and he goes, 'Uh ... OK.'"
by jpdc11
A little later on, Ford was visiting her parents and happened to be wearing the "Kiss Me Deadly" shredded jeans that day. And her mother freaked. "'Lita! Get in the house! I don't want the neighbors to see you in those jeans!'" Ford recalls, fondly imitating her mom's thick Italian accent. "And I flipped out and thought, 'Little does she know these jeans are all over MTV.'"