At 75 trailblazing rocker Suzi Quatro is at the top of her game, making the best music of her life. But there’s one thing that scares her… and it might just surprise you
She’s a fearless rock ’n’ roll star who has toured the world and performed in front of millions of people. But Detroit-born Suzi Quatro, who moved to the UK aged 21 in 1971, reveals there is one thing that scares her: the British driving test she’s set to take tomorrow. “I’m a pretty brave person. But being tested is terrifying,” laughs Suzi, 75, as she settles down to chat to the Mirror from her stunning Grade II listed manor house in Chelmsford, Essex. “I was told when I started to drive in this country that my American licence was fine. And over the years I was insured, I had speeding tickets.”
However, a US license is only valid for 12 months after one enters the UK. So unbeknownst to her, Suzi has been driving illegally for over five decades. “Can you believe it? I only found out in January because the US laws changed too, and they won’t renew your American licence unless you can prove you have been in the particular state your license is from for the last six months, and of course I can’t. I live here. So I needed a British licence.”
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The Stumblin’ In hitmaker drives a Mercedes and is furious at having to deface the sleek motor with unsightly L plates. “L plates. They drive me round the bend. I’m 75 for god’s sake, I’ve been driving since I was 16,” says Suzi, who in 2011 was inducted to the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame and in 2013 received the Woman of Valor Award from Musicians for Equal Opportunities for Women (MEOW) for her role inspiring and influencing generations of female musicians. “I’m hoping whoever tests me is a fan. Wouldn’t it be great if I got someone testing me who hates my music?”
Suzi grew up in Detroit in a “musical family”. Her dad, Art, was a big band leader and she cut her cloth playing in band The Pleasure Seekers with her sisters, Arlene, Patti and Nancy. In 1971, she was spotted by producer Mickie Most, who brought her to England to join his RAK label, promising to launch her solo career and make her “the first Suzi Quatro” rather than “the next Janis Joplin”.
And 55 million record sales and counting later, Suzi remains one of a kind. Her latest, album Freedom, will be released on March 27, with 13 tracks that return to her classic rock roots. She says: “People are calling this my best work. My voice is still in perfect shape – the rest of me is in shape too. I can’t not make music, it’s what I was born to do. I would hate not to go onstage. After 62 years, my god, it would be like cutting my arm off.”
Suzi married British guitarist Len Tuckey in 1976, and the couple had two children, Richard Leonard and Laura, before divorcing 16 years later. Freedom was produced with her son, and includes a duet with fellow rocker Alice Cooper. Of him, Suzi says: “We’ve known each other since he was 15 and I was 17, we’ve been good friends for many years. He calls me his little sister.”
Three weeks ago, Suzi became a British citizen. “The queen of rock and roll swore allegiance to the King of England,” laughs Suzi. “I don’t consider myself to be British, I never would. I don’t like it when people switch their accents and roots – I was born and raised in Detroit – nobody has ever spoken to me and mistaken me for being British. But I love this country. I’ve put down roots here. My children were born and raised here. I was married to a British guy, although now I’m married to a German.”
Indeed, Suzi, who appeared on popular US TV show Happy Days in the 1970s and remains a regular on BBC Radio 2, married concert promoter Rainer Haas in 1993. Of the British, she continues: “I like your fairness. You’re fair people. I think you’re the most democratic nation in the world. I love your sense of humour, but it takes a bit of getting used to. Once you get it, it’s brilliant. You’re very loyal people, if you have a British friend you have them for life.”
A grandma to 23-year-old Amy, Suzi admits worrying for future generations about the state of the world as the US/Iran war continues. Says Suzi: “I don’t do politics. I stick to my entertaining platform. But something we can all agree, is that it’s a scary situation. I’m hoping for the best and that diplomacy pulls through and everyone is sensible.”
The first female rock star to break major gender barriers by fronting a band, playing bass, and singing, Suzi redefined the image of women in music with her signature leather jumpsuit. “I still wear it,” she says, “and I still play two hour shows”. She’s a trailblazer, but doesn’t see herself as such. “I kicked down the door because I didn’t see the door. I wasn’t aware that I was being different. When I told my dad I wanted to play bass, he simply said ‘good’ and gave me a bass.
“He had two bits of advice. Firstly, this is your job, this is your profession. Second, if there’s 10 or 10,000 people in the audience, they’ve all put their hand in their pocket and paid to see you. You owe them. And that has kept me on the straight and narrow my entire life. It went in my head as the Bible of showbusiness.”
She’s avoided common pitfalls of fame. Suzi says: “I’m not a sex, drugs and rock and roll girl, never have been – I’m a professional. I’ve never had a drink and then gone onstage. I didn’t grow up in a drinking, smoking family, they’re all very straight. We weren’t even allowed to swear. I’ve done a bit of that though. I never succumbed to all that craziness. I’ve had one or two wild nights, of course I have, but nothing to brag about. I’m a good Catholic girl. If you’re a Catholic when you’re being raised, you remain one for your whole life.”
In April, Suzi will embark on a hotly anticipated UK tour. At 75, her post-show routine remains the same. “I do the same thing I’ve always done. After a gig I have one glass of Champagne with the band, then I go to my room. I want no TV on, no noise. I shower, hang my suit inside out to dry and come down for about two hours, then go to bed.”
Rock and roll is for everyone, Suzi urges, and she plans to keep on making it. “Rock and roll is a way of life. I have always kept that rock and roll spirit alive, the one you saw with Elvis,” she says. “There’s no age with rock and roll. You can like it when you’re 70, you can like it when you’re 10. It’s music for everybody. It’s an animal music, which I love, it’s the beast.
“Someone once asked me when I was going to retire when I was 35. Isn’t that crazy? And look at me now – I’m 75 and still pitch perfect. Back then I said, I’ll retire when I go on stage, shake my ass at the audience and there’s silence. Well I’m pleased to say that still hasn’t happened. Then at 65, I said I’ll retire when I go on stage, shake my ass at the audience and it shakes by itself.
“And now at 75, I will retire when I go on stage and I do not deliver to my standard. I will know it. The audience won’t know it, because I’m a pro. But I will know it. And when that happens, god knows when because I’m on a high right now, I will say thank you, it’s been a wonderful ride, goodnight.”
*Freedom, the new album by Suzi Quatro is out on March 27. Her 10-date UK tour kicks off April 7. See www.suziquatro.com for info
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