“Suzi was an innovator…absolutely.” So says Alice Cooper of Suzi Quatro, the pioneering bassist and front woman credited with altering the perception that tough, gritty rock and roll was confined to all-male bands. Quatro’s colorful, ongoing adventures in life are definitely worthy of interest. So much so that Australian filmmakers Liam Firmager and Tait Brady saw the potential behind making the documentary SUZI Q, which outlines Quatro’s magical ascent from “Girl in Detroit City” to rock’s preeminent female superstar bassist, singer, and hitmaker.
With detailed, sometimes emotional input from Quatro herself, along with Cooper, Deborah Harry (Blondie), Joan Jett, Cherie Currie (The Runaways), Tina Weymouth (Talking Heads), Donita Sparks (L7), Henry Winkler (Happy Days), Kathy Valentine (The GoGo’s), KT Tunstall, members of the Quatro family, and many more, SUZI Q delves into the ups and downs of becoming a “rock star” in the 70s, which in the case of Suzi Quatro, was rather unique. And that goes right back to her upbringing in Detroit.
As we learn, Quatro, her three sisters, and brother were all musically inclined, and encouraged by their father, also a musician, to go pro. The Quatro family’s impact on Suzi’s career was initially positive, as she played in both all-girls bands the Pleasure Seekers and Cradle with her sisters. Eventually things boiled over to resentment after Suzi was singled out by producer Mickie Most to come to England and become a star. It was only after she made the cover of Rolling Stone that her family had to finally acknowledge her accomplishments.
The film follows Suzi as she takes the glam rock scene by storm with several Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn songs (including her breakout hit “Can The Can,” “48 Crash,” and “Daytona Demon”), marries her guitar player, tours with Alice Cooper, and ends the 70s as a cast member on Happy Days. We follows along as she writes lines of poetry to mark each transition in her life. One of the more captivating chapters is her work as an actress in the 80s, 90s and 00s — something a lot of her music fans either loathed or simply didn’t know about. This is where the woman’s resiliency really shines, as she continued to reinvent herself as an entertainer, after her initial “rock star” success in the 70s.
Today, at 70 (as of this writing), the singer, songwriter, bass player, author, actress, radio presenter, poet, and certified legend is still touring and recording music. When you soak up everything’s she’s done, along with the commentary from herself, family members, friends, contemporaries, and admirers, and see every essential piece of vintage footage to properly document and recall the history, it’s easy to understand just how SUZI Q so eloquently captures the Suzi Quatro story through all its struggles, aspirations, and triumphs.
~ Shawn Perry
