Rocker Suzi Quatro talks music, acting and new film documentary, ‘Suzi Q’

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Suzi Quatro’s 1978 album was called “If You Knew Suzi...,” and the new documentary “Suzi Q” makes sure we do.

Rolling out July 3 via Video on Demand and DVD, the film by Australian directors Liam Firmager and Tait Brady takes on a 55-plus year story of a life in music. Detroit native Quatro started out playing with her sisters in the all-female bands Cradle and the Pleasure Seekers before going solo in 1971, moving to Britain and scoring hits such as “Can the Can,” “Devil Gate Drive” and “48 Crash,” dressed in tight leathers and brandishing a Fender Precision bass as a pioneering woman in rock. 

There's much more, however. Quatro logged three seasons as Leather Tuscadero on TV's "Happy Days," has had British TV roles, starred in the stage musicals "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Tallulah Who?," hosted radio programs for the BBC, and wrote a memoir ("Unzipped"), a poetry book ("Through My Eyes") and an upcoming illustrated lyric book. And she's kept rocking. Her latest album, "No Control" came out during 2019, and another, she promises, is on the way...

How does it feel to have your life literally flashing in front of you, on a screen?

Quatro: It's great. Great! The movie is everything I wanted it to be. There's maybe nothing I didn't know, but it cemented some things. The movie is exposing. I saw that I'm very, very determined; Everybody's always told me that and I never quite noticed it, but boy, am I determined. (laughs) And I'm tough because I walked through the fire and I survived. But I'm very soft, too. I'm not afraid to hurt. So, I'm a real dichotomy of things. I hope people will think they know me. I'd like to be understood.

Is there anything in “Suzi Q” that’s hard to watch?

Quatro: Well, I did tell the director that even if there’s cringe moments in there, as long as it’s the truth, it stays in there. And I’m glad we did, ‘cause the uncomfortable moments, to me, they’re the best moments. For me it was the Thanksgiving tape (in which her family members criticize Quatro while she was living in England and subsequently sent to her). That’s a cringe moment, for sure. It’s hard to even listen to it now, even though I’ve had it for all these years. And it’s hard to watch on the screen and go through that emotion again. The family issues are always difficult because they hurt, and that’s something I will never, ever, ever be strong enough to get past. Being an artist makes you sensitive and vulnerable, and I don’t want to lose that because it would mean I’m not the artist I am anymore.

Your father was a professional musician, so it was in your DNA. Do you think you were fated to do it?

Quatro: From very young, I wanted to be an entertainer. In fact, my first passport, you had to put down your occupation, and everybody put musician. Guess what I put? Entertainer. I remember looking at everybody else's and going, "Oh, that's interesting," because I put something different. But I realized very early on I had the ability to hold an audience, so that made me want to do this as my profession -- and of course we come from a very musical family, so music was an obvious choice. I do love acting just as much, I must say, but music has just got the edge.

You came out of a particularly fertile music scene in Detroit during the mid and late ’60s. What was that like?

Quatro: I was only 14 when we started, and you had these groups like the MC5 and Mitch Ryder and Bob Seger and Sky. Alice was more my age, and you had all the Motown that we just loved. I remember doing a gig with Bob Seger in Saginaw; We were headlining and he came out with an acoustic (guitar) and a piano and was on stage doing his own stuff like that, and I went, "Whoa! What's this?!" And he was good!

Was it hard being a woman in that scene -- and especially an all-female band?

Quatro: Y'know, I was never bothered at all. I just wanted to be in a band; I didn't give a s*** if it was an all-girl band. That was never my focus. I don't do gender -- never have. To this day, I don't think of myself as a female musician. I am a musician.

What’s your relationship now with those early hits like “Can the Can?” Does it sound like a different person to you, all those years ago?

Quatro: I'm really pleased with all of them. I've been doing my "Suzi Quatro Bass Lines" on social media during the lockdown and had to address a lot of the old stuff, and I was surprised how good they were. That was a great band. It was innovative, full of energy, full of interesting songs. I'm very proud of that stuff.

There are a ton of testimonials in the film about how influential you are, from the Runaways and Go-Go’s to Alice Cooper and Henry Winkler? Those must make you feel good.

Quatro: It’s humbling. When people say nice things it makes you cry because it’s just beyond...You go, “Omigod, they think THAT?!” I didn’t know how much I meant to everybody. That surprised me. I knew I was the first one and a lot of women came after and they’ve thanked me for it, but I didn’t know how these girls held me in their hearts. I somehow, without meaning to, gave them permission to be who they are.

There is, of course, the issue that despite that influence you’re not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. High time?

Quatro: It doesn't make any sense to me. It's beyond a joke. If you can't honor the first one, who can you honor? I don't even have to say it; Everybody says it for me. People go, 'You're not in it? What?!' Everybody's always shocked.

What are you working on now?

Quatro: Well, all my gigs and stuff are canceled, so I said to my son (Richard Tuckey), “Let’s write the next album” and we wrote 14 songs and demoed them during this lockdown. I’ve got an illustrated book of my lyrics at the publisher’s, and because (“Suzie Q”) is getting such rave reviews I’m going to do a (biopic) about my life. We’re just finishing up the script. I’ve got people in mind to play the lead. I don’t want to say anything yet, but the money’s in place and the movie will be made, and it’s on my bucket list. So, I’m busy. I’m not gonna sit around picking my nose. That’s not who I am.

You’re 70 now. How long will you keep going?

Quatro: As long as I can. I love this profession, as you can see from the film. I love what I do. I love creation. I love entertaining and I love all the different areas that allows you to be in. I like the variety -- the music, the TV, the musicals, the DJ, the poetry. I love writing songs. I like being...an artiste. I am a creative, communicating entertainer; That's the only way I can describe myself. I have always believed that the good lord put me on this Earth to make people happy.

“Suzi Q” will be released on Friday, July 3, on Video on Demand and home video. A special online screening featuring a Q&A with Quatro, Cherie Currie of the Runaways and Kathy Valentine of the Go-Go’s takes place July 1 to benefit MusiCares. Tickets and other information via https://www.altavod.com/content/suzi-q