John Parks at Legendary Rock Interviews recently caught up with THE RUNAWAYS bassist and authour Jackie Fox (far right). An excerpt from the interview is available below:

LRI: You’ve mentioned that there was a point in time where it wasn’t very “cool” to be a former Runaway. In recent years, it’s hard to imagine anything more cool than being a former Runaway. Do you think the increased attention and respect from fans, musical peers and media in general could lead to other projects we can get excited about? We heard you have a book forthcoming, are there any plans to remaster the albums or do a proper compilation or the Runaways Tribute album?

JF: "I think time makes a lot of things cool. Take THE MONKEES, for instance. I was a huge fan growing up. I was a member of their fan club, I wrote them letters, I couldn’t wait to grow up and be able to wear Yardley Slickers lipstick… my friends and I even used to hold pretend weddings to various members of the Monkees in the backyard. But by the time I was 16, I was embarrassed at having been a fan, and so when Davy Jones showed up to the Queens Of Noise listening party I didn’t even want to meet him. And then I grew up and realized just how great their music really was, and as soon as their albums became available for download I got them for my iPod. I was even going to name one of my cats Mr. Bob Dobalena, only they’re both female.

I’m not sure how many new Runaways projects we’ll see. As of the date of this interview, this is a band still not at peace, although we’re working on it. And the bass players are really the wrong people to ask, since the rest of the band doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with us. At some point I may write my memoirs since I’ve been writing down and recording my memories for a while. Being the one in the band who didn’t do drugs was also isolating in its own way, but the up side is that I had a different experience than the other band members and I actually remember quite a bit of it."

LRI: The Live In Japan album is a favorite of many fans and bandmembers. The adoration of the Japanese fanbase towards American bands has been well documented. You’re a smart lady….were you expecting such a reaction and have you been back to Japan or stayed in touch with some of the fans that made some of the super cool drawings or dolls of you guys?

JF: "None of us expected the Runaways mania that greeted us in Japan in 1977. Live in Japan is my favorite album, too, not just because of the fans, though they were amazing, but because it’s the truest representation of us. Our manager didn’t trust us on the first album and he left us to our own devices on the second, not a good idea since the drug use had begun in earnest by then. But we almost always got it together on stage, and our Japan shows meant a lot to us.

I visited Japan a couple of years ago and one of my friends, Keiko Ginger Suzuki, who lives in Tokyo and has long had a friendship with the band, arranged a meet and greet for me on the night before I left. I thought maybe three people would show up, but it was more like 50, all of whom gave me gifts, including a very cool poster, which everybody signed. And enough Hello Kitty stuff to last a lifetime. The Japanese love cats as much as I do. It was a great trip. When we were there in 1977 we were so busy doing shows and interviews and TV appearances that we didn’t really get to see that much. This time I got to go to Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island and a bunch of other places, and Keiko and I saw THE WHO at Buddokan, which was really fun."

Go to this location for the complete interview.