In a recent interview with Huffington Post, ex-Runaways bassist Jackie Fuchs alleged she was raped by manager Kim Fowley while her bandmates watched. Jackie spoke of how she was plied with several Quaaludes at a 1975 party while Fowley violated her in a number of ways, including with a hairbrush. Jackie described it as “a date rape-type situation” performed in front of spectators as Fowley “played to the crowd, gnashing his teeth and growling like a dog.”
The entire disturbing situation was made even worse by Jackie’s allegations that “her last memory of the night” was Joan Jett and Cherie Currie “staring at her” during the attack. Jackie was unable to resist, and a witness, Kari Krome, recalled that “Jackie was dead, dead, dead drunk — like corpse drunk” during the entire encounter.
Cherie Currie released a statement to deny the allegations against her:
“I have been accused of a crime. Of looking into the dead yet pleading eyes of a girl, unable to move while she was brutally raped and doing nothing. I have never been one to deny my mistakes in life and I wouldn’t start now. If I were guilty, I would admit it. There are so many excuses I could make being only one month into my sixteenth year at the time that people would understand but I am innocent. When I return from Sweden I will seek a qualified polygraph examiner to put to rest any and all allegations. I will make public the questions, answers and results of that test. I will prove I am telling the truth. I will not allow anyone to throw me under the bus and accuse me of such a foul act. I will fight for myself. It is the only thing I can do.
A few days ago, Jett also spoke to the press to deny awareness of the incident:
Anyone who truly knows me understands that if I was aware of a friend or bandmate being violated, I would not stand by while it happened. For a group of young teenagers thrust into ’70s rock stardom there were relationships that were bizarre, but I was not aware of this incident. Obviously Jackie’s story is extremely upsetting and although we haven’t spoken in decades, I wish her peace and healing.”
The situation is disturbing and sad all around. Fowley himself died earlier this year, which is perhaps why Fuchs finally feels free to tell her story. Fuchs and Krome, who was 13 at the time, recently reconnected on Facebook, which also added to her courage in going public.
(via Cherie Currie on Facebook & Yahoo!)
