When I was in my ‘heavy metal phase’ of 1987-88, I wasn’t much into girl singers at all. There was death metal, heavy metal, glam metal, and pop metal – and virtually nothing else that held my interest for that short one-year period of my life. Girls weren’t really allowed on MTV’s Headbangers Ball as far as I was concerned, unless they were there for eye candy. One of the very rare exceptions was Lita Ford, whose song Kiss Me Deadly and then, in a duet with Ozzy Osbourne, Close My Eyes Forever would often show up on music television.
I had never heard of her before this time period. I wasn’t familiar with The Runaways, and hadn’t heard any of her solo stuff from the mid-80’s. In fact, I wouldn’t say that I was ever really a true fan, not even owning a copy of Lita, the early-1988 release that yielded the aforementioned singles.
Even still, when the opportunity to meet her presented itself at the October 30, 2010, Chiller Show in Parsippany, New Jersey, I jumped at the chance to see her up close and personal. First off, I must say that for just having turned 52, she didn’t look bad. Certainly I have seen more wear on male rock stars at that age. Even being engaged to Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx and married to W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, she had obviously steered relatively clear of the things that had damaged so many in the industry.
Lita was very nice, but knowing her status as a rock icon, her autographs and photo ops weren’t all that cheap, coming in at $20 for a signed picture plus an addtional $20 for a photo with her. The good news was that she was both cooperative and playful when it came to snapping several different photos with me. And for some reason, it was not only my camera that was taking pictures; at least two other photographers other than my friend Peter (who was capturing my images) took photos of us.
Obviously this could not be our official picture
A kinder, gentler pose
The ultimate shot I wanted was her ‘kissing me deadly’. I only wanted the peck on the cheek, but her substitute offer was that she would ‘hug me deadly’. And that worked out fine for me. She looked good…but not that good.
Hugging me deadly…
Celebrities of the Fall 2010 Chiller Show will continue…
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