I'm saddened but not surprised by the story released recently by Jackie Fuchs (Fox being her stage name) regarding rape allegations against the band manager Kim Fowley. If you haven't read it already, click on this link to the Huffingtonpost story .
Why was I unsurprised? Mainly because I watched the now very revealing documentary called Edgeplay. What makes the denial of the incident even more creepy is that ALL the girls admit they were subject to predation by Fowley. But the main unspoken implication was that Cherie Curie bore a very large brunt of Fowley's behavior. Which makes me wonder what other skeletons are being hidden.
All of these interviews in the film make sense now in light of Fuch's recent reveal. Not only that, if you go back and look at the promotional photos of the band, it is clear that of the 5, only Fuchs and Curie's femininity were exploited. Yeah, the others were objectified as well. But certainly not to the same extent. I see a lot of leather in regards to the other girls, an almost protective masculine look. But Fuchs and Cherie were out there in lace. Another pointed anecdote in support of Fuch's story was that Fowley barred her from recording the Runaway's first album. Already he was isolating her, making her an other, a scapegoat for his behavior.
Take of look at 10:45 mark in the bio, in which Curie states that they were all at Fowley's mercy.
Another scary reveal was Sandy's hesitant discussion about Fowley's behavior and states that his focus was on Cherie, Jackie and subsequently Vicki at mark 11:30.
Keep watching until 12:36 in which Sandy pointedly addresses allegations of sexual abuse. Which she doesn't deny but states that she wasn't the person to reveal it. Considering the heartrending personal stories she later reveals, I feel she did witness some traumatizing events at the time that scarred her. Did she witness Fuch's rape? So far she has made no statement regarding the incident. But I definitely feel, at the time this was bio was filmed, she wanted to open a forum on what Fowley did further than what was being discussed. That she remains silent about the recent stories seems telling to me (ETA: Sandy West passed away a few years after the documentary. I'm sorry she was troubled nor received the chance to discuss her experiences further regarding this time period). Unlike band mates Curie and Jett who got on their high horses and made the crime about them instead of supporting a former colleague.
The sad fact of all of this is that Jackie Fuchs is still, in this day and age, dealing with victim blaming. That she, at the time was a 16 year old who was slipped drugs, had the agency to initiate relations with Fowley a grown man over 30. Somehow Fowley, who was blamed left and right for bad behavior in the recent biopic by the band members, comes out smelling like a rose. This should not be. This is no longer the 1970s. But it seems we haven't become more advanced culturally in those intervening years at all. Not at all. My heart goes out to Jackie Fuchs. I'm glad she has courage to stand up, tell her story and face her critics and former band mates.
