You’re doing gigs with Alice Cooper and Motörhead. Are you pals with them?
Yeah, I played with them both in the 1980s. Opening for Motörhead was the very first tour I did, back when I was in The Runaways. They helped me out and lent me equipment for when I did a solo tour. It’ll be good to come back to Britain – I haven’t played there for a long time.

Why have you had more success in America than Britain?
It boils down to label support. We've tried to go our own way with our own label, Blackheart, which is distributed by other labels in the US but I guess it's a different situation in the UK. We'll have the record out when we get there for the tour which is exciting.

What did you think of the stories alleging that you were having a lesbian fling with Carmen Electra?
I understand why they started because it’s a titillating idea but it was all sparked off because she appeared in the video for my cover of The Sweet’s song AC/DC. Obviously, people are going to jump on that. Carmen’s a really wonderful person so I don’t mind people making jokes or speculating about that.

Suzi Quatro says you ripped her act off. What do you make of that?
Then I suppose The Stones ripped off Chuck Berry and so on and so forth. She inspired me. I was a big fan of Suzi when I was 14. I went and stood in a hotel lobby to try to get an autograph. I was petrified. She came down, looked at me, made a face and walked on by. I remembered that for the rest of my life. I thought: ‘If I become famous, I’ll never do that to a fan.’ If I notice someone in a lobby looking shy but it is obvious that they want to talk, I’ll ask if they want a picture. Maybe Suzi’s just bitter. She should be happy she inspired someone. I added to what she did. I wrote my songs. When she had her success, she was completely contrived.

What were the highlights of life in The Runaways?
The whole three-and-a-half years were great. It was such an actionpacked time. Every day, something crazy happened. We knew we could only be The Runaways for so long, while we were all still teenagers. I enjoyed it all but I know some of the other girls found it stressful.

When did you realise you’d become successful?
It was after a gig in Glasgow. There was a riot and we were on the balcony of the hotel or something, I’m not sure of the details but the fire brigade had to turn the hoses on the kids who’d come to see us. We’d never seen anything like it. When we went to Japan, we got off the plane and there were thousands of screaming girls waiting for us. It was quite insane. People chased us down the street and gave us hairbrushes so we’d brush our hair and they’d get a few strands – they were too polite to just yank it out. It was unexpected but it’s what I got into this business for. I wanted to excite people to the degree they lost themselves.

Do you have any songs you really hate?
There are a lot of those. I don't listen to the radio very much, I find it depressing. They don't play anything good. When I was growing up in the 70s you had some great rock songs played with good pop stuff, now it all seems like a big generic mess and it could be anybody. You get a gem once in a while here and there but that's it. It's inane pop girl stuff whether it's Britney or Avril Lavigne or whoever...I can't even tell you who I'm not listening to, haha. Even the rock stuff isn't that great. I listen to a punk station on satellite radio or my iPod.

Who do you want to win the US election?
Anyone but a Republican. A few years ago, I worked for a guy called Howard Dean who was running for election. But the US media made him look like a fool. He yelled during a speech and they just played him yelling over and over until people thought he was insane. It’s quite disheartening to see how the system really works but I’ll be doing everything I can to make sure something changes direction. A lot of us in the US don’t like what’s going on.

What’s your favourite film?
Cabaret made a huge impact on me. Decadent 1930s Berlin really grabbed me – it looked dirty and sexual and had that flamboyant showbiz element. It blew my 12-year-old mind. It spurred me into showbusiness.

Are you excited by the Spice Girls reunion?
I was amazed to read they sold out in 38 seconds. I don’t know if that’s true. I guess it’s good for them, right? I won’t be trying to get a ticket. I suppose they’re a good example if you want to sing pop but I’d advise people to go out and buy a cheap guitar and a how-to-play book and figure it out themselves. That’s what worked for me. Find some likeminded friends and you’re off.