Sandy West, the drummer of The Runaways, is perhaps know as having the best performance and presence out of all female drummers. The biopic film, The Runaways opened recently and takes the audience through the band’s fabled rock adventure: obscurity, stardom, fall, and reconciliation. But for Sandy Pesavento (aka Sandy West), her bittersweet story is only a subplot in the new film. Evelyn McDonnell at the LA Weekly has a great article on her timeless rock epic that is definitely worth a read.
In 1975, sixteen-year-olds Joan Jett and Sandy West jammed away in Sandy’s bedroom in Surf City, USA (Huntington Beach, Ca). Sandy had a Pearl drum kit and a Marshall stack with a Gibson, while Joan would bring her Sears Silvertone guitar. A strong music bond was forming. Joan would make the trip by bus from the Valley to OC. If you live in SoCal, you know this was dedication. And when they first jammed with Lita Ford, bonding over their ability to play obscure Deep Purple and Kiss tunes, the bond was made even stronger.
Sandy was a tomboy, so surfing, basketball, competitive swimming, motorcycles, track, horseback riding, and playing the drums were her thing. Her parents wanted her to play violin so she could form a string quartet with her sisters who played violin, cello, and viola. But Sandy was born to rock. It was not classical music that was turning her on; it was the sounds of Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, and Queen.
Pounding the drums helped her to get through some personal traumas. The early passing of her father and her mother’s re-marriage to a widower with his own children were some points of stress in Sandy’s life. Drumming was her therapy. Sandy and the other members of The Runaways practically did runaway to hang out outside the Sunset Strip’s Roxy, The Starwood, and Rainbow Room to get discovered while all the girls were still underage. Manager Kim Fowley and KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer helped the girls meet, and the band went on to get signed to Mercury Records.
Why is she one of the greatest rock female rock drummers? For starters, she and the other girls faced adversity as an all girl band in a male dominated space. She was one of the few, if not the only female rock drummer at the time. Sandy was a great performer. She had strong arms (like Tina Turner’s legs, as McDonnell says) and twirled sticks. She could sing and play drums at the same time (see the video below). And you could tell that, in their group photos, she had a strong presence with her masculine frame yet her girl-next-door good looks.
As they toured the US, England, and Japan, the typical rock and roll antics ensued. Sex, drugs and Jackie Fox’s reaction to her broken bass guitar helped to end the original lineup. After the breakup, Sandy continued to pursue music with the Sandy West Band while playing small gigs with Cherie Currie. But this bad combination of wild success, an unfair record deal, and the fall from fame led to desperate measures. Unfortunately, she became involved in organized crime, partying hard with drugs, and subsequently went to jail several times. And it was all so she could continue her main passion: playing the drums in a rock band. She passed away from cancer in 2006. Joan said Sandy would have been very happy to see the band’s story told as a film.
Here is Sandy playing her favorite tune, Wild Thing.
Also check out clips from bass player Jackie Fox’s Runaway documentary, Edgplay.
