Oh Bondage Up Yours

The Janie Jones Archive is saddened to report that Punk Rock legend Poly Styrene died at age 53 on Monday. Lead singer of the the band X-Ray Spex, she will be remembered for her fearless spirit. Janie Jones was inspired by the song "Oh Bondage, Up Yours" recording her own version of it in the early 1980's.
listen to it here: Janie Jones, Oh Bondage Up Yours

Mary-Jo Kopechne

Mary-Jo Kopechne, former bassist for The Modernettes, talks about her life in Alberta now.

Lux Interior R.I.P. October 21, 1946 - February 4, 2009

It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of one of music’s most original & inspiring performers, Lux Interior. Front man of The Cramps from 1972, Lux passed away from an existing heart condition on February 4th, 2009 at the age of 62.
Speaking on behalf of all the staff and volunteers at the Janie Jones Archive, we find ourselves consumed by a particularly deep sadness. Her journals indicate that Janie Jones was hugely influenced by the unbridled perfomative madness that The Cramps embodied. In the punk rock, alternative music milieu, Lux Interior stood out as a true original amongst many trying desperately to appear original.
Humour, horror, kitsch & sex were essential to all of The Cramps music and Lux Interior lived what he performed. As authentic as they come, it is impossible to imagine Lux could ever be anything less than he was onstage.
“Interior maintained that The Cramps wanted "to bring back some sick humour to rock'n'roll. It's way too healthy these days. It's horrible, it's obnoxious. All these rock stars doing good all over the world. At first, I thought it was kind of funny. But then it started to give me a creepy feeling."
The Independent Feb. 6, 2009
The Janie Jones Archive would like to extend our deepest condolences to Lux’s longtime creative collaborator and wife, Poison Ivy (Rorschach). Janie wrote about how the relationship between Lux & Poison Ivy represented the possibility of finding a true soul mate for life, something she personally never experienced. Poison Ivy remains one of the most empowering female role models to come out of the punk rock/psychobilly music scene. She rocks the lead guitar like no other, wears her sexuality proudly and performed stone faced as Lux Interior hurled himself about the stage in liquid rubber & high heels, deep throating the mic in his theatre of psycopathia sexualis. No one is cooler than Poison Ivy. Our thoughts are with her now.
R.I.P. Lux

silent, super 8 film ofunknown origin of The Cramps performing

The Janie Jones Archive Open by Appointment soon!

The Janie Jones Archive is expected to be open to select scholars & historians sometime in the near future. We have been forced to turn down the hundreds of requests to study and view the Archive due to the sensitive nature of the material and the difficulty in accessing the voluminous storage spaces in which The Janie Jones Archive is currently housed.
Thanks to the very generous support of an anonymous donor The Janie Jones Archive will be open by appointment only sometime in 2008. We regret that the Archive will not be open to the general public for the time being but we will review any and all requests submitted to view the Janie Jones Archive by appointment.
Please note our mailing address has changed and please do not hesitate to submit any materials pertaining to the history of Ms. Jones at our email address
Sincerely,
The Director of The Janie Jones Archive

Interview and performance clips - the Slits

The Slits - Typical Girls

The Avengers by Target Video 1978

Avengers - The American In Me

Modernettes - Barbra

A Message from The Director

We are pleased to announce that The Janie Jones Archive will be moving to a permanent location shortly. To send or receive information regarding Ms. Jones by post please email janiejonesarchive@gmail.com for the new mailing address.
The Janie Jones Archive will be open by appointment only but is always available online here and at www.janiejones1979.com
Please check back soon for further updates.
Best Regards,
The Director
Janie Jones Archive

Mary Jo Kopechne - circa 1980/1981?

March 12th, 1980

...he would have a total freakout.
We have been watching lots of good videos these days. We rented this really scary movie about a gilr who goes crazy and keeps a cooked rabbit in her purse. Sometimes that's exactly how I feel.
Seriously, like this Carol is no Carol Maryll(?)

March 12 '80
This is "Merch Boy". N. & I call him that because he seems to be at every single gig we go to and he is always selling something. She thinks he has some kind of crush on me because he gives me stickers and pins every time I see him. I think he's actually trying to get to her through me which totally horrifies her. She has some crush now on this other guy who, surprise surprise looks exactly like David Bowie. I mean come on let's move forward with this...

They're All Going to Laugh at You

Janie Jones at the Cococo Lounge

Album Cover ?

These Images, found in one of Janie's former residences, were recently submitted to the Janie Jones Archive. They are believed to be photographs taken for an unrealized album cover.

Fan Mail for Janie

" Now I've listened to your album and read the liner notes front to back.
I don't know quite what to say or how to thank you.
You are super brave.
It's awesome."
The many fan letters found amongst Janie's belongings lead us to believe she recorded an album of original music. The only recordings found amongst her belongings are five independent cover songs. The Janie Jones Archive has compiled these into a cd which is available upon request by writing or emailing :
Janie Jones
P.O.Box 33889 Station D
Vancouver, B.C.
V6J 4L6
Canada
janiejonesarchive@gmail.com

Janie's Room circa 1980

It's Not the End of the World

The date of this photo is unknown (believed to be between 1980 - 1982) but Janie's return to a book (It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume) that is clearly written for a much younger audience leads us to believe that her impending breakup with S. has re-awakened the fears and anxiety she suffered during her parents' divorce when she was an adolescent.

Janie Was Here

Janie & the Merch Guy, circa 1980

Janie Jones circa 1980

The Janie Jones Archive is in the process of scanning and uploading a set of photographs belonging to Janie. This is a photo of Janie, believed to be taken around 1980 when she had just left home to live in a communal warehouse space with a group of artists and musicians.

February 24th, 1980

Finally! back to the bloody car! I didn’t see S. for the rest of that day and then I didn’t work for a few days after that. I was kind of nervous about seeing him again because I figured he would totally know that the crush was mutual but when I saw him he was completely normal. Work was as boring as usual and the Cougar played disgusting music as usual and S.’s eyes were ridiculously blue as usual. I left work and was waiting at the bus stop when I heard what sounded like the most horrendous thunder boiling in the sky but lo and behold it was the sound of S’s car as he pulled up to the bus stop. He cracked me up as he leaned out the window and said, “pull up to the bumper baby.” Who would have thunk that S. would know a Grace Jones song. He offered me a ride home. It was cold as hell and of course the heater is broken in his car so he pulled me across the bench seat closer to him and put his arm around me!!!! I thought I was going to die. We didn’t say a word and when he pulled into Montgomery Park he stopped the car and we started kissing madly. I think we necked for about an hour and then I had to go. He (of course) was playing Led Zeppelin, which would normally totally gross me out but there was something really amazingly sexy about making out with a rocker boy to “when the levee breaks.”
I am totally going to have to burn this diary.

February 23rd, 1980

Sorry I had to stop writing because N. came over and wanted to know what I was freaking out about. I thought I was acting normal but like any good friend she knew something was up.
So I told her about S. and now she’s like my co-conspiring handmaiden.
I thought she was going to freak out because she’s got this cool older punk boyfriend but she was actually really nice about it. Although, she did say she would never speak to me again if she saw me in the passenger seat of that behemouth of a head banger car he drives.
Speaking of that car, I never finished writing about what happened. So after I pretended to go off photocopying to cover the fact that my heart-rate had more in common with a hummingbird than a human. I had to stand in the hallway and take slow deep breaths so as not to die a sudden death from desire in front of Mr. L.
Oh, I can’t believe this but my Mom is screaming at me right now so I’ll have to finish later.

February 18th, 1980

I am dying here. I haven’t written for so long because S. and I are having this torrid secret love thing. It is almost unbearable to write it down because I am terrified that someone will find this diary one day and read this. I’ve got to remember to burn it one day.
Okay this is what happened. He gave me that book, A Confederacy of Dunces, which he thought I would love but it turned out to be the worst book ever about some disgusting fat guy with diverticulitis. Of course I couldn’t keep my mouth shut after I read it and told him at work that it completely sucked and what was he thinking??!! And then I noticed his eyes. Oh my GOD, they are so crystal clear I’m going to die if I look into them any longer turquoise pools of gorgeousness. And then I noticed he was watching my mouth the whole time I was telling him I hated this book and the next thing I know, my stomach is totally doing flip flops and I felt my face turning beet red. So, I shut up and told him I had to go photocopy something for Mr. L.
“I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead.”

February 5th, 1980

Okay this is a serious problem. S. gave me this book he thought I would like so now I am like 99.9% sure that he is into me. I keep catching him staring at me and he thinks I don’t notice. Sometimes guys are so dumb. Anyway we would totally be star crossed lovers if anything ever happened. The guy drives a Charger of all things.I could not be seen caught dead in that car.