Time & Perspective Quote by Joan Jett

There’s a small sting of honesty in Joan Jett admitting she has “a really tough time finding new bands.” From a musician who helped define what “new” sounded like in the first place, the line lands less like a complaint and more like a cultural diagnosis: discovery has gotten louder, faster, and somehow harder to trust.

The intent reads as practical, not performative. Jett isn’t doing the classic veteran move of dismissing the kids and canonizing the past. She’s naming a friction point between how music used to be found and how it’s delivered now. For her generation, “new band” meant a local scene, a sweaty room, a flyer, a friend shoving you a record. It came with context baked in: you knew where a sound came from because you were standing in its neighborhood. Today’s pipeline is frictionless, algorithmic, infinite. That abundance can feel like a fog, not a feast.

The subtext is about gatekeeping, but not in the crude sense of “keep out.” It’s the subtler worry that the old gates - radio DJs with taste, zines with opinions, venues that incubate - have been replaced by platforms that optimize for engagement. Jett’s whole brand is conviction: sharp hooks, clear stakes, no irony as armor. A “tough time” finding new bands implies she’s still looking for that same voltage: a band with a point of view, not just a vibe.

Context matters. Jett’s career is a long argument that rock isn’t a museum piece; it’s a tool for self-definition. Her frustration suggests the tool is still needed, but the hardware store is now a warehouse, and the good stuff is buried three aisles deep under sponsored endcaps.