Introduction
It’s been six decades since Suzi Quatro first hit the stage with The Pleasure Seekers as a teenager. Now, at 74, she’s still out on the road, still electric, and perhaps stronger than ever. So, does she still feel the same excitement when she steps into the spotlight?
“Honestly, I feel like I’m at the peak of my powers,” Suzi shares. “I’ve grown into the rock’n’roll entertainer I always dreamed of being.”
Since launching her Unzipped show in 2014, she’s kept the same intimate, storytelling format: two hours of music, personal stories, and rare footage that takes fans on a journey through her life. “You get all the hits,” she says with a grin, “but you get a lot more than that, too.”
The Iconic Jumpsuit Lives On
There’s one image of Suzi that fans around the world recognize instantly: her in that leather jumpsuit. And yes—she still wears it.
“I come out in it during the second act of my show,” she says. “That photo became iconic, and I remember the moment it was taken. ‘Can The Can’ was recorded and ready to release. I had a conversation with Mickie Most about my image. I suggested leather—he disagreed at first—but in the end, I got my way.”
They compromised with a jumpsuit. “It made sense because I moved around so much on stage. I needed something that would stay in place. I was completely unaware it would come off as sexy,” she laughs. “At the time, I hadn’t even had a hit yet. I remember the photographer, Gered Mankowitz, saying, ‘Give me that Suzi Quatro look.’ And I had no idea what that meant—but I just gave a look, and somehow, everything clicked.”
Blazing Trails Without Realizing It
Asked if she ever saw herself as a pioneer, Suzi pauses. “I honestly didn’t know I was doing anything unusual. I came from a musical family, played bass, loved rock’n’roll. It felt natural.”
It wasn’t until the release of her 2019 documentary Suzi Q that the scope of her influence truly hit home. “One after another, these amazing women came forward—Debbie Harry, Chrissie Hynde, Tina Weymouth, KT Tunstall, Joan Jett—sharing how much of an impact I had on them.”
She recalls a moment on the phone with her friend Cherie Currie of The Runaways after the documentary aired. “I said, ‘I just realized—by doing what I did, I gave women around the world permission to be different.’ There was this long pause, then she just laughed and said, ‘And you’re only just realizing that now?’”
No Regrets, No Complaints
Does she look at modern stars like Taylor Swift and think they have it easier?
“I’d switch places with her tomorrow!” Suzi says, smiling. “We came up on the five-shows-a-night circuit. That’s how we learned to perform. But Taylor has her own challenges. Her shows are three hours long, packed with choreography, costume changes, even juggling acts. It’s a different kind of pressure.”
Still, Suzi shares some wisdom for preserving your instrument: “I always wear a scarf—even in the heat—because air conditioning dries out your throat. No partying after the show. I need at least nine hours of sleep. Otherwise, the first thing to go is your voice.”
Still Creating, Still Collaborating
And yes, she’s still in touch with her longtime friend Alice Cooper. “He calls me his little sister,” she says warmly. “I was just in Detroit a few days ago. I joined him on stage and we also recorded the first track for my next album.”
The song? A powerful version of MC5’s “Kick Out The Jams,” a tribute to a legendary band that shared the same Detroit roots as Suzi and The Pleasure Seekers. “They’re no longer with us, so this felt like the right way to honor them.”