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In With the Old and the New
Seventies rock standards reborn on the revitalized Jersey Shore
The Pretenders
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Ohio native and future leader of The Pretenders, Chrissie Hynde, fell hard for rock ’n roll. She says, “I got into rock ’n roll because I was a fan.” As a teen, school only got in the way of attending rock shows in Cleveland. Hynde studied art at Kent State, briefly playing in a band with a member of Devo and witnessing the National Guard riots. But London called. Rock magazine NME’s coverage of England’s music scene enticed Hynde across the pond. There, she formed band after band, looking for the right fit. She worked with Malcolm McLaren (future creator of the Sex Pistols) at Vivienne Westwood’s clothing shop, Sex. Hynde auditioned for 999, tried to start a band with Mick Jones from The Clash, and played in the band that became The Damned. She was everywhere, far from the middle of the road.
In 1978, Hynde’s band came together. They called themselves The Pretenders after the sixties-era song by The Platters, “The Great Pretender.” The band’s first hit, a cover of “Stop Your Sobbing” by The Kinks, reflected the fact that the band was mostly older than their punk contemporaries. But growling songs like “Precious” proved that they related to the ferocity of the younger generation.
Within a few years, the original members of the band left or succumbed to drug use, but Hynde stuck with it and stuck with the name. She married and divorced two famous rockers (Ray Davies of The Kinks and Jim Kerr of Simple Minds). Her band accumulated a catalog that allowed for a stellar greatest hits album. And Hynde became an every woman’s rock idol, a dedicated musician without the frills that cause rock ’n roll burnout.
On August 9, The Pretenders will hit the Jersey Shore to play The Stone Pony, another fundamental aspect of rock ’n roll history from the seventies. The venue barely survived the demise of Asbury Park’s golden years as a summer destination. But The Stone Pony is still considered the foundation of the Jersey Shore music scene and serves as a kind of home base for Bruce Springsteen. Just last year, Springsteen showed up to join Mike Ness of Social Distortion for his Stone Pony set. Considering Hynde’s rock connections, there might be a chance that The Boss will show up to jam with The Pretenders.
At Summerstage, an outdoor version of The Stone Pony, shows start early, leaving time afterward to explore the partially revitalized Asbury Park. Not your typical summer getaway, with boarded up Victorian houses and partially demolished casinos, the ghosts of the abandon beach town still roam Asbury. The town walks a fascinating line between new and old, trendy restaurants and vintage beach motels available in equal measure.
If the Jersey Shore is too far to travel, catch The Pretenders and opening act Cat Power at Central Park Summerstage on August 10.