Joan Jett and Mike Tyson: The improbable story of rock's strangest photoshoot
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Over the years, Joan Jett has attained near-messianic status.
She's received a fan letter from former US president Bill Clinton, been the subject of an iconic print from Shepard "that Barack Obama 'Hope' poster" Fairey, launched a clothing line with renowned fashion designer Todd Oldham, and written a song with Dave Grohl. We could go on.
Unbeknownst to many, the former Runaways guitarist also played an unlikely role in the rise of boxing legend Mike Tyson. Back in the mid-80s, when "Iron" Mike was a ferocious but unproven pugilist, she was befriended by the sports-mad Jett.
The story goes that Joan called the then-19-year-old Tyson in 1985 with a good luck message prior to his sixth professional fight, against Larry Sims, a journeyman pro with 20 bouts under his belt. The one-sided affair was stopped in the third round when Sims was knocked out by a savage right hook, and a tradition was born: the superstitious Tyson now expected a call from Jett before every fight.
She obliged, calling Tyson as his record remained unbeaten and he carved a swift and brutal path through the heavyweight division. A friendship was born, and when In Fashion magazine were on ther hunt for cover stars the following year, they approached Joan and the relationship went public.
"The editors gave Jett the option of doing the cover with any male celebrity," said Steve Lott, CEO of the Boxing Hall of Fame in Las Vegas. "They wanted a man and a woman on the cover. She said she wouldn't do it with anybody except Mike Tyson."
This wasn't as unusual as it sounds. In Fashion's cover was often given over to unlikely pairings – Grace Jones and A Nightmare on Elm Street actor Robert Rusler, NFL legend Jim McMahon and model and actress Kim Alexis, Rosanna Arquette and Charlie Sexton, and Duran Duran guitarist John Taylor and Danish writer Renée Simonsen all posed for the cover.
The shoot, which graced the cover of the March/April 1987 issue of In Fashion, took place late the previous year with photographer Richard Corman and make-up artist Bobbi Brown, future founder of the global Bobbi Brown Cosmetics brand.
"It was definitely an intimidating duo," Brown said in 2015. "When I approached Mike Tyson, who was at the top of his career at the time, he quickly shooed me away telling me there was no way I was touching him with my makeup brushes. I backed off and worked on Joan, who couldn’t have been nicer or more cool. With her spiky hair and love of leather, she was the epitome of a rocker chick."
"She was a boxing enthusiast and a huge fan of his," Corman remembered. "Upon meeting, Jett, in awe, immediately began lacing up his gloves and in a split second, Tyson took hold of one of her many guitars, ran out to my set and spontaneously played the role of Mike Tyson… dynamic rock star!"
The pair both look serious on the cover, but other photos from the shoot show the pair larking around with guitars, looking as energetic and as carefree as a pair of freshly shorn ewes.
Sadly, the good times couldn't last. Legend has it that Jett continued to call Tyson as he terrified his opponents and remained unbeaten for another 30 fights, but on February 11, 1990, as the now Undisputed Champion of the World matched-up against the 42/1 underdog James "Buster" Douglas, Tyson never got the call. And he lost.
