Still deadly: the return of Lita Ford

(Credit: Tyler Clinton)

“Has it really been 15 years?” Long pause. “I need caffeine.” Lita Ford is happily tired. Calling from the road, the queen of heavy metal—and fantasy girl for many a teenager in the ‘80s—is in the beginning of one of 2009’s most unusual comebacks.

Having last recorded in 1995, Ford retired to the Caribbean with her husband (metal musician Jim Gillette, formerly of over-the-top ‘80s metal band Nitro), had two kids, and seemingly disappeared for good. But recently, she’s returned to the spotlight, with both a new record (“Wicked Wonderland”) and a slew of concerts and personal appearances.

At 51, Ford still looks remarkably similar to the rocker pin-up image she perfected in videos for “Kiss Me Deadly” and “Close My Eyes Forever” two decades ago. We caught up with her—and her whole family—on the road just as her tour with Queensrÿche was about to commence. All we can say is, “If the Partridge Family were metalheads…”

You pretty much look like you did back in the late ‘80s. How is that possible?
Thank you! I don’t know. I don’t do anything—I don’t work out, I don’t eat right. I guess you could say I do some “nighttime aerobics.” That keeps my ass in shape.

That said, have you ever pulled out an old outfit, tried it on, and decided, “That’s not gonna work”?
Sure. My body’s changed. Things that were loose around my waist…are not around my waist anymore. So things have moved around, but not in a bad way. I’m good for 51 years old.

Why come back now? Why not two years ago or three years from now?
It’s been a while, hasn’t it? The music world’s definitely changed. Honestly, I was just getting bored. I had to get out of Dodge, you know? I got married, had kids…I didn’t realize it was going to be 15 years later.

Are your kids rock ‘n’ roll kids, or do they rebel? Like, does one of them sneak Harry Connick, Jr. albums into his room?
Ha! Actually, we’re pretty close. We’re even doing a comic book together—the adventures of the Gillette Family. My kids get to beat up zombies, and we all play on stage. They loving kicking zombie butt.

Do you keep up with new music?
Not really. I’m not in love with music these days. I stick to myself. I listen to Lita! [Laughs] Seriously, it sounds vain, but we’ll slap on the new CD when we’re in the bus, and everyone rocks out. It’s new to us! And we’ll all sing along and change the words for fun.

I hear the tour with Queensrÿche is a little different.
Yeah, I come out and play a couple of songs with them. I play guitar on one song, then [Queensrÿche singer] Geoff Tate and I will duet on “Close My Eyes Forever.” And Jim’s gonna sing with me. We’re hopefully coming back with our own band in the future; we’re shooting for 75 shows or something in the spring. Of course, with that schedule, I might just be crawling along the stage by the end.

Is there anyone who you would consider a contemporary, a hot rock chick for 2009?
She’s not that much like me, but I really like Pink. I love her voice, the stage performance, and the songs are great. 

Is she, or someone else, a dream duet for you?
A lot of people ask me that. There are a lot of musicians I admire…but nobody I wanna do a duet with. I like singing with my husband. It makes things come to life for me.

Did you and Jim have a rock ‘n’ roll wedding?
It was insane. He proposed after knowing me for two weeks. We were at a lake, he had an airplane fly overhead with a flag on it with his proposal. I said yes on the spot—why waste time? So we got married on Friday the 13th, we wore up torn up Levis, no makeup, and had it done by the justice of the peace somewhere in Texas. Jim even got them to waive the 72-hour waiting period.

What’s the weirdest rumor you’ve heard about yourself?
Last night I heard that I used to work in a hair salon. That’s ridiculous; I can’t do hair to save my life. I’d fry everyone’s hair if I had to do it.