Pop icon crying as crazed fan grabs her and tries to pull off stage

Daily Mirror

5 hours ago

EXCLUSIVE: Suzi Quatro has just turned 75, but she's got the energy and enthusiasm of a twenty-something and tells us about the secret to her three-decade long marriage — and a terrifying encounter with an overzealous fan
She's the original queen of rock and roll — a legend who many female stars credit for opening doors to women in music. Suzi Quatro has just turned 75, but she's got the energy and enthusiasm of a twenty-something — and she can still rock a tight leather jumpsuit while wielding her trusty bass guitar.
Deliciously straight-talking, the star is as passionate about performing as when she first stepped onto the stage, aged just 14, playing the bongos with her sisters in the trio The Pleasure Seekers.
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Here, the Detroit native, who has been married to German concert promoter Rainer Haas since 1993, tells us about her 2026 UK tour, the secret to her three-decade long marriage — and a terrifying encounter with an overzealous fan.
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You turned 75 recently — you look amazing!
Ha ha, thank you. I'm still convinced they got the date wrong on my birth certificate. I'm proud to be 75, but I'm young at heart. I had a party but I don't drink much any more. Eventually you get to a point where you say, I've been there, had the monster hangover, and the thrill's gone.
Do you ever feel bored not drinking at parties?
No, because I'm a people person. I find my way into the conversation. I'm a Gemini. Geminis are ruled by Mercury, the planet of communication, which says it all. And there's no middle ground with me — I'm either crazy up and excited, or I'm down. I never have an even keel. We keep people on their toes. Don't ever second-guess a Gemini, because you won't win.
You've been married to husband Rainer for 32 years. What's your secret?
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We live in separate countries! That is definitely a factor. I was 24/7 with my first husband, who was also my guitar player. Nice as that was, sometimes it wasn't. The main ingredient is trust and respect. We're soulmates, basically. I'm an optimist and he's a pessimist. We balance each other out.
You and Rainer work together, too. How do you find that?
Yes, he's my manager but I refuse to use the 'M' word in front of him! We enjoy missing each other, then getting together. Some people ask how we make that work, but it works for us. But the main ingredient to any successful relationship is not to expect the other person to 'complete' you. You have to be whole yourself.
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Tell us about your tour next year. What can fans expect?
I'm celebrating 62 years in the business next year. It's a big tour across the UK — an entertaining two-hour rock and roll show with all the hits and a few surprises. I play the piano, drums and a seven-minute bass solo... I take you on a journey through my life. I talk a little, but I don't do Adele. She talks more than she sings, and she's very good at it.
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You must need to be in peak fitness for a big tour…
I'm the rehearsal queen. I rehearse as if it was a live show, running around. If I'm not working, then I make sure I'm going to the gym. It means on stage, I still have that energy.
Is life on the road a bit more sedate these days?
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I've partied, had the odd room wreck — but I was never a sex, drugs and rock and roll girl. I was brought up in a musical family. My dad told me aged 15, 'Suzi, you've found what you want to do in life. This is a profession. If there's 10 people or 10,000 in the audience, everyone's paid to see you, and you owe them.' That's always been embedded in me.
You're also working on a new album…
I am. Alice Cooper agreed to do a track on it. We recorded it in Detroit last year. I've known him since I was a teenager and he's so different from his stage persona that I can't watch him live. That's not the guy I know! We're close friends, he's a lovely guy.
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Is there anyone else you'd love to collaborate with?
Rod Stewart. He's headed to Glastonbury this summer. They've asked me a couple of times, but the offer was silly. I'm better than that. It's not even about the money — after 61 years, I want the respect that I deserve, but I'd be happy to do it.
What are your most memorable concerts?
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The first gig I did in Germany in 1973 — the first big show where thousands of people had paid to see me and were screaming, going nuts. My 50th birthday at a gig in Berlin was cool — when you hear Happy Birthday sung by 22,000 people, you hear it! That feeling never gets old. It's a legal high.
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What's a wild fan memory?
In Germany recently I had taken my bass off towards the end of a show. Walking along the front, people were high-fiving me — but one girl grabbed my hand and wouldn't let go and tried to pull me off the stage. And she was strong. I was really scared — I was crying.
What did you do?
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I backed up and sat down on the flight case I use, so nobody saw anything. I sang my final song and, as soon as I finished, a sound engineer came on, wrapped a towel around me and walked me offstage. But I was thinking, what kind of person thinks that's OK? I could have broken my neck.
Has being a woman in a male-dominated industry changed over the years?
I'll take to my grave that I was the first female rock musician to have worldwide success. There are many more female musicians today, but they tend to be too influenced by male opinion. Sometimes, women go out there in outfits close to soft porn. I wore a jumpsuit, but I showed no flesh. You don't have to strip off to be sexy. Work for it, buddy!
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Your seventh book, Grave Undertakings, came out in April. Can you tell us more about it?
It did, and people are going crazy! It's caused so much discussion. I was a graveyard dweller as a kid through to adulthood. It's fascinating, reading tombstones. In my twenties I came up with the title and started collecting tombstone inscriptions, and did it for 35 years to assemble a book. Then I realised this would work as a novel.
Can you fill us in on the book's plot?
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I've had a love of psychology my entire life. If you're mad at me, I want to know why. So I came up with a plot about six psychology students. It takes you through their lives, you get 20 lessons in psychology, and the pay-off is the tombstone inscriptions. That's all I can say.
So, what would your own tombstone inscription say, Suzi?
One side would say, 'Now I get it!' and the other, 'Too many dreams, too little time'. I've certainly thought about my life more over the last few years. I'm not going anywhere yet, though.
Do you have any burning ambitions left?
I would love my latest book to be made into a movie or a musical. Strictly would be fun — and I can dance! They've asked me before but the time was never right. I wouldn't do the jungle — it feels degrading. I'll watch it, though. I've realised so many dreams and I've still got so much to say. I'm happy as long as there's fire in my belly — and there's still plenty.