OK, Fuelers, time to get to know one of the original gangstas! Meet Fuel member No.2 - Joanna. Thanks for taking the time before and after Fillmore 30th Anniversary shows to chat with EFI!

by Michellica

So, Joanna, as one of the original Virginia Fuelers (member No. 2) a lot of us have met you or know some about you. But, tell us a little more about yourself. Where you are from? What you do? Things like that.

I grew up in Chappaqua, NY, which is just under an hour's drive north of NYC. I'll probably always feel like a New Yorker, though I haven't lived there since high school. My family is still in that area and I almost never miss an annual retreat week (or two) in the Adirondack Mountains in upstate N.Y. I went to college in Santa Fe, NM, which I absolutely loved - more mountains. A year after graduating, I moved to Northern Virginia (1994). Other than a year spent in St. Louis, I've lived in the DC-Metro area ever since - Virginia, DC, Maryland, back to Virginia and now Maryland again.

I've always loved all kinds of music and been an avid concert-goer. I'm a big fan of motorcycles though I still don't have my own. My husband and I have taken some great riding trips and try to get out a lot since it cures what ails ya. I love photography, especially landscape photography. Since buying a house I've become a bit of a gardener. So yeah, we bought the house (in Bowie) in March 2009 and got married in June 2009 in Shenandoah (mountains!). Lately my favorite thing is to just kick about at home. It's me, David and two black cats I picked up when we lived in St. Louis (Pixel & Syrah). We might be adding a dog or two to the family very soon.

Joanna and Kirk

Where are you working now?

I work for the U.S. Copyright Office, which is in the Library of Congress. I've been working there since 2001. I spent many years as an examiner in the Visual Arts Division, which I loved. In January 2010 I became a supervisor, which moved me over to the Literary Division. My team handles all the periodicals - all the magazines, journals, legal updates, catalogs, etc. Visual Arts was a blast and I have some good stories. Perhaps most interesting to this crowd would be that I approved the copyright registration for The Scary Guy. They filled out the application perfectly so I had no reason to pester the lawyers so I just signed off on it, but it was cool. I also approved the copyright registration for the design on Eddie Van Halen's Frankenstein guitar. That case was more complicated so there were a bunch of calls to the lawyer. I'd try not to giggle when he'd refer to “Mr. Edward Van Halen.”

What was your reaction when you first realized you were approving Metallica's Scary Guy? Any yelling in the office?

Actually I think I kept cool. I told friends who would appreciate it but probably didn't yell to my cube-mates. I did sneak off and make a photocopy of the application with my sign-off so I could have a copy for my personal files. Heh.

Tell us when you first became a Metallica fan?

My earliest encounter with Metallica was someone playing Ride the Lightning. I mentioned it was really different and was told I should check out Kill 'em All. I think sometime after that someone made me a crappy cassette copy of KEA but it was probably when Puppets came out that I really started listening to Metallica a lot. When Justice came out I used to come home from school and put it on really loudly to relax.

Summer Sanitarium 2003

What was your first-ever concert experience?

My very first concert was, of all things, Julian Lennon at the Beacon Theater in NYC in 1985. I went with one of my teeny bopper friends and we sat near John Taylor from Duran Duran who we squealed about. Yes, I'm confident enough in my metal-ness to be completely truthful about this!

[Ed. Narly! Could have been Rick Springfield. You're still Metal as all Hell, Joanna!]

First Metallica concert?

My first Metallica concert was late in coming. I almost got to go to a show on the Puppets tour but didn't. For the AJFA tour, I didn't really know people who were going and it didn't occur to me to go by myself. Then there was this shitty string of being in the wrong place at the wrong time: Metallica would play NY, I'd still be in NM; they'd get out to NM, I'd be in NY. I came close to going to a show in New Mexico on the tour with GnR but it wasn't until one of the Black Album tours (I think) that I finally saw them. I went alone; I had to give up on trying to find people to go with. It was here in Maryland at the Cap Center.

How many Metallica concerts have you been to?

I'm always amazed that people know the exact number of shows they've been to! They're really special - each one - but I just don't have a head for that kind of thing. Let's see; at least a couple by myself the first few times. The Lollapolooza tour which was worthwhile because it was there I joined The Metallica Club. Then I joined Fuel and had people to go to shows with! The two local shows on the ReLoad tour plus the four on "The Googol tour" - the fan club contest I won - and one more on that tour in Nashville with my contest week buddy. A couple make-up shows for the one they canceled in Atlanta, courtesy of George Probst who could not attend (road trip with Jimbo!). Maybe three of the Garage, Inc. shows? I know Philly and NY - Was there a Garage, Inc. down here too? I can't remember! One S&M show in Berkeley (on my birthday!) and the S&M show in NYC at Madison Square Garden. Man, that was a good time.

At least two of the first Summer Sanitariums - the super sunburned day in Baltimore and the dirt & mud in Rockingham, NC. Two more the next Summer Sanitarium tour - the Biggest Fuel Tailgate Ever at FedEx Field.

[Ed. HELL YEA! Fuel was IN DA HOUSE! I remember Joanna and Jeannette dancing on
stage with Bizkit's Durst and the American Flag!]

God bless America (and heavy metal females)!

...and the Fuel road-trip to Veterans Stadium in Philly. I'm losing the chronology! I think two different shows at the Verizon Center in DC. Oh yeah - there were some in Roanoke and Norfolk, too. Joie and I road-tripped and tent-camped to see Metallica at Bonnaroo. I caught two in Toronto recently with my BFF Chris who was from the Googol tour. I want to say I'd seen them in Toronto with her before, too. I guess the show at HQ counts! So, um, almost 30?

Tell us about meeting the 4-Horsemen and hanging out at HQ!

I'm really thankful for all my encounters with the band. My first meeting with anyone was James at the Meet & Greet in Bristow, VA, a few weeks before the Googol tour. I knew I'd won the tour, and I think my friend Rich Kessler told James, “You'll be seeing a lot more of her soon," and James said something about "fresh meat!" I don't think I uttered a word. The Googol tour contest week was incredible. Lots of highlights but I'll always say that playing soccer with the band and crew was perhaps the best. There's something very leveling about competing against your "idols," even though I suck at soccer and can't really say I was any competition.

The HQ trip was super cool. It had to be rescheduled, and the and members notified us! Lars called me at home, and I gotta tell you, that was surreal! Once we did get out to HQ there was a backyard BBQ, we got tours of the facility from the band (Lars was my group’s tour guide) and then they played. It was like hanging out with your friends while they jammed in their garage, on steroids!

[Ed. Joanna wrote a tour report about the recent 30th Anniversary shows at the Fillmore.
Check out the rest of this issue of EFI!]

What do you think of Lulu?

I don't get LuLu. I'm one of the few Metallica fans I know who doesn't seem to hate Lou Reed. I liked the Velvet Underground and thought Metallica and Lou weren't too bad as a pair at the Rock & Roll HOF Anniversary show, though I didn't get the choice of "Sweet Jane." I think "Run, Run, Run" would have been better. (I also wish they'd done "Destroyer" with Ray Davies.)

Craziest thing that ever happened to you at a concert?

Hmmm, I found it really weird that this giant guy who kept trying to squeeze me off the rail at a Black Label Society then asked me out when the show was over?!?! Going to a GWAR show and getting covered in "blood" was pretty crazy. At a Dead show, a friend I hadn't seen in years knew I'd be there and wanted to connect so she put signs all over the place about "looking for Joanna." All these people we didn't know were trying to help us find each other because they dug the story, and it worked! Cell phones are a lot easier, though less magical. Oh, wait... I know! Probably the craziest thing to happen at a concert was being on stage with Jeannette during the Limp Bizkit set at Summer Sanitarium.

[Ed. See I told ya! Editor's have good memories! And, photo evidence!]

On stage with Jeannette during Limp Bizkit's set

Jen asked me to help her wave her American flag since Fred Durst pulled someone from the audience with one the previous show I never thought it would work so I agreed. And who can say "no" to Jeannette? Anyway, it worked and I was NOT ready for that! It all happened so fast I only had time to think "hesitate now and it’s gone forever" so I just followed her. They pulled us over the barricade and ran us around the stage and up these stairs. It was a big area so we had to run fast and I was totally out of breath. I'm not a dancer and really not comfortable with a bunch of people looking at me, so being up on stage was mortifying but I knew I should be happy and roll with it. I just kept looking at Jeannette who was having a blast and that helped.

Who are your favorite bands other than Metallica?

Aie, I suck at picking favorites. Musically I'm all over the place. Bands that proved the test of time include Lynyrd Skynyrd (the Ronnie stuff) and the Allman Brothers. Rush. Motörhead. I like sludgy metal like Down, COC, Alabama Thunderpussy, The Sword. Tom turned me on to Lamb of God. Great stuff.

Going to see Lamb of God in January?

I'm going to catch them at the 9:30 Club. The last time I saw LoG was opening for Metallica in Toronto!

I was a Grateful Dead fan. Saw probably 15 of their shows. Yes, you can be a Dead Head AND a Tallica fan! Some metal fans crack me up about stuff like that but to me metal has always been about non-conformity and fucking convention so when people get all purist and act like you're only allowed to listen to metal, it cracks me up. I love Gov't Mule. Joie and I used to go to lots of Mule shows. They're an amazing jam band. I like classic punk and hardcore. The Clash, L7, Flogging Molly. I also like blues artists like Joe Bonamassa, Johnny Lang and Sonny Landreth. One of my favorite bands is my friends' band, Thunderbrew. I'm not trying to give them a plug - they really are one of my favorites. They're a metal band out of Delaware. I could go on and on.

Any other backstage experiences with other bands?

Hmm, I had VIP/backstage pass for a Black Label Society show at the Electric Factory in Philly. It wasn’t like a Meet & Greet thing like with Tallica but it did allow me to wander around and see the show from in front of the barricade. When Anthrax played Jaxx a few years ago they did a Meet & Greet thing (there were a bunch of Fuelers there). I went to an after-party with Brand New Sin when they played Jaxx. Oh, I went to a backstage after-party with Lynyrd Skynyrd band in 1989. Artemis Pyle gave me a slice of pizza.

Did you get to meet Zakk Wylde?

I met Zakk Wylde at a cattle-call Meet & Greet at Ozzfest one very, very hot summer, but no reunions in Philly.

Do you collect anything Metallica-related?

I collect Metallica experiences!!!

[Ed. HELL YEA!]

I have a bunch of Metallica stuff but its more of whatever I think is cool than a particular collection. I have a shitload of picks. Some very cool signed stuff - a signed photo of Fuel being the coolest! I have one of the big beach balls from the recent tour but it popped a hole I haven't successfully patched yet. I used to have bootlegs and videos, which are probably in a box in the attic. Doh! Of course I have oodles of swag and some pretty full photo albums.

Tell us your other hobbies/collections. You like to hike, right?

I'm a big reader and have lots of books. You never realize how many books you have until you have to move them all. Lots of music, too. Like I said, I like photography, getting out on the bike. I do like hiking. I want to get out and climb Old Rag because it’s been on my list for too long. Our friends and family are flung pretty far & wide, so keeping up with them is a big deal.

What is Old Rag for those who don’t know the area?

It's a mountain with a rocky top (so you're rewarded with a wonderful view, for your efforts) in Shenandoah. I want to say near Sperryville? New York state has tons of mountains to hike up and enjoy the view and since its one of my favorite things, I should do any and all Virginia has to offer!

Favorite sport to watch? Play? Brag about?

I watch football, hockey and rugby. I cheer for the NY Giants and NY Rangers. I'm an Auburn Tiger and a St. Louis Blues fan by marriage. I played rugby for a few years for the Washington Furies. I love rugby and try to turn everyone on to it. I turned my husband on to it, so we watch gobs of rugby now that you finally can in the U.S.! Well, if you have DirecTV. We watch the southern hemisphere's Super 15; my team is the Crusaders who are from New Zealand. For international rugby I'm an All Blacks fan - that's the New Zealand national team.

What magazines do you read? Are you reading a book right now? Which one?

Other than "So What!"? I regularly read The New Yorker magazine, which my husband calls my "liberal rag." I also get the New York Review of Books. Lately I've become one of those people who is in the middle of a few books at once, which was odd because I never was before. I'm re-reading the Game of Thrones series so I'll know what's going on in the new book, now that it's finally out. I'm reading a book about owls and I'm always reading some philosophy.

Favorite movie this year?

Oh gosh, another "favorite" question. I haven't been to a movie in the theaters in over a year since my husband built a home theater. *spoiled* We loved "Tucker & Dale Versus Evil." "The King's Speech" was excellent. I liked "Kick Ass." We just watched "Super 8" and it rocked! I love epic martial arts movies. I enjoy all the comic book movies. I'm disgusted by all the re-makes and don't get what passes for comedy these days.

If you were offered a job at Metallica HQ (or in the band) what would you be doing or what instrument would you be playing?

I can't really play anything but I'd be happy to work for the band or the club. I always liked working the fan club booth at shows and interacting with people. I'd be happy to do event planning or maybe even shooting the shows but I'd have a lot to learn. Photographing people, let alone moving around with crazy lights is tough. Being a pyro person would be fun!

Secret fire bug fantasy?

Maybe! There's definitely an interest. Partly because on the Googol tour, it was one of the missing elements. In pairs, we got to spend time with different specialists on the crew - lighting, sound, dressing room, etc. But not the pyro guys. I met them, but we didn't get to see the magic. Must be a secret guild thing. Pyro is such a specifically hard rock spectacle. I'm willing to bet you won't see pyro at a Dave Matthews show. You will see lots of pyro at an Aerosmith show. Those of us who were at the Verizon Center show in DC during the inauguration can tell you, it is really noticeable when it's missing from a Metallica show!

If you were offered your dream job, what would it be?

At one point I really wanted to be a philosophy professor and I think teaching at my former college is still probably the dream job for me. If I could make a living as a landscape photographer, that would be pretty awesome too since that would be like getting paid to do what I like for fun.

Deep thinker and an artist! Pretty cool. Why philosophy? Was that your major in college?

I may have gotten it from my dad. And as a true philosopher, I'd have to ask whether it was nature or nurture. Heh. I grew up discussing everything with him. He was always asking what I thought, challenging what I said, etc. He studied philosophy though history was his primary focus. He was a high-school history teacher (yes, in the school I went to) and he taught my first philosophy class. Then I went to a "great books" college. It has a set curriculum and no majors (classic liberal arts stuff), but if you break the program down into how much time you spend in each subject it works out to include a philosophy major. Oh, is this an OK time to plug the Metallica & Philosophy book, in which yours truly has a published essay?

Favorite all-time Metallica member? And Why?

This is really hard. I guess I'd have to go with James because he’s always the one that just sticks out in my mind. It could just be the whole front-man thing, or the fact that he writes most of the lyrics, which, on some songs, just blow me away. I respect that he has the courage to just put it all out there. But I have to put a shout out for Lars. I think people say all kinds of shit about Lars but I think he really is his own person and I respect that - its very metal. And while he gets flak for it, being the endless driving force behind the band is a big deal. I feel like his passion and commitment to his dream is pretty remarkable.

Lars and Joanna

Okay, not a "favorite question," instead; which Metallica lyric or lyrics mean the most? I know: Hard question, but you’re a philosopher at heart. I think James Hetfield is as well. I can see why you connect to him. So, to which lyrics do you connect the most?

Ah, you've figured me out - much easier question for the philosophical type. I connect powerfully with "Outlaw Torn." The whole song speaks to me and especially the structure and the lyrics at the end starting with "Hear me/And if I close my mind in fear please pry it open..."

Sorry another favorite - best Metallica song and album and why?

I've always said my favorite song is "Creeping Death." It’s just so fucking in your face. I love the riffs, and it’s the ultimate spooky metal lyrics. Any song where you can chant "Die! Die!" is pretty cathartic. I think I'd say "Ride the Lightning" is my favorite album because there are so many great songs on it and I really like the raw, visceral Metallica the best. I’m trying really hard to be honest and pick a "favorite" and not cheat like I have on every other question!

Favorite snack food?

Pistachios are referred to as "crack" in my household; can't get enough. Chips & salsa never gets old. If I have the gumption, I'll make guacamole and if I do say so myself, my guac rocks!

[Ed. I see a green theme here!]

Favorite secret song by a hair-metal band?

I went to my first Motley Crüe concert this past summer and had so much fun. I think I’m over myself enough now that I can do that. I made my comment about laughing at metal purists but I back in the day I was fiercely anti-hair band, so I guess I was just as bad. But the Crüe put on an awesome show and, surprise, surprise - I knew all the words to all the songs! Let's go with "Too Young to Fall In Love."

What’s in your car stereo/CD player, iPod right now? Home and work stereo/CD player?

The CD changer in my car has Soulfly, Soundgarden, Metallica, Lamb of God, Van Halen and Biohazard in it. My iPod has everything on it - over 500 CDs and then stuff I bought from iTunes. I can't listen to music at work. My husband is a tech guy so at home we have iTunes on the server and anywhere in the house you can listen to whatever. So I pretty much have it all our collection there all the time and just go with my mood.

What does being a member of Virginia Fuel mean to you?

I'm proud when I think about Fuel because it’s an awesome collection of people. I'm really glad I found it, which at the time meant "found Paul Judd." None of my good friends really liked metal growing up so while we went to tons of shows, no Metallica shows. It was great to meet people who wouldn’t think it was weird to like metal and man, most metalheads are just so damn nice and would do anything for you! (Amen!) I got over the thing about going to shows with people and most of the shows I've been to I probably went alone, which is fine. But I'm never alone at Metallica shows and it amplifies the experience. It might sound corny or cliché, but Fuel is family. I've met some of my best friends through Fuel and its one of the better things I've done for myself.

What do you see in store for Virginia Fuel in 10 years?

It would be awesome to have second-generation members! I would love if there was a show and a Fuel tailgate to ring in my 50th birthday. We would have already celebrated our 20th reunion as a chapter (2017), which is pretty wild to think about. To me, Fuel's strength has been how much we all really get to know each other as people so if we continue to bring people into the fold, either as new members or more involved members, we will continue to be the best local chapter! (Yeah, I'm biased.)

Who is your hero, or heroes/heroine?

If a hero is someone you look up to, admire, emulate then I'd have to mention my dad. I've always respected that he is true to himself and always does what he thinks is right. I'd also include my husband because he's a very generous spirit and reflexively tries to help people. He's the type that looks out for and protects people. And let's throw in my sister, because she has never-ending strength and courage.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Nature. Nothing puts me at ease, lifts me up and calms me down like nature. I like to see the beauty in the world and there is so much of it. I love mountains and vistas and need to feel open space, but even just a walk in the woods, watching the world, observing wildlife, it all sets me right and lets me continue on.

Thanks for sharing with us Joanna! You rock!